Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Obama sees bipartisan 'season of progress'
  President Barack Obama celebrated a bipartisan "season of progress' on Thursday at a year-end news conference a few hours after the Senate ratified an arms control treaty with Russia.3:15 p.m.
• Consumers using phone apps to get ahead this holiday season
  It used to be you had to research products and compare prices before you went to the store, but now if you have a smart phone you can do that while you shop.4:49 p.m.
• Charitable giving holding steady in Minnesota
  MPR's Tom Crann talks to Sarah Caruso, CEO of the Greater Twin Cities United Way about how Minnesota's charitable organizations are faring.4:53 p.m.
• Outgoing Gov. Pawlenty is rooting for Republicans, not aiding transition for Gov-elect Dayton
  Preview of Cathy Wurzer's Morning Edition interview with Gov. Tim Pawlenty.5:20 p.m.
• Food safety bill passes with exemption for small farms
  The Food Safety Modernization Act passed by the U.S. House Tuesday strengthens government oversight of food processing facilities and farms, but a controversial part of the bill exempts small farms from most safety oversight.5:22 p.m.
• Official: No timeline for repair, but Metrodome will be ready for next season
  The snow on the roof of the Metrodome has all been melted and the roof will be safe for workers by the end of the day.5:25 p.m.
• Judge rules farmer's raw milk products caused E. coli outbreak
  A state judge has ruled that a southern Minnesota dairy farm was the source of an E. coli outbreak last spring that sickened eight people.5:54 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• For These Young Nuns, Habits Are The New Radical
  For the most part, these are grim days for Catholic nuns. Convents are closing, nuns are aging and there are relatively few new recruits. But in Nashville, Tenn., the conservative Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia are seeing a boom in young recruits. The average age of new entrants is 23.
• Kiss Away: Harvesting Mistletoe From The Treetops
  This time of year, we're used to seeing a sprig of mistletoe hanging from the doorway -- the inevitable invitation to a kiss. But we don't often think about how it got there. One hardy harvester in Tennessee collects it the old-fashioned way -- by climbing to the tops of trees.
• 'Ship Of The Line': Sailing To Fantasy And Back
  When writer Abraham Verghese was 10 years old, he went off to sea in a British frigate to battle Napoleon's navy. Verghese made this perilous journey thanks to C.S. Forester's unforgettable series about the adventures of Captain Horatio Hornblower, books he still loves, years later.
• Singers Have A Ball On Album Dedicated To 'Honky Tonk Girl' Loretta Lynn
  Tribute compilations rarely do anybody justice. Recorded by disparate artists under disparate circumstances, they're inconsistent by definition. But every now and then one jells.
• Arms Control Challenges Remain After New START
  The ratification of the nuclear arms treaty with Russia is literally just a start. President Obama has mapped out further steps to limit nuclear weapons, all in entirely new territory. Both the U.S. and Russia have thousands of additional nuclear weapons in categories that have never been subject to limits -- tactical nuclear weapons, non-deployed warheads that could be used in a crisis. Then there are the other nations that possess nuclear weapons, such as China, France and Britain, which have never been subject to arms control negotiations. These are just a few of the thorny issues that the Obama administration would like to see included in new arms control talks.
• How Does A Country Reduce Its Nuclear Arms?
  The new START treaty will require the United States and Russia to reduce each country's stockpile of long-range nuclear warheads by about 30 percent. It would also reduce the number of nuclear submarines, missiles and bombers each country can posses. So how does a country reduce its arms? NPR's Robert Siegel speaks with George Perkovich, director of the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, about how the United States and Russia will reduce their nuclear weapons to comply with the treaty.
• Redistricting In Ohio: A Primer
  NPR's Audie Cornish talks to Paul Beck, professor of political science at Ohio State University, about Ohio's loss of two congressional seats after the 2010 census. Ohio will go from having 18 seats to 16. Beck explains who's in charge of the process of downsizing and how it will work.
• New York AG Sues Ernst And Young
  This week, the attorney general of New York state sued the accounting firm Ernst and Young -- the same firm that audited Lehman Brothers. NPR's Robert Siegel speaks with Columbia law professor John Coffee about the suit.
• Waterlogged California At Risk Of Mudslides
  Southern California has been pounded by heavy rain. Flooding and potential mudslides are causing big problems for motorists and residents of threatened hillside neighborhoods.
• States Dip Into Climate Funds To Shore Up Budgets
  Two years ago, 10 northeast states set up a regional cap and trade program to reduce carbon emissions and promote conservation. The money raised was supposed to be used for green energy and environmental initiatives, but in an era of tight budgets, it has proved a tempting target for some state officials. Three of those states -- New York, New Hampshire and New Jersey -- have used some of the revenue from the initiative to shore up state budgets.

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