All Things Considered for September 23, 2011 | Minnesota Public Radio News

Friday, September 23, 2011

Minnesota Public Radio Stories

Ground Level: Property tax shifts, hikes come into focus
Exactly what Minnesota lawmakers and the governor wrought this summer when they eliminated the market value homestead credit for property taxpayers is slowly coming into focus.3:54 p.m.
Minnesota's infant death investigations inconsistent, unregulated
An MPR News investigation shows that county medical examiners are not required to adhere to any particular set of state or federal guidelines.4:45 p.m.
Two poets exploring, not explaining
Two nationally-recognized Minneapolis poets say they are pretty much done with explaining: now they want their work to be exploration.4:53 p.m.
Standard & Poors downgrades Minn. credit rating
The last major credit rating agency has downgraded Minnesota's bond rating one notch below triple-A, because of its ongoing structural budget problems.5:20 p.m.
Obama clears way for Minnesota's waiver from No Child Left Behind law
President Barack Obama says his new reforms to the No Child Left Behind education law are aimed at improving standards for students, not doing away with standards.5:24 p.m.
Mahdi Hassan Ali guilty on 4 counts in Minneapolis triple homicide
Mahdi Hassan Ali has been found guilty of four counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of three men at the Seward Market in Minneapolis last year.5:50 p.m.
PoliGraph: 2 Bachmann claims miss the mark at GOP debate
PoliGraph looks at two claims made by presidential hopeful Rep. Michele Bachmann during the GOP debate this week.5:54 p.m.
Cube Critics: Netflix decision raise Movie Maven's ire
This week's decision by Netflix to split into two services, and the ire that has aroused in the MPR Newsroom.6:25 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

Democrats, Republicans At Odds Over Stopgap Bill
A federal loan program to build more fuel-efficient cars became the latest budget flash point, with House Republicans wanting to raid the fund to help pay for FEMA disaster aid. Senate Democrats refused to go along. The standoff comes in a bill that would fund the entire government beyond next week.
Week In Politics: Jobs Bill; Spending Bill; GOP Presidential Race
Michele Norris speaks with our regular political commentators E.J. Dionne, of the Washington Post and Brookings Institution, and David Brooks, of the New York Times.
In Libya, Some Just Learning Of Gadhafi's Downfall
In Libya, refugees are streaming out of Sirte, the last major town still in the hands of forces loyal to ousted dictator Moammar Gadhafi. Cut off from the rest of the country, without electricity, many knew nothing of recent rebel advances, including the fall of the capital, Tripoli.
Mexican Drug Cartels Now Menace Social Media
The Mexican drug cartels have waged a ferocious campaign against the media, killing journalists who have reported their activities. Now it appears they are going after social media sites.
Letters: Alexander; Boston Red Sox
Melissa Block and Michele Norris read emails from listeners.
Solyndra's Execs Take The Fifth
Top executives of Solyndra, a bankrupt solar-energy company, have declined to testify in a congressional hearing Friday, invoking their Fifth Amendment rights. The company is under investigation for a half-billion dollar government loan guarantee it received.
Germany's Painful Unemployment Fix
After sweeping changes to its labor laws the country's unemployment rate is now just 6.2 percent. Here's how it works.
Zebra And Cattle Make Good Lunch Partners, Researchers Say
In Africa, some ranchers shoot wildlife to keep them from eating the grass out from under their cattle. But it turns out some wildlife, like zebra, actually help cattle graze — by clearing fibrous grass stalks away and promoting the new shoot growth that cows crave.
NASA: Satellite's Rate Of Descent Has Slowed
We reported on the variables that make it hard to, even at this late date, predict exactly when and where a dead 6-ton NASA satellite will fall to Earth. The Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite, or UARS, will be the biggest NASA spacecraft to crash back to Earth, but it's now baffling scientists as its descent toward Earth slows — delaying its ultimate crash until the early part of the weekend. The space agency is now predicting the satellite will crash down to Earth late Friday or early Saturday, Eastern Time.
Movie Reviews: Three Bio-Pics
NPR's Bob Mondello reviews a true-life triple feature: Machine Gun Preacher, Moneyball and Toast, three unlikely stories based on real people.