Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Police trace school threats to Australia
  St. Paul police spokesman Paul Schnell says the department has notified the FBI and Interpol, but added that authorities do not believe the threats were credible.3:49 p.m.
• Minn. firm sends low-tech food solution to Haiti
  A Minnesota entrepreneur hopes that a low-tech solution will help Haitians cope with food shortages.3:53 p.m.
• Some call illuminated ads on rear windows a safety hazard
  A Twin Cites firm aims to put full-color, illuminated ads inthe rear windows of commuters' vans, SUVs and trucks.4:45 p.m.
• Patches & Gretchen serves up Sugar Head Pie
  Gretchen Seichrist and her band Patches & Gretchen are releasing a new cd entitled "Sugar Head Pie."4:50 p.m.
• Pawlenty won't veto construction projects bill
  Gov. Tim Pawlenty is withdrawing his threat to reject a $1 billion construction projects bill, saying he can work with the current proposal from House-Senate negotiators.5:20 p.m.
• How old is Seward shooting suspect?
  The attorney for a suspect in the Seward Market shootings claims he has documentation proving the young man is only 15, and should be tried as a juvenile for the crime. Prosecutors believe Mahdi Hassan Ali is 17 years old.5:24 p.m.
• Police trace school threats to Australia
  St. Paul police spokesman Paul Schnell says the department has notified the FBI and Interpol, but added that authorities do not believe the threats were credible.5:50 p.m.
• Erin Hart's "False Mermaid" and unsolved murder in St. Paul
  In Erin Hart's new mystery novel "False Mermaid," the lead character comes back to Minnesota to try to get some questions answered about a murder in St. Paul that has gone unsolved for five years.5:53 p.m.
• Minn. firm sends low-tech food solution to Haiti
  A Minnesota entrepreneur hopes that a low-tech solution will help Haitians cope with food shortages.6:19 p.m.
• In tough economic times, should environmental protection take a back seat to job creation?
  The Legislature is considering tighter requirements governing a proposed copper-nickel mine near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Today's Question: In tough economic times, should environmental protection take a back seat to job creation?6:25 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Armored Trucks Shield Marines From Taliban Bombs
  Every time Marines patrol Marjah in southern Afghanistan, they risk hitting homemade bombs planted by the Taliban. But the mine-resistant armored trucks that are replacing Humvees are reducing casualties from the blasts. One crew recently survived a run-in with at least 70 pounds of explosives.
• House Holds Rare Debate On Ending Afghan War
  Ohio Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich brought up a resolution Wednesday to pull U.S. troops out of Afghanistan by the end of this year at the latest. Although the measure did not pass, lawmakers agreed on one thing: The debate itself was important for the Congress to have.
• As Lice Grow Treatment-Resistant, Drug Could Help
  Lice in children have been treated for years with lotions, creams and shampoos. But the little critters are becoming more and more resistant. Now an oral drug already used to treat certain parasites in people appears to kill lice as well. Researchers say it could be an alternative when standard treatments fail.
• Chile's Transfer Of Power Complicates Recovery
  Chile is on the verge of a political transition. Outgoing President Michelle Bachelet is trying to preserve her reputation after the earthquake, while the president-elect, Sebastian Pinera, is trying to establish his reputation as a man who can rebuild the damaged country.
• WWII Female Pilots Honored With Gold Medal
  A long-overlooked group of women who flew military aircraft during World War II were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal on Wednesday. Known as Women Airforce Service Pilots, or WASP, they were the first women to fly U.S. military planes.
• OK Go Fights For Its Viral Video
  Damian Kulash, singer-songwriter-guitarist with OK Go, talks about the group's split with its label as the result of a label policy that kept a popular video the band made from being embedded on YouTube. "This Too Shall Pass" is a viral video that took a month to make; it displays an elaborate two-story Rube Goldberg device timed to the song.
• Ahmadeinejad Denounces U.S. In Afghanistan
  Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad paid a visit to Kabul Wednesday and denounced the U.S. for "playing a double game" in Afghanistan. He was responding to remarks by Defense Secretary Robert Gates who left the city earlier in the day.
• Plan For Afghan Poppy Fields Examined
  The U.S.-led offensive in Marjah, Afghanistan, is taking place in a major opium-production center. Seth Jones, a political scientist with the Rand Corp. who was recently in Afghanistan, discusses what's going on with poppy producers and traffickers.
• Sebelius Urges Reluctant Insurers To Back Changes
  Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told health insurers they risked losing consumers if they didn't work with the White House on a health care overhaul. But Karen Ignagni, the head of the insurance trade organization, said her group was eager to support an overhaul, just not this one.
• House, Senate Tension Stalls Legislation
  The relationship between the House and the Senate is becoming heated, affecting Democratic efforts to get health care and other legislation passed. Norman Ornstein, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, offers his insight.

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