Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Art Hounds
  Each week Minnesota Public Radio News asks three people from the Minnesota arts scene to be "Art Hounds." Their job is to step outside their own work and hunt down something exciting that's going on in local arts.4:45 p.m.
• Woman challenges age-old notions about infertility
  When couples struggle with infertility, the social pressure can be intense. Fartun Weli is challenging age-old Somali traditions by talking about them publicly, earning attention in Minnesota and back home in Somalia.4:49 p.m.
• Lessons and Carols at King's College starts the Christmas season for many
  MPR's Tom Crann talks to Classical host Michael Barone about why one Christmas Eve performance in Cambridge, England attracts so many people worlwide.4:52 p.m.
• Minnesota veteran urges PTSD help in holiday season
  A Minnesota combat veteran is urging other veterans with PTSD to seek the help they need this holiday season.5:20 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Secularists, Islamists Clash In Iraqi Culture War
  Iraq's political battles have subsided with the formation of a new government. But the country's culture war continues unabated as the Islamist political parties fight secular Iraqis, long part of the country's social fabric. It is a struggle to define the country's identity.
• Phylicia Rashad Probes 'Dimensions Of Motherhood'
  The actress best known for her role as Clair Huxtable on The Cosby Show has taken on two more complex mom roles. She's a preacher, mother and healer in the play every tongue confess; and mother to a daughter with a personality disorder in Frankie & Alice. Rashad says she learned "everything" from her own mom.
• Southeast Asian Immigrants Flounder After Gulf Spill
  Most of the Gulf of Mexico is back open for fishing, but the market hasn't been there for the seafood, so the industry has yet to rebound. The uncertainty in the aftermath of the disaster has taken a toll on people who relied on the Gulf for their livelihood.
• On The Horizon: Liquid Fuels Made By Sunlight
  Fossil fuels won't last forever, so scientists and engineers are looking for new and efficient ways to capture solar energy to make liquid fuel. One promising technique relies on a common material most people have never heard of -- the element cerium.
• A Mistake That Stole Christmas? A Foreclosure Story
  A Boston family is suing Wells Fargo after the bank foreclosed on their home -- despite their enrollment in a loan modification program -- because of a single missing document. The family says the bank misplaced their paperwork. Similar cases are being brought against the major banks in other states.
• Why Bankers Paid Each Other Millions To Make Bad Trades
  The latest on Wall Street and the housing market, from our partners at ProPublica.
• This 'Placebo' Could Be The Drug For You
  We present a faux commercial for "Placebo" -- a drug that does nothing and makes no claims at all. This is in reaction to a story that placebos can be effective in medical treatments -- even if the patients taking them know that they're not actual medications. The news comes from researchers at Harvard Medical School's Osher Research Center and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
• 'Street Papers' Sold By Homeless Are Thriving
  Homeless newspapers around the country have grown by double digits over the past few years, even while most printed publications struggle to keep their paying customers. The so-called street papers create jobs for homeless people, who buy the papers at cost and sell them for a dollar. The model is simple, but it works. And it's caught fire in places like Nashville. The publication's explosive growth raises questions about sustainability of the street paper business model -- like what happens when the vendors are making so much money they're no longer homeless?
• Wireless Bugs Unearthed In Small Vermont Town
  Renovations on the town hall in Charlotte, Vt., unearthed two secret listening devices hidden in the office of the town clerk and in a conference room. Now, this town of just under 4,000 people has a cold case on its hands. For more, NPR's Audie Cornish talks to Stephen Brooks, publisher of the Charlotte Spectator, who first broke this story.
• Outgoing Gov. Mark Sanford Opens Up About Scandal
  The nation's state capitals will soon welcome a new wave of governors who will begin to take office in the coming weeks. One of the most notable governors leaving office is South Carolina's Mark Sanford. He was a rising conservative star until that ill-fated trip to Argentina to visit his mistress. He reflects on his time in office and what's next for him.

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