All Things Considered for November 19, 2008 | Minnesota Public Radio News

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Minnesota Public Radio Stories

Slideshow: Minnesota recount
Photos from around the state during Minnesota's U.S. Senate recount between Republican Norm Coleman and DFL candidate Al Franken.3:19 p.m.
Slideshow: Challenged ballots
A collection of challenged ballots during Minnesota's U.S. Senate recount.4:20 p.m.
35W bridge collapse offers nation infrastructure lesson
If America decides to get to work repairing and replacing infrastructure the job can be done fast and well, according to the head of the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Minnesota.4:50 p.m.
Bachmann says bailouts have to stop
We've been checking in the last few days with the members of Minnesota's congressional delegation to get their views on the progress of the federal bailout package for the financial industry. Today, 6th district Republican Michele Bachmann talked with Tom Crann about the changes in the bailout package.4:53 p.m.
Officials say first day of recount off to smooth start
Local election officials throughout Minnesota said there was a mostly smooth start today to the manual recount of votes in the U.S. Senate race between incumbent Republican Norm Coleman and Democrat Al Franken.5:20 p.m.
Recount action from around the state
City and county workers at 107 sites began the long slog through more than 2.9 million ballots in the recount between incumbent Republican Norm Coleman and Democrat Al Franken.5:24 p.m.
Artists' advice on living with a tight budget
Thousands of Minnesotans have already learned to live creatively on very little, and have done so for years quite successfully. They're artists and they have some advice to share with the rest of us.5:50 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

Memo Suggests Cause Of 1968 Mine Deaths
Forty years ago, an explosion in a Farmington, W.Va., coal mine killed 78 men. The cause was a mystery for years, but a recently-released memo reveals that an alarm — that might have saved the miners — was disabled.
Scientists Decode The DNA Of A Woolly Mammoth
The woolly mammoth is the first extinct mammal to have its DNA sequence deciphered. Scientists used hair that was found frozen in the Siberian permafrost, some for tens of thousands of years.
Stem Cells Used In Woman's Windpipe Transplant
The pioneering operation used a section of windpipe engineered in a laboratory with adult human stem cells. Engineering new tissues and organs from stem cells has long been sought as a solution to overcome a chronic shortage of donor organs.
Auto Bailout Debate Turns to Bankruptcy
U.S. automakers seem unlikely to secure $25 billion in emergency loans from Congress. But a new debate has emerged over the possibility of a planned or "pre-packaged" bankruptcy filing.
A Parts Firm Exec's View Of Car Industry Woes
Gregg Sherrill, chairman and CEO of the auto parts manufacturer Tenneco Inc. talks to Melissa Block about problems with the auto industry. His company has been hit hard by the financial problems of GM, Chrysler and Ford. He supports a bridge loan for the companies.
Alaskans React To End Of Stevens Era
Embattled Sen. Ted Stevens concedes after coming up short in a tight race for re-election to Alaska's Senate seat. How are Alaskans greeting the news that Stevens is out after 40 years in office?
Plugging Afghanistan's Brain Drain
Khaleeq Ahmad, who was educated in the U.S. and London, says he returned to Afghanistan as director of a telecom company because he owed it to his home country. He's hopeful that other professionals will return and help improve the country's diminished infrastructure.
Waxman, Dingell Face Off Over Key House Panel
On Thursday, Democrats in the House will vote on whom they want to lead the Energy and Commerce Committee. The face-off is a battle between two legislative titans in Congress: current Chairman John Dingell, from Michigan, and California Rep. Henry Waxman.
Federal Bureaucrats Begin 'Burrowing'
With a change in administrations, many political appointees at government agencies will take career jobs, becoming part of the permanent civil service. It's a phenomenon known as "burrowing."
Documentary Tackles Epic Harvard-Yale Game
Harvard Beats Yale 29-29 tells the story of the 1968 football meeting between the Ivy League archrivals. Filmmaker Kevin Rafferty's father was a former Yale football captain, but Rafferty chose to go to Harvard.