Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Arnold Steinhardt lives his violin dreams
  Arnold Steinhardt has had a complicated, 63-year-long relationship with the violin. The longtime member of the renowned Guarneri String Quartet talks with Minnesota Public Radio's Steve Staruch.3:35 p.m.
• Supreme Court says South Dakota Senate can hold disciplinary hearing
  The South Dakota Supreme Court says the state Senate can proceed with disciplinary proceedings against a senator accused of sexual misconduct.5:20 p.m.
• Somali kids need help to avoid gangs, new report says
  A Minneapolis' civil rights department report says the number of Somali kids in gangs is small, but the problem needs attention.5:23 p.m.
• Kids' birthday parties are getting extreme
  More parents are prone to spoil their kids on their birthdays than ever. The Birthdays Without Pressure Project aims to change that.5:25 p.m.
• Actors run free in Off-Leash Area
  An award-winning experimental theater group called Off-Leash Area aims to pack an emotional wallop without using a lot of words.5:50 p.m.
• Reporting the news - en Espanol
  As Minnesota's Latino population continues to grow, so does the Spanish language media. They play an important role delivering entertainment and news to the Latino community. But there can be challenges that come with covering important stories on sensitive issues.6:20 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Retired Army Generals Criticize Bush's Iraq Plan
  As political rhetoric on Capitol Hill grows louder about plans for a troop buildup in Iraq, four seasoned retired generals give their assessments to members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Their opinions range from tentative support for the president's plan to calling it a fool's errand.
• Rice Discusses Mission to Gain Arab Support
  Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice holds a reporters' roundtable in London to discuss the outcome of her mission to persuade Arab leaders to support President Bush's new Iraq military buildup and to revive the Arab-Israeli peace talks.
• Russia Finds an Eager Weapons Buyer in Iran
  Iran may be under United Nations sanctions for nuclear-arms technology, but Russia has recently sold Tehran new conventional weapons. This week, Moscow said it has completed deliveries of anti-aircraft missiles, and it is ready to sell more arms to Iran.
• Illinois Smokers May Benefit from Bears' Success
  Despite the Bears' winning season, Chicago-area towns have seen their bar business shrink by as much as 50 percent since a smoking ban went into effect Jan. 2. Three towns may temporarily lift the bans so they can review the policy. The review is timed to include the playoffs and Super Bowl.
• Book Details Concussion Damage in the NFL
  Research shows that late NFL football player Andre Waters had brain damage. Waters suffered multiple concussions during his NFL career, and committed suicide in November at age 44. Former Harvard football player and professional wrestler Chris Nowinski is behind the research that led to the discovery.
• 'Violin Dreams': Chasing Bach's Elusive Chaconne
  Arnold Steinhardt is the author of Violin Dreams, a memoir about his ultimate challenge: playing Bach's Chaconne, a 15-minute-long piece for solo violin. Steinhardt has been chasing the Chaconne for more than 50 years.
• Planned 'Divine Strake' Bomb Test Incenses Locals
  The Defense Department is planning to detonate 700 tons of non-nuclear explosives at the Nevada Test Site. Called "Divine Strake," the test is part of the military's effort to design "bunker-busting" explosives. Many locals and "downwinders" in Nevada and Utah object to the test.
• Britain, India Atwitter Over Racial Conflict on TV Show
  The antics of B-list celebrities in the British version of the show Celebrity Big Brother have led to widespread attention and outrage. Apparently racist attitudes against one housemate — a minor star from Indian films — have caused outrage in India and hysteria in the British tabloids.
• Gonzales Takes Fire on Domestic Eavesdropping
  Attorney General Alberto Gonzales testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee, less than 24 hours after he announced that the Bush administration's controversial warrant-less domestic surveillance program would be monitored by an independent court.
• Leahy: Shift in Domestic Spying Is 'Good First Step'
  Attorney General Alberto Gonzales was subjected to intense questioning about the Bush administration's domestic wiretapping program as he testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee. The program is now being monitored by the judiciary. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), the panel's chairman, called the change a "good first step"

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