Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• PoliGraph: Group's budget claim is for the birds
  At least three groups, including the Freedom Club, the Republican Party of Minnesota and Minnesota's Future, are using an old vote concerning bird habitats to target lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.4:51 p.m.
• PoliGraph: Voter ID specifics difficult to pin down
  On Election Day Minnesotans will decide whether future voters should be required to show photo identification before they cast ballots.4:53 p.m.
• Downey, Franzen Senate race in suburbs key to controlling Legislature
  A senate race in the western Minneapolis suburbs could help determine which party will be in charge of the Minnesota Senate next year.5:20 p.m.
• Terror trial witnesses describe path from Minn. to holy war in Somalia
  Testimony from two witnesses at a Minneapolis terror trial provides a firsthand glimpse into how young Minnesota men were encouraged to wage a holy war in the Horn of Africa. Authorities believe more than 20 from the state joined al-Shabab. About nine are believed dead.5:43 p.m.
• Dick Kimmel on saving turkeys and traditional American music: Minnesota Sounds and Voices
  Dick Kimmel spent more than 30 years helping restore Minnesota's wild turkey population. Now he's working on restoring the state's population of bluegrass pickers.5:51 p.m.
• The Cube Critics: 'Frankenweenie' and 'Taken 2'
  Whether it's a supposedly satirical film about butter sculptures, a Liam Neeson sequel, or the latest Tim Burton stop action animation, Stephanie and Euan are feeling underwhelmed.6:21 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Jobs Report Buoys Obama On The Campaign Trail
  President Obama campaigned in Virginia and Ohio the same day that the U.S. Labor Department reported the unemployment rate fell to 7.8 percent in September.
• Romney Brushes Off Positive Unemployment News
  Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney campaigned in Virginia and Florida on Friday.
• Week In Politics: Presidential Debate, Jobs Report
  Melissa Block talks to regular political commentators, E.J. Dionne of The Washington Post and Brookings Institution, and David Brooks of The New York Times. They discuss the week's presidential debate and the new jobs report.
• Domestic Abuse Victims Get Chance At Freedom
  Women in California prisons for killing their abusive partners may get a chance at freedom. Gov. Jerry Brown recently signed a bill that allows new evidence to be considered in decades-old cases.
• Book Review: 'With Blood In Their Eyes'
  Alan Cheuse reviews the new book With Blood in Their Eyes by Thomas Cobb. Cobb also wrote the novel Crazy Heart, which was adapted into a critically-acclaimed movie starring Jeff Bridges.
• Investigator Reflects Decade After D.C. Sniper Attacks
  Melissa Block speaks with Captain Barney Forsythe, the retired director of the Montgomery County Police major-crimes division. Ten years ago he ran the investigation of the Washington, D.C.-area sniper shootings for Montgomery County, Md., which suffered the highest number of sniper murders.
• D.C. Sniper Victim: 'Mentally, I Went Through Hell'
  Ten years ago John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo terrorized the Washington, D.C., area as they targeted and shot random people. The pair trailed Paul LaRuffa for three days before attacking him, shooting him five times at close range and leaving him for dead.
• Terrorism Suspects Face Extradition To U.S.
  Britain's High Court ruled that five terror suspects, including radical preacher Abu Hamza, can be extradited immediately to the United States. The five suspects have fought for years to avoid facing charges in the U.S.
• Hollywood's Horror History — For Kids
  There have been a slew of animated family comedies based on horror classics in theaters recently — ParaNorman, Hotel Transylvania and Frankenweenie, to name a few. NPR's Bob Mondello explores the monster movie's transition from scream-inducing to family fodder.
• U.S. Unemployment Drop Sharper Than Expected
  The latest jobs report from the government showed a surprisingly large decline in the unemployment rate. It fell to 7.8 percent, its lowest point in three and a half years. The decline was big enough to draw skepticism about the validity of the report.

The Dinner Party Download™

A fast, funny digest of the week's most interesting news, cuisine, cocktails and culture.

Services

• Hourly Newscast
• HD Radio
• iPhone App / Mobile
• E-mail newsletters
• RSS feeds
• Podcasts
• Submit your photos
• Videos
• Weather
• Most e-mailed stories