Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Fires threaten northwest Minn. towns
  Several northern Minnesota communities are threatened by wildfires driven by strong winds today.3:48 p.m.
• Fires threaten northwest Minn. towns
  Several northern Minnesota communities are threatened by wildfires driven by strong winds today.4:48 p.m.
• Jury hears dueling theories in Minn. terror case
  Was Mahamud Said Omar an al-Shabab facilitator who steered two waves of American men into the arms of a terrorist organization? Or was he too incompetent to facilitate a jihadist movement?5:20 p.m.
• MnDOT revises St. Croix bridge design after summer testing
  Crews are working this fall to wrap up prep work on a new bridge over the St. Croix River between Oak Park Heights in Minnesota and St. Joseph in Wisconsin. The bridge is still several years away from becoming a reality and officials continue to refine plans for one of the most expensive public works projects in the state's history.5:24 p.m.
• John Finnegan, former Pioneer Press editor, dies at 87
  John Finnegan grew up the son of a resort family in Walker, Minn., but knew early on he wanted to be a newspaperman.5:54 p.m.
• Fires threaten northwest Minn. towns
  Several northern Minnesota communities are threatened by wildfires driven by strong winds today.6:18 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Democrats And Republicans Differ On Medicaid Fix
  Medicaid is likely to undergo a major change regardless of whether President Obama is re-elected or replaced by Republican Mitt Romney. Democrats support a much bigger program. Republicans have plans to scale it back.
• Some States Dragging Their Feet On Health Exchanges
  November marks the deadline for states to decide how they'll participate in health insurance exchanges. Those exchanges come from the federal health care law passed in 2010. To find out how much progress the states have made toward their decisions, Audie Cornish talks with Alan Weil, executive director of the National Academy for State Health Policy.
• Opposition Victory Signals New Direction For Georgia
  Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has conceded defeat in parliamentary elections in the former Soviet republic, clearing the way for the opposition Georgian Dream party to form a new government. The country's new ruling party says it will continue a pro-Western stance but also seek to restore ties with Russia.
• Mandolinist Chris Thile, Novelist Junot Díaz Among 2012 MacArthur 'Geniuses'
  The 23 MacArthur fellows will receive $500,000 over the next five years. Their expertise range from historians to a stringed-instrument bow maker.
• 'Million-Dollar Blocks' Map Incarceration's Costs
  Many cities spend millions on prisons annually, and often those moving in and out of jail come from the same neighborhoods. The Justice Mapping Center maps those costs, block by block, to help policymakers visualize where those public dollars are going — and determine if they could be better spent.
• Letters: 'Cursing Mommy' And A Cricket Plague
  Melissa Block and Audie Cornish read emails from listeners about Ian Frazier's new book The Cursing Mommy's Book of Days and a cricket plague in Waco, Texas.
• In 'House,' Erdrich Sets Revenge On A Reservation
  After his mother is sexually assaulted, 13-year-old Joe Coutts is desperate for answers. But when both official and tribal investigations let him down, he takes matters into his own hands. Louise Erdrich pits justice against vengeance in her new novel, The Round House.
• Pennsylvania Judge Blocks Controversial Voter ID Law
  In Pennsylvania, a judge has issued a preliminary injunction against the state's controversial voter ID law. In effect, the judge's ruling will allow registered voters to cast ballots in the upcoming election, without showing the government-issued ID required by the law.
• Obama Must Keep Wordiness In Check At Debate
  On Monday, we looked at Republican presidential challenger Mitt Romney's strengths and weaknesses as a debater. Now we examine President Obama's record in big debates and the challenges he faces.
• Pope's Butler Professes Innocence, But Says He Betrayed Pontiff
  The case has been an embarrassment to the Vatican and the butler faces up to four years in prison on charges he stole documents pointing to corruption.

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