Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Art Hounds
  Each week Minnesota Public Radio News asks three people from the Minnesota arts scene to be "Art Hounds." Their job is to step outside their own work and hunt down something exciting that's going on in local arts.4:44 p.m.
• Q & A with Minn. Department of Education testing chief
  Dirk Mattson, who oversees standardized testing and assessment for the Minnesota Department of Education, joined MPR's Tom Crann to talk more about the new standardized testing.4:50 p.m.
• Rushford hopes for a big future in nanotechnology
  The government says nanotechnology will create hundreds of thousands of jobs in the next five years. Rushford hopes some of those jobs come its way.4:54 p.m.
• K-12 funding overhaul bill clears Minn. Senate
  Backers say the bill aims at Minnesota's racial achievement gap by eliminating racial integration aid to several large districts in favor of incentives for districts that improve student literacy.5:19 p.m.
• Minn. hospital tries new health care approach
  The Obama administration has filled in some of the blanks in a key part of the health care overhaul, proposing rules to define Accountable Care Organizations, which are meant to save hundreds of millions of dollars while improving patient care. The concept is still new, but is getting a tryout in Minnesota.5:24 p.m.
• Weather delays sandbag dike construction in Fargo-Moorhead
  City crews were set to start delivering sandbags to neighborhoods Thursday, but a looming winter storm has delayed dike construction until next week.5:45 p.m.
• Cube Critics
  As cube mates at Minnesota Public Radio News, arts reporter Euan Kerr and the Movie Maven Stephanie Curtis spend more time than they probably should engaged in cinema small talk. Today, it's box office receipts and mainstream movie gems on Cube Critics.6:24 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Britain Debriefs Former Libyan Foreign Minister
  The scene is a safe house somewhere in Britain. And the players are British intelligence agents, diplomats, and one lean, white-haired Libyan man named Moussa Koussa. He's Libya's foreign minister, a senior member of Moammar Gadhafi's embattled regime. Koussa flew to England Wednesday, and the British say he's resigned his post and defected — and that they've spent the day debriefing him.
• Libya's Moussa Koussa Had Relationship With U.S.
  The former head of Libya's intelligence service, who defected and resigned as foreign minister Wednesday, is widely believed to have been one of leader Moammar Gadhafi's most trusted aides. He also had developed a close working relationship with the U.S., especially on counterterrorism.
• Expansion Strategy: Amazon Deepens Digital Reach
  When Amazon announced its cloud-based music service this week, becoming the first major company to offer a digital storage locker for music, it was the latest example of the online retail giant moving into products and services far beyond its roots.
• Tea Partiers Rally For Deeper Cuts
  With Congress haggling over another continuing resolution to prevent a government shutdown, members of the Tea Party movement gathered on the lawn near the Capitol Building Thursday. They oppose the deal now taking shape and want deeper spending cuts.
• The Thrill Of A Job, And The Worry Over Digging Out
  Annica Trotter's struggle to find work is over after five stressful months. But the financial woes aren't over for Trotter and her boyfriend. They still have to dig out from a mountain of bills before they can get married and do more to provide for their children.
• On Japan's Coast, A Search For Relatives And Relief
  Nearly three weeks after the tsunami, the search continues for the thousands still missing. Work crews cannot begin to remove the mountains of debris strewn along hundreds of miles of coastline until they find all the bodies buried underneath.
• Public Anger Against Nuclear Power Mounts In Japan
  Since the tsunami damaged the Fukushima nuclear power plant 150 miles outside of Tokyo, Japanese citizens have grown more resistant toward nuclear energy. Analysts believe that any attempts at reform will face stiff resistance from the country's powerful nuclear energy establishment.
• Buffett's Successor Resigns
  David Sokol, viewed as the leading successor to Warren Buffett at Berkshire Hathaway, has resigned after buying shares in chemical company Lubrizol Corp. before recommending that Buffett acquire it.
• Letters: Cricket Match; Egyptian Cobra
  Melissa Block responds to emails from our listeners about the Pakistan-versus-India cricket match and the Bronx Zoo Egyptian Cobra.
• Looking At Men's, Women's NCAA Final Four
  Melissa Block talks with NPR's Mike Pesca about the upcoming NCAA basketball championships. Two teams from mid-major conferences are battling for a spot in the men's final game. The women's Final Four features a quartet of powerhouse teams.

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