Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Dining with Dara: Best local food books
  Minnesota Monthly's food writer Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl tells Tom Crann about her top three picks of the year for local food books.3:54 p.m.
• Art Hounds
  Each week Minnesota Public Radio News asks three people from the Minnesota arts scene to be "Art Hounds." Their job is to step outside their own work and hunt down something exciting that's going on in local arts.4:45 p.m.
• Seasonal bombardment still paying off for charity groups
  It's one day closer to Christmas and your mailbox and inbox are stuffed with charity solicitations. Bells ring in your ears as you run errands. So how are you responding?4:49 p.m.
• Demand leaves Best Buy unable to fulfill some online orders
  It's another headache for Best Buy, and it could be big. With Christmas only a few days away, Best Buy is telling some customers their online orders won't arrive in time.4:54 p.m.
• Troubled charter school argues to stay open
  Minnesota's education commissioner heard arguments Thursday over whether an online charter school should be shut down.5:52 p.m.
• Hip-hop helps young worshippers relate with urban church
  Many urban churches are finding it increasingly difficult to get young adults through their doors. But one Minneapolis minister is engaging religion-wary teens and twenty-somethings by mixing a little hip-hop in with the holiness.5:54 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Future Dim For 100-Watt Bulb, Despite Congress' Stall
  Congress recently prevented the Energy Department from spending money to enforce a planned phase-out of energy-wasting 100-watt incandescent light bulbs. Conservatives saw getting rid of the bulbs as limiting Americans' choices. But the industry says it's really too late to make a difference.
• Get Into The Holiday Spirit With Scandinavian Glogg
  In snowy Norway, nothing evokes Christmastime like a pot of glogg brewing on the stove. The traditional Scandinavian winter drink mixes wine, spirits and spices like clove, cardamom and cinnamon to make for a brew that smells divine and tastes even better.
• Pentagon: U.S., Pakistan Share Blame In Shooting
  The Pentagon says that poor communication, faulty map information and a lack of trust all contributed to the Nov. 26 shooting that killed 24 Pakistani troops along the border with Afghanistan.
• Amid Violence, Arab League Arrives In Damascus
  An advance team from the Arab League arrives in Damascus to prepare for a mission to monitor a peace plan amid continued heavy fighting in northern Syria and other parts of the country. The Syrian army is using tanks, helicopter gunships and artillery in a major operation in the Idlib province near the Turkish border. Hundreds have died in the region this week, including many army defectors. Robert Siegel talks to NPR's Deborah Amos.
• Wenceslas: A Goodhearted King And His Popular Carol
  Behind the well-known Christmas song that bears his name is the story of what made King Wenceslas so good.
• Marriott Discusses Retiring As Hotel Chain's CEO
  Robert Siegel speaks with Bill Marriott Jr., CEO of Marriott International, who is retiring after 39 years.
• As Gingrich Stumps In Iowa, His Style Evolves
  While he's considered an intelligent and inspirational speaker, the GOP presidential candidate also can come across as arrogant or acerbic. But in recent days on the campaign trail, he seems to be making an effort to be positive and more patient.
• With 'Lie Of The Year' Controversy, Fact Checking Comes Under Scrutiny
  Liberals reacted with anger after PolitiFact charged Democrats with the "Lie of the Year." Have the fact checkers damaged their cause?
• Violent Explosions Rock Baghdad
  A coordinated wave of bombings across Baghdad early Thursday left at least 60 dead and dozens more wounded. The violence came amid a worsening political crisis, with Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki seeking the arrest of Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi, the highest ranking Sunni in the government, over allegations he ran a death squad.
• During The Holidays, Greeks Discuss Country's Future
  The scene is a family dinner party in Athens, where Greeks discuss the future of their country, the Germans and whether Greece should remain in the eurozone.

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