Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Minnesota Sounds and Voices: Pastor retires from ministering to recovering addicts
  "The end of our disease is death or recovery," the Rev. Jo Campe says of the addiction to alcohol that prompted him to contemplate suicide nearly 17 years ago. "There aren't any other options."3:54 p.m.
• Bachmann takes aim at Republican competitors
  In Iowa today, Michele Bachmann criticized some of her Republican competitors campaigning to be the GOP presidential nominee.4:50 p.m.
• Senjem: Koch should remain in Senate
  Newly elected Senate Republican Majority Leader Dave Senjem says he thinks his predecessor, Amy Koch, should continue to serve in the Minnesota Senate through the end of her term.4:54 p.m.
• Family struggles to make sense of toddler's gunshot death
  Whenever they heard shots fired in the neighborhood, Terrell Mayes, Jr.'s older brothers would grab him and run to a closet on the second floor of the house.5:21 p.m.
• Brown winter puts squeeze on winter tourism
  The lack of snow is hurting Minnesota businesses that cater to winter recreation, especially in the snowmobile and ski sectors, meaning a potential loss in millions of dollars in revenue in communities across the state.5:51 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• From Boom To Bust: The Year In Unemployment
  It may be hard to remember, but 2011 began with encouraging numbers on the jobs front. And while November's drop in unemployment provides some hope for a better job market in 2012, a look back at 2011 shows how easily that hope can be crushed.
• Crime Keeps Falling Despite A Recession — But Why?
  Some experts say its Americans responding to their better nature, others say it's smarter policing.
• Deep Cuts Challenge Families In Frigid North
  The high price of home heating oil and the arrival of frigid temperatures has people across New England struggling to pay their energy bills. It's an annual challenge in the region for poor people, and increasingly, for more middle-class families. And this winter, the struggle is even more difficult because of deep cuts to the federal home heating assistance program many depend on to get by.
• A Brutal Chapter In North Carolina's Eugenics Past
  One county sterilized more people than any other, partially because the head of welfare believed it was a good option for women at a time when abortion was illegal and the birth control pill didn't yet exist. But in the context of an ugly eugenics campaign, serious questions remain over whether consent was forced.
• A Moment From Romney's Time On The Stump
  All this week, we're highlighting moments from each of the presidential candidates' stump speeches. Today, we hear from Mitt Romney in Littleton, N.H.
• Hell On Fire In 2011, Thanks To Film And Books
  In 2011, hell was a hot topic, from Hollywood to doomsday prophets, and especially for best-selling books. Evangelical preacher Rob Bell wrote Love Wins, which takes aim at the fundamental evangelical belief that non-Christians go to hell. Bell's book spawned a bevy of new books on hell.
• Coming Out, Coming Of Age As A Teen 'Pariah'
  A black 17-year-old struggles with how to be in the world in a new film directed by Dee Rees. Pariah charmed audiences at the Sundance Film Festival in January — and Rees and producer Nekisa Cooper say the film has been cathartic for their own families as well.
• Intern Uprising: Music We Missed In 2011
  Our interns tell us what we should have covered this year — and what we can't ignore in 2012.
• Despite Signs Of Hope, Iowa Voters Question Economy
  The economy is expected to be the No. 1 issue in next year's presidential race. But the states holding the first primary contests are not exactly typical. In Iowa, the unemployment rate is far below the national average. Jobs in small towns, however, remain scarce.
• Why Tea Party Freshmen Caved On Payroll Tax Deal
  They spent weeks vowing to oppose a short-term compromise bill extending payroll tax cuts and unemployment insurance. But in the end, not one of them showed up to oppose Speaker Boehner's plan. NPR has new details about the Tea Party's private deliberations.

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