Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Cold weekend ahead
  This coming weekend is expected to be extremely cold throughout Minnesota. Morning Edition host Cathy Wurzer talked with University of Minnesota Climatologist Mark Seeley about weather history and the weekend forecast.6:50 a.m.
• Power line technology allows for bigger loads
  More efficient power lines are helping some utilities meet increased electric demand. The new lines use a composite material that allows them to carry two or three times more electricity than a traditional power line.7:20 a.m.
• Why it's difficult to make a movie from a comic book
  If you want to make an animated film out of a comic book, logic suggests just taking what's on the pages, make it move and slap it on the screen. Not so says Marjane Satrapi. She wrote the best selling "Persepolis" graphic novels and directed an award winning film based on the story.7:25 a.m.
• President Bush expected to call for stimulus bill
  President Bush is expected to make a public call Friday for an emergency fiscal stimulus bill. The goal is to get cash quickly into the pockets of consumers and jump-start a sagging economy. Minnesota Public Radio's chief economics correspondent Chris Farrell provides analysis.8:25 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Candidate Bingo: Is Bloomberg Running?
  It would seem there are a lot of presidential candidates, but that's not stopping a small group of independents from urging New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg to run. Bloomberg denies he's running for the top office, but is he acting like a candidate?
• Survey: Kids Frown on Clowns
  Researchers have finally hit on the essential truth previously known to horror film makers: Clowns are not necessarily funny. Britain's University of Sheffield wanted to find a way to improve the children's wards of hospitals. They conducted a survey of 250 kids who disapproved of using clowns.
• Stolen Boomerang Returned
  Twenty five years later, a boomerang has come back. Those flying blades are used by Australia's aborigines to hunt animals. They're supposed to return to a skilled thrower. And back in 1983, one disappeared from a museum in Australia's northern state of Queensland.
• Chess Champ Bobby Fischer Dead at 64
  Bobby Fischer, the reclusive American chess master who dethroned the Soviet Union's Boris Spassky as world champion in 1972, has died. He was 64. Fischer died in a hospital in Iceland, where he had lived for several years.
• PBS to Air Adaptations of Jane Austen Novels
  Andrew Davies is the go-to screenwriter for adapting classic literature for television and the movies. He adapts Northanger Abbey and Sense and Sensibility as PBS prepares to air The Complete Jane Austen.
• Opposition Party Scores Big Win in Taiwan
  Parliamentary elections in Taiwan deliver a major blow to the ruling Democratic Progressive Party. The Nationalist Party won almost two-thirds of the seats in last weekend's elections.
• Iraqi Forces Not Ready to Control Country
  Iraqi ground forces say their units are under strength and that better weapons are needed. They say they need U.S. to stay for the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, Iraq's minister of defense doesn't have much positive to say about Iraq's army either.
• Presidential Candidates Face Uncertain Economy
  The economy is emerging as a big issue in the presidential campaign. Presidential contenders in both parties are touting their economic plans for reviving the ailing economy. Upcoming contests will be critical for some candidates.
• Companies Use Fees to Counter Bargains
  From hotels to cell phone bills, companies attach a barrage of hidden, extra charges. One reason is the Internet. Online shopping permits consumers to comparison shop for bargains. So companies are countering low prices with hefty fees.
• VIP Fans of Patriots Dither over Game Guests
  The undefeated New England Patriots play for a chance to go to the Super Bowl this weekend. It's the hottest ticket in the Boston area. For bigwigs with corporate suites at Gillette Stadium, deciding who gets to go to the game is a delicate art.
• GE Loses Consumers' Personal Records
  GE Money, a unit of General Electric that handles credit card operations for J.C. Penney and other retailers, says a computer tape carrying personal information from 650,000 customers is missing.
• Evangelicals Key to South Carolina GOP Primary
  In South Carolina, evangelicals will make up roughly half of the electorate in the Republican presidential primary Saturday. They are credited with helping Mike Huckabee win in Iowa.
• Pope Declines Speech at Rome University
  Italians rally to support Pope Benedict after he cancelled a speech for the opening of the academic year at Rome University following student protests. The students and some professors say the pontiff's reactionary views and "anti-science" attitudes made him an unsuitable speaker.
• Asian Markets Favor U.S. Economic Stimulus Plan
  Asian stock markets respond positively to news America's plans to rescue the U.S. economy. America is Asia's biggest export market and it is hampered by an ailing U.S. economy. The U.S. economic stimulus package is meant to prevent the U.S. economy from slipping into a recession.
• Saudi Inflation Blamed on Falling Dollar
  In oil-rich Saudi Arabia the price of food is rising, and so is discontent. Ordinary residents of the monarchy are circulating text-messages urging a milk boycott. Inflation has some economists calling on Saudi Arabia to revalue its currency.

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