Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Coleman's odds of winning shrink with new ballot tally
  While vowing to press ahead, Republican Norm Coleman's re-election fortunes slid further in reverse Tuesday as Democrat Al Franken widened his lead to 312 votes in the Minnesota Senate race.5:19 p.m.
• Mark Ritchie talks about the recount decision
  Democrat Al Franken's lead in the U.S. Senate election has increased to 312 votes. To talk more about the effects of the recount today on the election in general All Things Considered called Secretary of State Mark Ritchie.5:24 p.m.
• Senate DFLers approve cuts to education funding
  The Minnesota Senate has given preliminary approval to an education funding bill that cuts state spending for public schools.5:50 p.m.
• Museum leaders launch plan to save 80-year-old institution
  Just seven years ago, the Duluth Children's Museum was on the verge of closing. The museum resides in an old railroad depot downtown, and after years of financial struggles, museum leaders have an ambitious plan to save the nearly 80-year-old institution.5:54 p.m.
• WCCO Radio's Steve Cannon dies
  Radio personality Steve Cannon, whose rich baritone and colorful characters were a fixture on "The Cannon Mess" on WCCO-AM for 26 years, has died. He was 81.6:27 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Palestinian Villages Separated By Israeli Barrier
  Thousands of Palestinians in "seam zones" are separated from the rest of the West Bank and from Israel proper. Residents of the close knit villages of Ras Tira and Ras Atiya say the barrier has created hardships.
• Detained Journalist's Father Vows To Stay In Iran
  Journalist Roxana Saberi, who has been detained in an Iranian prison since Jan. 31, had surprise visitors Monday: her parents. Saberi's father, Reza, tells NPR that Roxana is in good spirits. And that he doesn't plan to leave Tehran until his daughter's case is resolved.
• Downsized Literary Ladies: All Pluck, But No Luck
  When author Rebecca Flowers was downsized twice in three months, she crawled into bed to console herself with books about other women in similar situations.
• Judge Dismisses Stevens Case, Orders Inquiry
  Former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens' corruption conviction was dismissed Tuesday by a judge, who opened a criminal investigation of prosecutors' handling of the case. Last week, Attorney General Eric Holder announced that he would drop the case against the former GOP senator.
• Gun Shop Owner Links Ammo Shortage To Obama
  Around the country, there is a shortage of ammunition used in many types of firearms. Some attribute the shortage to the election of President Obama and fears that his administration will usher in more restrictive gun laws. Johnny Dury, owner of Dury's Gun Shop in San Antonio, says the ammunition shortage began the day Obama was elected.
• Vermont Legislature OKs Gay Marriage
  Vermont's Legislature overruled Republican Gov. Jim Douglas' veto and became the fourth state to legalize gay marriage. The Senate voted 23-5 and the House 100-49 to get the two-thirds needed in each chamber for a veto override. Nine years ago, Vermont was the first state in the nation to approve civil unions.
• Red Cross Report: Medics Grossly Violated Ethics
  Health professionals who monitored the CIA's interrogation of detainees violated medical ethics, says a new report from the International Committee of the Red Cross. Mark Danner, a journalism professor who published the report in the New York Review of Books, says the report concludes interrogation procedures used constitute torture.
• Kumar Of Film Goes To The White House
  Actor Kal Penn has been named to an Obama administration liaison post that connects the Executive Branch to people in the entertainment industry and Asian-Pacific groups. Penn is best known for his portrayal of Kumar in the stoner films Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle and Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay. He was most recently in the Fox TV drama House.
• Battle Lines Drawn Over Public Insurance Plan
  The possibility of a government-run health plan is driving debate among policymakers about how it might be structured and what the tradeoffs will be. A new study suggests that a public plan could lower health insurance premiums significantly, but critics say that would force private insurers out of business.
• Economic Downturn Signals A New Normal
  The country's economic situation is affecting how we live. People are taking fewer vacations, looking for sales and putting off large purchases. But once the country recovers from the recession, will we go back to the way we were?

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