Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Rep. Paulsen says medical device tax a 'wrongheaded approach'
  Third District Republican Congressman Erik Paulsen held a hearing Monday to underscore bipartisan Minnesota opposition to a proposed tax on medical device manufacturers as part of federal health care reform.4:45 p.m.
• Officials outline top solutions for Fargo-Moorhead flood control
  The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has identified several possible solutions to the chronic flooding in Fargo-Moorhead, including a diversion plan that officials said had it been in place last March, the millions of sandbags and emergency dikes would not have been needed.5:20 p.m.
• Floodwatchers aim to improve forecasting
  Six months after floodwaters threatened to devastate the Red River Valley, federal officials gathered in St. Paul today to talk about why they were wrong in a key area -- the flood forecasts.5:24 p.m.
• Claims to recover cash from Gang Strike Force stack up
  A special hotline created to wind down the financial affairs of the embattled gang unit has received a total of 44 calls and one letter since it was established about two weeks ago.5:50 p.m.
• USDA confirms H1N1 in Minnesota pig
  The U.S. Department of Agriculture says at least one pig from Minnesota has tested positive for the H1N1 virus, the first case of a pig contracting the virus in the United States.5:54 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Ore.'s Fly-Fishing Governor Aims To Hook Green Jobs
  Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski, a Democrat who is in his second and final term, has two passions: fly fishing, and bringing the renewable energy jobs of tomorrow to his state, where unemployment currently hovers near 12 percent.
• Pakistan: Anti-Taliban Offensive Ahead Of Schedule
  In Pakistan, operations in the army's offensive against the Taliban in South Waziristan, near the Afghan border, are progressing more swiftly than expected, military spokesmen said Monday, the third day of the push. But the army also said it has met pockets of stiff resistance.
• Greece Unveils Museum Meant For 'Stolen' Sculptures
  Two centuries ago, Lord Elgin pried sculptures off the Parthenon and took them to Britain. For decades, the main argument against the return of the marbles was Greece's lack of a suitable location for their display. The new Acropolis Museum is a stunning rebuttal.
• Upstart Digital Television Maker Leads Industry
  In the past few years, California-based Vizio has grown from a company of three people into one of the largest sellers of digital televisions in the U.S. The company's "value pricing" has sent shock waves through the industry, and companies such as Sony and Samsung have cut their prices to compete with the upstart.
• R. Crumb's Awesome, Affecting Take On 'Genesis'
  The godfather of cartoon counterculture takes on the Bible in his new comic, The Book of Genesis Illustrated. Reviewer Susan Jane Gilman says R. Crumb's latest effort is serious — and brilliant.
• Slavic Soul Party: The Bayou Meets Bratislava
  Slavic Soul Party is a New York brass band that takes inspiration from Balkan and gypsy music, but also funk and New Orleans traditions. Its members play with punk-rock energy and have won fans all across the country. Their fifth album, Taketron, is just out, and it's a brass-band fusion tour de force.
• Ralph Stanley: Tiny Desk Concert
  It's hard to overstate the impact that Dr. Ralph Stanley has had on bluegrass and old-time gospel music. Now 82, he sits atop a 60-year legacy of making music, both as the preeminent purveyor of clawhammer-style banjo picking and as a singer with one of the most widely imitated (but never duplicated) voices in country music. For this short Tiny Desk Concert, Stanley performs three classic songs, all a cappella: "Gloryland," "Turn Back, Turn Back" and "Amazing Grace."
• U.N. Panel Rejects Some Karzai Votes
  A U.N. backed panel moved Monday to throw out a significant numbers of ballots cast for President Hamid Karzai in Afghanistan's disputed presidential election. The findings were sent to the country's electoral commission, which will decide whether to hold a runoff between Karzai and his main rival, Abdullah Abdullah.
• Rough 'N' Ready Screen Scares Prove Potent Again
  A microbudget "hand-made horror" flick called Paranormal Activity has been cleaning up at the box office over the past three weeks, boosted by an online-marketing campaign that has raised its ticket take to more than $30 million. Neda Ulaby says it's just the latest in a series of claustrophobic fright flicks that prove a stripped-down style can make a movie that much scarier for audiences.
• E-Decorating Services Offer Cheaper Alternative
  If you are a style-conscious person on a coupon-cutting budget, you can get affordable advice online about how to decorate your home. One Los Angeles-based company charges $550 for e-decoration; another in Chicago charges $250.

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