Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Osterholm: Food safety improvements overblown
  Michael Osterholm, a Minnesota infectious disease expert, says the nation hasn't made any significant progress on food safety in a decade, despite what Americans may have heard in recent months.4:49 p.m.
• Developer floats casino idea for downtown Minneapolis
  The Minneapolis developer who bought the Block E project last summer is floating the idea of building a luxury casino on the downtown Hennepin Avenue site. The Alatus Co. thinks high-stakes gaming might revive one of the city's landmark and most notorious commercial blocks.4:53 p.m.
• The latest on protests, politics in Madison
  To get more now on the developments in Madison, we called Patrick Marley, political reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He joins us by phone from their bureau in the Wisconsin Capitol.5:16 p.m.
• UW-La Crosse faculty vote on unionization, even as bargaining rights threatened
  Faculty at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse campus have decided to go forward with a vote this week on whether to unionize, although the results might be rendered meaningless by Gov. Scott Walker's proposal to eliminate their collective bargaining rights.5:21 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Provisional Government Forming In Eastern Libya
  In the eastern Libyan city of Bayda, a new government is being formed. As forces loyal to Libyan President Moammar Gadhafi reportedly held on to control of the capital city of Tripoli, the eastern part of the country is in the hands of the rebels, who are now trying to organize themselves.
• Tunisia Embraces A Stream Of Refugees From Libya
  Tunisian officials estimate that thousands have fled across Libya's western border. They have sent extra military troops to manage the inflow. The border is open to anyone who wants to get out of Libya — and on Wednesday, those crossing were mostly Tunisian men.
• Dream Comes True For Female Pitcher
  Host Robert Siegel talks to Justine Siegal, practice pitcher for the Cleveland Indians. She's one of only a few women to participate in Major League Baseball.
• Memory Champs? They're Just Like The Rest Of Us
  Journalist Joshua Foer set out to write about mental athletes — and ended up becoming one himself. At his prime, Foer could memorize the order of a shuffled deck of playing cards in 1 minute and 40 seconds. These days, he has trouble remembering where he put his keys.
• Nearby Uprisings Stoke Saudis' Political Passions
  More than ever before, Saudis are demanding political reform. They are unlikely to march in the streets, but a political scientist says the king's announcement of new unemployment and housing benefits probably won't be enough.
• Ohio Follows Wisconsin's Lead On Budget Cuts
  In Ohio, budget cuts and a battle between Republicans and public employee unions are dominating the news. Thousands of union protesters marched at the state Capitol, angry over a push to cut benefits and eliminate collective bargaining. Meanwhile, freshman Republican Rep. Bob Gibbs from Ohio meets with a local Chamber of Commerce and promises to keep up the pressure to cut spending in Washington.
• Tea Party-Backed Lawmaker Meets With Constituency
  As talk in Washington turns to a possible government shutdown, members of Congress return home to hear from their constituents. Florida Republican Rep. Daniel Webster, who's holding a meeting in his hometown of Winter Garden, is in an interesting position. He was elected with Tea Party support, but represents a swing district that went for President Obama and was formerly represented by outspoken Democrat Alan Grayson.
• DVD Picks: 'Sweet Smell Of Success'
  Bob Mondello's DVD pick this week is a new, cleaned-up Criterion Collection version of Sweet Smell Of Success, a film noir classic.
• How Many Cooks?: Counting Up The Many Producers Of 'The King's Speech'
  NPR's Cory Turner asks the question: Who are all those people credited as producers on The King's Speech, and what do they tell us about what producers actually do?
• Governments Move Citizens Out Of Libya
  As Libya becomes increasingly chaotic and dangerous, the U.S. government and its counterparts in Europe are quickly evacuating their citizens.

The Dinner Party Download™

A fast, funny digest of the week's most interesting news, cuisine, cocktails and culture.

Services

• Hourly Newscast
• HD Radio
• iPhone App / Mobile
• E-mail newsletters
• RSS feeds
• Podcasts
• Submit your photos
• Videos
• Weather
• Most e-mailed stories