Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Central Corridor: A slow train coming
  After some 30 years of debate, a nearly $1 billion proposal to link St. Paul and Minneapolis is as close as it's ever been to becoming a reality. But the Central Corridor light rail project still faces significant opposition.3:35 p.m.
• Research suggests flu vaccine doesn't prevent deaths among the elderly
  A growing body of research shows that because our immune systems age, flu vaccines don't work as well in the elderly - the group of people most likely to die from flu-related causes.3:50 p.m.
• The role of the arts in the healing process
  Sometimes the practice of medicine is referred to as "the healing arts." But what role do the arts actually play in the healing process?4:50 p.m.
• Emmer picks Annette Meeks as running mate
  Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer announced Tuesday morning that he's selected Metropolitan Council member Annette Meeks as his running mate.4:55 p.m.
• Research suggests flu vaccine doesn't prevent deaths among the elderly
  A growing body of research shows that because our immune systems age, flu vaccines don't work as well in the elderly - the group of people most likely to die from flu-related causes.5:20 p.m.
• Central Corridor: A slow train coming
  After some 30 years of debate, a nearly $1 billion proposal to link St. Paul and Minneapolis is as close as it's ever been to becoming a reality. But the Central Corridor light rail project still faces significant opposition.5:35 p.m.
• Updates from the Ming Sen Shiue trial
  The man who committed one of Minnesota's most sensational crimes has been back on trial in Anoka for the past week.5:49 p.m.
• Judge rejects $296M plea deal for Guidant
  A federal judge in Minneapolis has rejected a plea deal by Boston Scientific Corp.'s Guidant unit to pay $296 million in exchange for pleading guilty to charges it failed to properly disclose changes made to some implantable heart devices.5:53 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Goldman Executives Deny Misleading Investors
  Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein and banker Fabrice "Fab" Tourre shared the hot seat on Tuesday before the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, which is investigating the causes of the economic meltdown. The government sued the financial behemoth this month for misleading investors in a collateralized debt obligation. The Securities and Exchange Commission says the bank and Tourre failed to disclose that the hedge fund manager who helped put together the CDO did so to short it — or bet against it. Goldman rejects the SEC's charges.
• A Glossary Of Financial Terms
  Synthetic CDOs? Long exposure, short exposure? ABS desk? There was a lot of jargon thrown out in the Senate hearing on Goldman Sachs on Tuesday. Michele Norris and Adam Davidson of NPR's Planet Money team go over a glossary of financial terms.
• U.S. Troops Fill NATO Training Gap In Afghanistan
  The Pentagon is sending 800 more American soldiers to Afghanistan in the coming weeks to help train Afghan security forces. That's because other NATO countries still haven't fulfilled their pledges to send their own troops to train the Afghan army and police.
• Sen. Graham Backs Away From Immigration Talks
  Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina had been the one Republican negotiating with Democrats to bring an immigration bill to the Senate floor this year. Now, he says it would be a mistake to have such a bill, and he won't be a part of it.
• Florida's Crist Changes Dynamics Of Senate Race
  In Florida this week, all eyes are on the state's Republican governor, Charlie Crist, and a decision he has to make in his run for the U.S. Senate. Will he remain in the Republican primary or run in the general election as an independent? In the primary, Crist is running well behind his main Republican opponent in the polls, former state House Speaker Marco Rubio. Just by considering an independent run, Crist has already changed the dynamics of the race.
• Containing The Gulf Coast Oil Spill
  Doug Helton, of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's emergency response division, talks to Melissa Block about the oil spill in the Gulf Coast. The two discuss the ongoing efforts to stop the underwater spill, and what is being done to clean it up.
• Examining A Climate Conundrum
  The planet hasn't heated up much in the past decade, and that has fueled some skepticism about global warming. One prominent scientist said it's a "travesty" that researchers can't explain this — especially considering that the Earth is soaking up far more energy than it's sending back into space, so it would seem the planet should be warming up. Recent research highlights this mystery — and has something to tell us about the process of science.
• Venezuela's Chavez Tightens Grip On Judiciary
  Judges are under threat in Venezuela as President Hugo Chavez increases pressure on the judiciary to toe the government line. An independent-minded judge, Maria Lourdes Afiuni, finds herself facing corruption charges for ordering the release of a former banker who ran afoul of the government.
• The Controversy Over Aluminum Bats
  A governing body for high school baseball in Northern California says aluminum bats are still OK for now. The recent nearly fatal injury of a 16-year-old baseball player in Marin County prompted a call for a ban on aluminum bats. He was hit in the head by a line drive. NPR's Richard Gonzales looks at the controversy over whether aluminum bats add power and speed to the ball in a way that makes the game more dangerous.
• Cities Seek Access To Unused Airwaves
  Just when you thought you'd heard the last of the national switch to digital TV, along comes another technical term to further clutter your brain: white spaces. They are the unused airwaves between licensed TV channels — and cities want to access them for everything from transmitting data from traffic and security cameras, to providing broadband access. A test is going on now in Wilmington, N.C.

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