Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Immersion program provides new hope for preserving Ojibwe language
  The number of people fluent in the Ojibwe language is fading fast. An elementary school program on the Leech Lake reservation is taking a more aggressive approach to saving the language.6:40 a.m.
• For McLeod West district, the end is nigh
  A failed ballot question in November sealed the fate for this school district, about an hour's drive west of Minneapolis.6:50 a.m.
• Weather with Mark Seeley
  University of Minnesota Meteorologist and Climatologist Mark Seeley looks back at what happened with the weather in December and what we can expect this weekend.6:55 a.m.
• Minnesota time capsule awaits 2058
  Minnesota seals its sesquicentennial time capsule Jan. 6. SPAM, White Pine seeds, photographs of the Winona floods and children's notes about Barack Obama winning the presidency are part of what Minnesotans attending the state's bicentennial in 2058 will discover.7:20 a.m.
• Paddlers bring in the new year on the river
  A small fleet of kayakers and canoe paddlers shoved off the ice and onto the open Mississippi River yesterday to celebrate a chilly tradition -- the annual New Year's Day Paddle. Boaters say it's a fitting -- if early -- start to a season on the water.7:25 a.m.
• Future Tense with Jon Gordon
  Good podcasts for your idle time8:20 a.m.
• TV black out looms over Vikings playoff game
  The Minnesota Vikings host the Philadelphia Eagles at the Metrodome on Sunday in a first-round playoff match up. The Vikings still have 8,000 tickets to sell, and if the game is not sold out, the telecast will be blacked out on local television.8:25 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Civilians Caught Up In Israeli Airstrikes
  Israel has not let up in its airstrikes against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip. Many civilians are among the casualties. Dr. Abdel Aziz Thabet, who works with community mental health programs in Gaza, is a British-trained psychiatrist working mostly with women and children. He talks about the effects of the Israeli bombing raids on Palestinian civilians.
• Cuba: 50 Years After The Revolution
  Cuban President Raul Castro and other government leaders celebrated the 50th anniversary of the ouster of U.S.-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista on Thursday. Castro predicted that Cuba's revolution would survive another half-century. But Cuba faces huge challenges.
• Colombians Look Forward To Obama Administration
  Morning Edition has been talking this week with foreign thinkers and scholars about the end of the Bush presidency and the beginning of the Obama administration. Colombian writer Laura Restrepo says Colombians are looking foward to Obama's presidency.
• NFL Post-Season Play Begins Saturday
  The NFL playoffs begin this weekend. However, the most dominant team in recent years — the New England Patriots — will not be playing. Bill Curry, head coach at Georgia State University and a former pro player, talks with Steve Inskeep about the teams in this season's playoffs.
• Economists Duke It Out Over Stimulus Plan
  Economists often disagree about ways to solve economic problems. Two economists duke it out in a boxing match of words. In one corner, a supporter of the incoming Obama administration's stimulus plan who says government spending is essential to create jobs. In the other corner, an economist who believes taxpayers — not the federal government — should decide where to spend a trillion dollars of the nation's economy.
• Obama Could Appoint 2 Supreme Court Justices
  The next president may appoint at least two justices to the Supreme Court. How might Barack Obama's experience as a constitutional law professor play a role in his choices for judicial nominations?
• Ecofont Extends Printer Cartridge's Life
  The Dutch company Spranq has found a way to make printer cartridges last longer. The company says its new font uses 20 percent less ink in printing. Ecofont is made with tiny holes in the letters. The company's cofounder admits that the font isn't beautiful, but it works. At smaller type fonts, size 9 or 10, the holes are barely visible and the style is usable.
• Europeans Worry Gas Shutoff Will Leave Them Cold
  Western countries are calling on Russia to resolve its dispute with Ukraine over natural gas prices. Moscow has shut off gas supplies to Ukraine for a second day. Energy companies in Europe say their flow of Russian gas hasn't been affected. But concern is mounting that a prolonged standoff may threaten deliveries to Western Europe.
• Steel Industry Presses Obama For Public Works Plan
  The ailing U.S. steel industry is urging President-elect Barack Obama to include in his stimulus plan up to a trillion dollars for public works. The New York Times reports that the industry's proposal would help boost the flagging demand for U.S.-made steel. The plan would include funds to build things like bridges, highways, electric power grids and mass transit systems. Obama has not yet released the details of his planned economic stimulus, but aides have suggested that it would include significant infrastructure spending.
• Israel Expands Hamas Targets In Gaza Strip
  Israel has targeted the homes of Hamas militants as its airstrikes against Gaza continue for a seventh day. Despite the hundreds of bombing runs, Palestinian militants continue to fire rockets into southern Israel. Israeli leaders now appear uncertain about the goals of the operation and how long it will last.
• Anti-Apartheid Campaigner Helen Suzman Dies
  Helen Suzman — one of South Africa's most famous white crusaders against apartheid —died in Johannesburg on Thursday. She was 91. Suzman was the only member of South Africa's all-white parliament who opposed segregation in the 1960s and '70s.
• French Cognac Makers Get A Boost From Rap Music
  Cognac used to have a reputation as an old man's drink, but the French brandy is enjoying a revival. Producers with centuries-old traditions in the Cognac region of France are developing hip new product lines to market to a younger crowd.
• Disgraced Investor's Stolen Statue Returned
  Bernard Madoff was robbed. The Wall Street investor is accused of making billions of dollars disappear in an alleged Ponzi scheme. Now somebody has made off with a statue from his Florida estate. It was a copper statue, worth $10,000 dollars. After they took it, the robbers brought it back with a note attached: "Lesson: Return stolen property to rightful owners."
• Californians Play Big Role On Obama's A-Team
  California may have some major political clout with Barack Obama's administration. The president-elect has appointed Californians to key positions, and the state already has muscle on Capitol Hill. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other members of the California delegation will head a half-dozen powerful congressional committees. All of this means California is back on the Washington "A" list.
• Paintballs Help Stop Man From Driving Drunk
  A Washington state man says he wanted to stop a friend from driving drunk. And that's why he allegedly blasted his friend's windshield with paintballs. The Tri-City Herald reports that police arrested him but gave him credit for being creative. Creative people around Milwaukee had an event for bike riders on New Years' Day — riding their bikes into Lake Michigan.

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