Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Central Corridor construction ahead of schedule
  Central Corridor light rail planners say the second year of construction on the line connecting St. Paul to Minneapolis went much smoother than the first.3:20 p.m.
• Appetites: Foodie gifts for the holidays
  Consider edible gifts that recipients can enjoy until gone.3:49 p.m.
• Charlie Zelle tapped as new transportation commissioner
  The head of a bus company has been chosen as Minnesota's next transportation commissioner.5:20 p.m.
• Central Corridor construction ahead of schedule
  Central Corridor light rail planners say the second year of construction on the line connecting St. Paul to Minneapolis went much smoother than the first.5:24 p.m.
• Keith Ellison: End the Senate filibuster
  Democratic U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, of Minnesota's 5th Congressional District, is among those asking a federal judge to end the Senate filibuster.5:51 p.m.
• Appetites: Foodie gifts for the holidays
  Consider edible gifts that recipients can enjoy until gone.6:25 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• North Korean Rocket Launch Adds To Nuclear Fears
  The U.N. Security Council has condemned Tuesday's missile launch by North Korea. The North Koreans say their rocket put a satellite into space — but the move violated U.N. resolutions aimed at curbing North Korea's attempts to develop ballistic missile technology.
• South Koreans Wary After Rocket Launch From North
  North Korea's launch of a three-stage missile and its success in placing a satellite into space is a propaganda coup for the country's new leader, Kim Jong Un. But the launch is also significant because of its impact on relations between the North and South Korea, which holds a general election next week. Robert Siegel talks to Anthony Kuhn.
• Land Creatures Might Not Have Come From The Sea
  Conventional wisdom holds that complex life evolved in the sea, then crawled up onto land. But a provocative new study argues that the procession might be drawn in the wrong direction. The earliest large life forms may have appeared on land long before the oceans filled with creatures.
• New Policy For Young Immigrants Creates Paperwork Deluge
  A new law provides a path to temporary legal status for some youth in the U.S. illegally, but families must produce a bevy of documentation to qualify. In California, some school districts have devised new systems to help manage the high demand for data and school transcripts.
• Who Needs College? Young Entrepreneuer Bets On Bright Idea For Solar Energy
  Eden Full dropped out of Princeton to found a startup company that brings the solar panel technology she invented to developing countries as part of a fellowship. The unusual program, funded by tech entrepreneur Peter Thiel, gives young people $100,000 to skip college and focus on their work and research instead.
• Survey: Business Leaders Warming To Tax Increases
  In a quarterly survey by Duke University and CFO Magazine, 63 percent of CFOs of U.S. companies say they support a Simpson-Bowles level of tax increases and spending cuts.
• Post-Sandy, Newly Unemployed Struggle To Stay Afloat
  While the storm did not influence the nation's jobless figures as much as expected, there are still thousands of people who are unemployed in Sandy's wake. Many businesses on the East Coast are still making repairs or have closed entirely, leaving many families in limbo.
• Georgia Town Makes Claim For Fruitcake Capital Of The World
  Two bakeries in Claxton, Ga., make more than 4 million pounds of the holiday treat each year. The bakeries are finding a new market in young hikers and bikers seeking food that won't go bad on the trail.
• British Army Aided In Killing During 'Troubles' Period
  A review of one of the most notorious killings during Northern Ireland's Troubles, has confirmed that — in the words of Prime Minister David Cameron — there was a "shocking" level of collusion by agents of the state. Cameron made an extended statement in Parliament on Wednesday. Belfast Lawyer Pat Finucane was shot dead by Protestant loyalists in front of his family in 1989. Sir Desmond de Silva's report confirms what's been open knowledge in Northern Ireland for years — that members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary, Northern Ireland's British-backed police force, were involved in the killing and then obstructed the murder investigation. It was also revealed, for the first time, that Britain's MI-5 had spread disinformation about Finucane before the killing.
• Murder In Midtown Manhattan Leaves Big Questions
  Brandon Woodard was murdered by a gunshot to the head in broad daylight in New York City earlier this week. Robert Siegel speaks with Wendy Ruderman, police bureau chief for The New York Times about the case, and why it is drawing national attention.

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