Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• News Cut creator to look at the economy from the student's view
  Minnesota Public Radio's News Cut blogger Bob Collins embarks on a tour across Minnesota to find out how the down economy is impacting students at Minnesota's colleges and universities.6:50 a.m.
• Commentator vows to end his Internet politics obsession
  With Inauguration Day for President-elect Barack Obama only a week away, commentator Peter Smith confesses an obsession.6:55 a.m.
• Cities scramble to trim budgets as state cuts loom
  Across Minnesota, mayors and city council members are scrambling to find ways to cut their budgets.7:20 a.m.
• Starting from scratch: Many immigrants forced to re-learn professions
  Many immigrants have to work low-wage jobs, go back to school, or embark on the long and expensive road to re-certification.7:25 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Military Girds To Provide Inauguration Day Security
  The military will be on high alert for the Obama inauguration, with air patrols and specialized chemical-attack and medical teams around the capital. Military leaders say they haven't been told of any specific threats. But they're preparing just in case.
• HBO's 'Conchords' Wing It For A Second Season
  Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement return for a second season of their music-driven comedy series, which follows two hapless New Zealanders trying to make it as a folk-pop band in New York City.
• Europeans Still Waiting For Gas From Russia
  Russia says it is pumping gas through pipes that run through Ukraine. If true, that would resolve Europe's energy crisis. Russia shut off gas to Ukraine because of a price dispute. Gas then stopped flowing through Ukraine to European nations that suffered a painful wintertime loss of energy supplies. After intense negotiations, E.U. officials brokered a deal to get some gas flowing. However, the gas is still not leaving Ukraine, which the Ukrainians blame on a technical problem.
• Can't Accuse Them Of Being Too Young To Marry
  Two people in Illinois made headlines when they married in their 80s. Dorothy Taylor, 84, married a younger man, Duane Williams, who's 82. It's a December-December romance. That probably won't impress a woman in China: She was afraid to marry when she was young. Now, at age 107, she's finally decided to look for a husband.
• Get Paid For Lounging Around Great Barrier Reef
  It's billed as the "best job in the world." The Australian state of Queensland is looking for an island caretaker. Key responsibilities for the live-in job include exploring the Great Barrier Reef's islands and blogging to promote them to an international audience. The six-month contract pays $100,000 in U.S. currency.
• Israeli Forces Tighten Hold On Gaza City Outskirts
  Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip enters its 18th day. Israeli ground forces are pushing slowly but steadily into the more densely populated areas of Gaza City. Talks about a cease-fire continue in Cairo, but it doesn't look as if they're making any progress.
• Duncan To Face Questions On School Reform
  Education Secretary-designate Arne Duncan faces a Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday. Once confirmed, he will decide whether to overhaul No Child Left Behind, the pioneering education law passed seven years ago. There's growing pressure for the law to become more flexible, but supporters are trying to keep it just the way it is.
• No Stumbling Block Expected At Clinton Hearing
  Sen. Hillary Clinton is scheduled to testify Tuesday before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which will decide whether to recommend to the full Senate that she be the next secretary of state. Clinton is expected to face tough questions from the committee's right flank, but not any major hurdles to confirmation.
• Dell Settles Misleading Financing Complaints
  PC buyers who complained that Dell Inc. misled them about financing and service will be reimbursed for their trouble. The company will pay $3.85 million to at least 46 states that filed complaints on behalf of consumers.
• Amazon's Free Downloads Pay Off
  Free music downloads were very good to Amazon.com's music business in 2008. The company recently released its list of best-selling music, and the number-one seller was something that started out as a free download: Ghost I-IV by Nine Inch Nails.
• Dell To Close Irish Factory, Move To Poland
  Dell is shutting down a manufacturing plant in Limerick, Ireland, over the next year. It plans to move 1,900 jobs to a new plant in Poland. The closure is a shock to the western Irish city where Dell was the main employer.
• President Bush Petitions For Rest Of Bailout Funds
  President Bush, at the request of President-elect Barack Obama, has petitioned Congress to release the remaining $350 billion intended to help the nation deal with its financial crisis. The idea is to make the money available to the new administration shortly after Obama takes office next Tuesday.
• Sen. Conrad: Stimulus Should Create More Jobs
  Sen. Kent Conrad, chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, has concerns about President-elect Barack Obama's stimulus plan. Conrad is among a group of Democratic senators who have criticized the plan for giving too much emphasis to tax cuts and not enough to job creation.
• Clock Ticking On Attaching Bailout Conditions
  Once President Bush requested the second half of the bailout money, the clock started ticking. Lawmakers have 15 days to decide whether to block access to the remaining $350 billion. Chairman Barney Frank says the House Financial Services Committee holds a hearing Tuesday on conditions that could be attached to the money.
• Democratic Lawmakers May Investigate Bush Years
  President-elect Barack Obama has suggested that when it comes to investigating the Bush administration on issues such as eavesdropping or interrogations, he'd rather look forward than back. He also said over the weekend that it may take time to close the U.S. prison camp at Guantanamo Bay. But Democrats in Congress have their own plans.

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