Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Appetites: Predicting food trends for 2013
  Rachel Hutton talks about the hottest food trends in the upcoming year and where to taste them around the Twin Cities.3:49 p.m.
• Soldier's memoir touches on a different fight
  Lt. Col. Mark Weber has been called a hero by people who hardly ever use that word. His penned memoir called "Tell My Sons..." touches on his family life, military career and the ever-present, sometimes graphic challenge of fighting cancer.4:49 p.m.
• Mayo Clinic seeking state help for major Rochester expansion
  The Mayo Clinic is proposing to invest $5 billion in Rochester and surrounding communities to build what the health provider is calling a "Destination Medical Center."5:19 p.m.
• At gun violence hearing, Minn. senators talk background checks and mental health
  The Senate Judiciary Committee, which includes Minnesota Democratic Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken, heard today from advocates and critics of stronger gun control laws.5:24 p.m.
• Head of Mayo Clinic describes plans for 'destination medical center'
  Mayo Clinic president and CEO John Noseworthy announced a plan to invest and expand in Minnesota, building a "destination medical center." Noseworthy speaks with MPR's Tom Crann.5:50 p.m.
• Appetites: Predicting food trends for 2013
  Rachel Hutton talks about the hottest food trends in the upcoming year and where to taste them around the Twin Cities.6:20 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• U.S. Economy Shrinks For First Time In Over Three Years
  The U.S. economy actually shrank a bit in the fourth quarter. It was a tiny decline at one tenth of a percent, but it goes down as the first negative quarter in three and a half years. A sharp decline in government spending and a fall in business inventories were big factors.
• With Debt Ceiling Pushed Out Of Sight, Sequestration Comes Back Into View
  Lost in the new discussion of immigration is a key deadline created in the fiscal cliff resolution over New Year's — the March 1 start of automatic spending cuts originally created by the 2011 debt ceiling compromise.
• Some Syrian-Americans Take Humanitarian Aid Into Their Own Hands
  The United Nations recently estimated that four million Syrians are in need of humanitarian assistance, and up to a million Syrian refugees in neighboring countries will need help during the first half of this year. The U.S. government has largely stayed out of the crisis, but that hasn't stopped some Syrian-Americans in Southern California from getting involved. They've made repeated trips bringing aid to the Turkish/Syrian border.
• Kerry's Temporary Senate Replacement Doesn't Plan To Run For The Seat
  William "Mo" Cowan was named today as interim U.S. Senator from Massachusetts. Cowan replaces John Kerry, who resigned his Senate seat after he was confirmed Tuesday as Secretary of State. Cowan will serve until a new senator is elected in June to fill out the remainder of Kerry's term.
• Drought Causes Ripple Effect Along Mighty Mississippi River
  Low water upstream threatens cargo traffic, and saltwater has encroached on the mouth of the river. Now, officials up and down the river are talking about the need for a comprehensive water resources plan.
• Adding Women To Selective Service Is Up To Congress
  When the Selective Service was revived in 1980, women were exempted from registration because of their inability to participate in combat. Now that the Pentagon has lifted its ban on women in combat units, some are asking if women will be required to register with the draft database. Audie Cornish puts that question to Lawrence Romo, director of the Selective Service.
• Women Enlistees Use Video Blogs To Share Advice With Other Recruits
  Female soldiers might be able to serve in more positions than ever, but they are still a minority in the armed forces, and female recruiters are even harder to come by. It can be hard for female recruits to get advice from other women. Some women enlistees are turning to YouTube to learn what life in the military will be like.
• Bellevue Hospital's Slow Comeback After Superstorm Sandy
  Repairs to the New York City hospital are expected to allow a full reopening in early February. Engineers have been working around the clock to make everything is ready. Bellevue hasn't been able to care for trauma patients since the storm. That has put a strain on neighboring hospitals.
• Alex Rodriguez Among MLB Players Tied To Doping Through 'Anti-Aging' Clinic
  Audie Cornish talks with Tim Elfrink, managing editor of the Miami New Times. He broke the story about how big names in the MLB had been connected to an anti-aging clinic in Miami.
• A 1969 Bootleg Unearths Miles Davis' 'Lost' Quintet
  Columbia Records' latest release from the jazz maverick's vault is a three-CD, one-DVD live compilation. The previously unreleased material captures a little-known burst of creativity, recorded between two vastly different periods in Davis' career.

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