Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Will governor and lawmakers find common ground to insure all kids?
  Gov. Pawlenty and legislators agree this is the year to deal with providing universal health insurance coverage to all Minnesota kids.5:19 p.m.
• The changing newspaper landscape
  The sale of the Star Tribune newspaper this month caps a turbulent year in the news business in Minnesota. Media analyst David Brauer puts it all in perspective.5:23 p.m.
• Lives intersecting the headlines
  Urban crime, Medicare Part D, the war in Iraq, upheavals at Northwest and the decision to close the St. Paul Ford plant. We're looking back on these and other stories of 2006 through the lens of your personal experiences. We turned to our Public Insight Network to hear how their lives intersected with the headlines this year.5:48 p.m.
• Farmer tends to a new customer base
  Pelican Rapids is still basically a farming community. But a decade-and-a-half of immigration has changed the town a lot. That's not just clear on Main Street, If you drive a few miles out of town, life is even different on the farm.5:51 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• A Turbulent Year for Book Publishers
  Publishing got a bloody nose this year, from James Frey to Judith Regan. The publisher has made a lot of money for Harper Collins but obviously went off track with the O.J. Simpson book. She now stands accused of bizarre anti-Semitic conduct and speech, apparently tolerated by Harper Collins until her recent firing.
• Apple Is Warned, But Jobs Is Cleared of Misdeeds
  Apple has restated its earnings and admits that it backdated thousands stock options granted to executives. But a special company committee headed by former Vice President Al Gore cleared Apple CEO Steve Jobs of misconduct. The stock market cheered the news.
• Saddam's Death May Come to TV
  Iraqi authorities have announced a plan to document on video the complete process of Saddam Hussein's execution, including his transfer from U.S. forces to Iraqi authorities. The U.S. military has been holding him since his capture. How might U.S. television use this sensitive footage in its coverage?
• Oil Prices Recede, and So Do Conservation Habits
  When gas prices hit $3 a gallon in early summer, consumers began to change their driving habits. But now that gas is cheaper, they don't appear as focused on fuel efficiency. Volatile oil prices are shaking things up in the energy industry, leading to new technologies and efforts to find new sources of fuel.
• Midway, a Protected Area, Is Also Underfunded
  Even President Bush's staunchest environmentalist critics were singing his praises when he protected the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, including Midway Island. But it turns out that there's so much lead paint flaking off old buildings on Midway that thousands of Laysan albatross born there each year are getting poisoned.
• Californians Pay Respects to the Late Gerald Ford
  Family and close friends of the late President Gerald Ford gather at the family church in Palm Desert, Calif., for a private prayer service. A Marine band played as military pall-bearers carried Mr. Ford's flag-draped casket inside St. Margaret's Episcopal Church. Thousands of people turned out to watch the funeral procession make its way through town.
• '9' from Damien Rice Follows a New Path
  Irish singer/songwriter Damien Rice won fans around the globe with his debut CD, simply titled O. In the four years since then, Rice has teased his adoring fans with a few small releases. But he has finally released a second studio album, 9.
• Saddam's Execution Believed to Be Imminent
  The big question tonight in Baghdad is whether Saddam Hussein is on his way to the gallows. There were reports today that U.S. forces had turned the former dictator over to Iraqi authorities. That was not supposed to happen until just before Saddam's execution.
• Merry Stressmas: It's That Time of the Year
  Storyteller Kevin Kling finds that Christmas in his family usually includes some type of family disaster. But for Kevin, that's okay: Those are the things that seem to keep the family talking and remembering.
• Spreading Violence Worries Somali Families Abroad
  Somali families in the United States are watching and listening to this week's news about their country with great interest and concern. For one perspective, Robert talks with Zainab Hassan of Minneapolis, Minn., whose mother, brother and sister remain in Somalia. Her brother has told her that there is a real sense of fear on the streets.
• Blues Song Is a Decades-Long Music Lesson
  As part of our series about students and teachers, musicologist Bruce Nemerov describes the way that one song is recorded by several different musicians in different decades of the 20th century. The older musicians are teaching the younger musicians through the song "Sitting on Top of the World." We hear the song as recorded by Al Jolson, The Mississippi Sheiks, Howlin' Wolf, Eric Clapton, Bill Monroe and The Grateful Dead.
• Giants Catch Zito With Mammoth Seven-Year Deal
  The San Francisco Giants have reached a seven-year, $126 million deal with pitcher Barry Zito. Wall Street Journal sportswriter Stefan Fatsis says it's the largest pitching contract in baseball history.
• Kurds Feel Cheated by Saddam's Execution
  Many Kurds say they are upset about the prospect of Saddam Hussein being executed before being tried for atrocities against the Kurds, says Najmaldin Karim, president of the Washington Kurdish Institute. Robert Siegel talks with Karim, who has been on the phone with people in Kurdistan for the last three days.
• Somalia's Gedi Returns to Capital in Armed Convoy
  Somalia's prime minister entered the capital city of Mogadishu, 24 hours after Islamist militias that had been holding the city for the past six months collapsed and fled. Greeted by cheering residents, Prime Minister Mohamed Ali Gedi drove into northern Mogadishu in a heavily armed convoy of 22 vehicles.
• 'Green' Projects Get Serious; So Does the Money
  Only a few years ago, the backers of renewable energy projects were known for their idealism rather than their business savvy. No more. Serious venture capital money -- in the billions of dollars -- has poured into alternative energy projects since oil prices started climbing.

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