Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Minneapolis police shutting down narcotics unit to save funds
  The Minneapolis Police Department is shutting down its narcotics unit to save money and save jobs.4:50 p.m.
• Flu is 'widespread' in Minnesota
  The CDC says pandemic flu activity in Minnesota is now considered "widespread." That's the highest classification in the agency's flu reporting system.4:54 p.m.
• GOP gubernatorial candidates reject global warming science
  Nearly all of the Republicans running for governor next year say they don't believe in human-caused climate change.5:24 p.m.
• Some Minnesota companies displeased with Senate health care bill
  A new proposal to reform health care is meeting with opposition among large Minnesota employers, medical device manufacturers and insurers. They're objecting to measures that are ether in, or missing from the bill.5:47 p.m.
• Klobuchar: 'It's a good starting point'
  DFL Sen. Amy Klobuchar discussed the ongoing health care reform debate with MPR's Tom Crann and said the $856 billion health care reform bill introduced today by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus is "a good starting point."5:52 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Israel Rejects U.N. Report On Gaza Conflict
  Israel is rejecting calls by the United Nations for an independent inquiry into its conduct during its Gaza offensive in December and January. In its report Tuesday, the U.N. accused both Israel and Palestinian militants of war crimes during the conflict.
• NYC Terrorism Raid 'Most Sensitive' In Years
  Law enforcement officials tell NPR the searches of several apartments in New York City on Monday were part of one of the most sensitive terrorism investigations in years. Members of a Joint Terrorism Task Force in Denver and New York had been tracking what they feared was a group with both the expertise and ability to launch serious attacks against the U.S.
• Cincinnati Police Partner With Academics
  The Justice Department will soon fund research into partnerships between police and academics because of their success in some cities at helping to dramatically lower crime rates. Experts say the close relationship between the University of Cincinnati and the Cincinnati Police Department is unique, and should be held up as a national example.
• Secret Of The Masons: It's Not So Secret
  Best-selling author Dan Brown's latest novel, The Lost Symbol, draws on the lore and mystique of the Freemasons. Once the object of fear and suspicion, the group is now a social organization with spiritual leanings.
• Anti-Semitism Charges Mar Bid For U.N. Culture Czar
  Egyptian Culture Minister Farouk Hosny was once a clear front-runner for the position of UNESCO director-general. But as the agency holds its first round of voting for the post, a backlash has erupted over his comment last year that he would burn Hebrew books found in Egyptian libraries.
• How A Professor Taught Me To Consult My Stomach
  Fred Stocking, an English professor at Williams College in Williamstown, Mass., left an indelible impression on NPR's Barbara Bradley Hagerty. Stocking, who died two months ago at 94, said three simple words that have influenced her for decades.
• Mandatory Health Insurance May Hit Middle Class
  All the health care bills circulating through Congress, including one unveiled Wednesday — require people to carry health insurance. The bills also include some government subsidies to help them pay for it. The latest bill, however, provides less generous subsidies, which could make it harder for middle-class families to afford the mandatory insurance.
• Predicting The Crash: Tracking Tipping Points
  Whether it's a glacier that caves in, a fish population that collapses or a market that crashes, new research is finding that many systems can reach a tipping point — where they change dramatically and unexpectedly. Some scientists believe they might be able to predict these sudden changes.
• Letters: Swayze, Wilson
  Melissa Block and Robert Siegel read from listeners' e-mails, including corrections about Patrick Swayze's obituary, a line from the film Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and the coffers of Congressman Joe Wilson following his outburst last week.
• No Usable Vein Delays Ohio Execution
  Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland granted a weeklong reprieve Tuesday to death-row inmate Romell Broom whose execution was delayed after the execution team was unable to find a usable vein. Associated Press reporter Stephen Majors says when Broom saw the trouble the team was having, he tried to help a vein pop out to speed up the process.

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