Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Weather with Mark Seeley
  University of Minnesota Climatologist Mark Seeley discusses Minnesota weather history, the cold week, and a coming warm-up.6:50 a.m.
• Weak dollar fuels growth in ag exports
  A weaker dollar is helping exports of farm equipment. North Dakota firms exported nearly $500 million in implements last year, double 2000 numbers.6:55 a.m.
• Governor's climate group makes recommendations
  The Minnesota Climate Change Advisory Group has approved a long list of suggestions on how the state can reduce its carbon footprint. Some ideas are more controversial than others, but they all mean changes in how we do things.7:20 a.m.
• Lawmakers to weigh mining jobs against sulfuric acid
  Minnesota's prospects for expanding the mining industry get a hearing before state lawmakers Friday afternoon. Legislators will weigh the benefits of large scale mining for gold and other metals against predictions of dire environmental consequences.7:25 a.m.
• Families in limbo over adoptions from Guatemala
  Many Minnesotans who adopt internationally choose children from Guatemala. But this year, would-be parents in Minnesota and every other state are finding their pending adoptions threatened, because of a new effort to prevent child trafficking in adoptions from Guatemala.7:50 a.m.
• Minnesotan to be inducted into Figure Skating Hall of Fame
  A Minnesotan will be inducted Friday night into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame. Janet Carpenter, who competed as Janet Gerhauser, skated at the 1952 Olympics in Olso. She is the only woman in U.S. figure skating history to have been an Olympic competitor, team leader, and judge.8:25 a.m.
• Northwest merger would impact Minnesota businesses
  A merger between Northwest and Atlanta-based Delta Airlines is still only a possibility, but there's been plenty of concern about what would happen if a merger occurs. Morning Edition host Cathy Wurzer spoke with Charlie Weaver, executive director of the Minnesota Business Partnership, about how a merger would affect Minnesota businesses.8:40 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Must-See Films at the Sundance Festival
  The Sundance Film Festival is under way in Park City, Utah. Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan combs the movie lineup for the most promising offerings.
• Collegians Act as Sundance Film Scouts for Sony
  Each year battalions of studio executives descend on the Sundance Film Festival, looking for the next indie hit. Sony Pictures is also using college students to gauge how a movie will play in the real world — in exchange for party invites and goodie bags.
• Many Joined in Bid to Calm the Markets
  Global financial markets appear to have survived a wild week without collapsing. Amid the chaos, several key people stepped forward to try to avert a crisis.
• Florida Republicans Weigh Primary Options
  In South Florida, members of two Republican clubs chat about the candidates vying for votes in the state's winner-take-all GOP primary, scheduled for Tuesday.
• Hamas Celebrates Wall Breach; Egypt Sends Guards
  Hamas leaders are claiming a great victory, after thousands of Palestinians stormed across the Gaza border with Egypt, at least temporarily breaking an Israeli-imposed blockade. Egyptian forces are now seeking to restore order, but have failed to stop more security breaches.
• Futures Trader Blamed for French Bank Fraud
  More details emerge from France about a futures trader who may be at the center of a $7 billion bank fraud. Jerome Kerviel, 31, worked for the Paris-based international bank Societe Generale.
• California Program Makes Toilet Water Drinkable
  A massive new water-purification system in Orange County, Calif., turns toilet water into drinking water. But program manager Shivaji Deshmukh notes that the program's "toilet to tap" transition takes months to accomplish.
• GOP Hopefuls Push Tax Cuts at Florida Debate
  The economy took center stage as Republican presidential candidates held a debate Thursday in Boca Raton, Fla. They supported the Bush-Congress deal to stimulate the economy, but pressed for deeper tax cuts.
• Berlusconi Seeks New Elections in Italy
  Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi resigned Thursday after the center-left coalition he led lost a confidence vote in the Senate. Opposition leader Silvio Berlusconi, a former prime minister, demanded immediate elections. David Willey of the BBC reports.
• Obama v. Clinton(s): Harsh Words
  In the days leading to Saturday's Democratic primary in South Carolina, the battle between Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama has gotten nasty and personal, fueled in part by comments from former President Clinton.
• Party Brings Notoriety to Australian Teen
  An Australian teenager who hosted a party while his parents were away has become a celebrity of sorts. Why? Corey Delaney posted an invitation to the fete on the MySpace Web site and 500 people showed up, doing $20,000 in damage. Now Delaney has a manager and he will serve as a guest DJ at a series of parties Down Under.
• Will Fed Rate Cut Help Stem a Recession?
  The U.S. Federal Reserve's dramatic cut in a key interest rate has calmed market anxiety in the short term. New York Times economics writer David Leonhardt gauges the rate cut's potential impact on a looming recession.
• Obama Lends Letterman a 'Top 10' List
  Presidential candidates are taking their turns with David Letterman. Last night, Sen. Barack Obama offered his top 10 campaign promises. He said he would appoint Mitt Romney as secretary of "lookin' good." He promised to balance the budget by renting out the White House situation room. And he would rename the tenth month of the year "Barack-tober."
• Traders Have Been Tempted Before
  The Societe Generale banking scandal joins a long list of rogue trading cases, from Baring Banks' Nick Leeson in the mid-'90s to a $750 million theft in 2002 by a trader at Ireland's largest bank.
• Ailing Bond Insurers May Make Markets Queasy
  The subprime mortgage crisis has now hit two major bond-insurance firms. Both underwrote risky mortgage-backed securities, resulting in big losses, with an impact that could ricochet through the bond market.

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