Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Festival does 3-D the old way, and says it's better
  There's been a flood of 3-D movies recently, but in Minneapolis, film fans have a rare opportunity to see original 1950s 3-D movies shown as they were designed to be seen.6:20 a.m.
• Columnist Nick Coleman on why he left the Star Tribune
  Longtime metro area columnist Nick Coleman has accepted a buyout and no longer writes for the Minneapolis-based Star Tribune newspaper. He talked with MPR's Cathy Wurzer about his decision to leave and his thoughts on the current state of journalism.6:43 a.m.
• Minnesota's longest-serving teachers
  Two teachers in Minnesota have been teaching for more than a half-century. Karene Churchill and Jerry Tedrow both graduated college in 1957 and have spent nearly every year since in western Minnesota.6:50 a.m.
• Southwest begins service Sunday, who's flying?
  When pigs fly, that's when many folks thought Southwest Airlines would start serving the Twin Cites. Well, pigs aren't flying yet, but Southwest finally launches air service between the Twin Cites and Chicago on Sunday.7:20 a.m.
• Lake Street rebuild offers guidance on Central Corridor rail project
  Community groups meet in St. Paul this weekend to voice concerns about the proposed Central Corridor light rail line.7:25 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Expulsion Of Aid Groups To Affect Millions In Darfur
  The Sudanese government has shut down more than a dozen aid groups working in Darfur in the wake of the International Criminal Court's decision to issue an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. As a result, millions of people will go without the basic necessities of life.
• Mattel Hopes Shanghai Is A Barbie World
  As Barbie celebrates turning 50, toymaker Mattel has spent millions on the world's first House of Barbie. The six-story, hot-pink shrine to the 11 1/2 inch doll is built around a wall of a thousand Barbies, each adorned in her own specially designed fuchsia dress.
• Mexican Journalist Asks For Asylum In U.S.
  As Mexico's drug war grinds on, the number of Mexicans requesting asylum in the U.S. has more than doubled. Political asylum is usually reserved for refugees claiming religious or political persecution, or fear of torture. But newspaper reporter Emilio Gutierrez Soto says the military has threatened to kill him.
• Activists Out As Calif. Court Weighs Gay Marriage
  California's ban on gay marriage is in the hands of the state's Supreme Court. In San Francisco Thursday, Proposition 8 was sliced and diced by an array of attorneys who called the measure illegal. But there were also plenty of defenders who said Prop 8 represents the will of the people. The case attracted a crowd of thousands outside the courthouse.
• Unemployment At Levels Not Seen Since 1983
  The nation's unemployment rate in February was 8.1 percent. The Labor Department reports more than 651,000 jobs were eliminated last month. Employers are cutting their payrolls and looking for other ways to cut costs as the recession takes a bite out of their sales and profits.
• Layoffs Push Jobless Rate To 8.1 Percent
  The nation's unemployment rate is at its the highest level since 1983. The jobless rate for February stands at 8.1 percent after employers slashed 651,000 jobs. Both figures were worse than what analysts had expected. Since the recession began in December 2007, the economy has lost 4.4 million jobs.
• House Approves Mortgage Bankruptcy Overhaul
  The House of Representatives passed a bill on Thursday that would allow bankruptcy judges to rewrite the terms of failing mortgages. For example, a judge could lower a homeowner's interest rate, or even slash the principle loan amount. The bill is expected to face more opposition in the Senate.
• Barbie Has Competition From Syria's Fulla
  The Islamic World has its own Barbie doll and her name is Fulla. The doll is manufactured by a company in Syria, and she is intended to reflect Islamic values.
• IRS To Drop Private Debt Collection Program
  The Internal Revenue Service says it's ending the controversial practice of outsourcing tax collection to private debt collectors. The IRS started using private companies in 2006, mostly to bring in small undisputed debts. IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman cited an independent study showing that in-house tax collection costs less. Shulman said he's hiring more than a thousand new tax collectors this year.
• Clinton Says She'll Hit 'Reset Button' With Russia
  With the Obama administration hoping to improve relations with Russia, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton meets with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Geneva on Friday. While in Brussels, Clinton sat down with Michele Kelemen for this exclusive interview, addressing Russia, Iran and other foreign policy issues.
• Indian Businessman Wins Gandhi Auction
  The winning bidder for a collection of Mohandas Gandhi's personal items was an Indian businessman. His bid was $1.8 million. He plans to return the items to India.
• Border Guard Uses Pepper Spray On Polite Canadian
  A Canadian man was crossing the border into Washington state when an inspector told him to turn off his car. Desiderio Fortunato replied, in effect: "Say please." The inspector repeated his order. The Canadian still expected him to say please. The Canadian was blinded by pepper spray, dragged out of his car, handcuffed and detained for three hours.
• Who's Paying To Overhaul Nation's Health System?
  One measure of President Obama's commitment to health care overhaul can be found in his budget. The administration's 10-year spending plan includes more than $630 billion to help cover the cost of expanding coverage and improving care. But some members of Congress, including Democrats, are challenging the president's plan to raise that money.
• Obama: Crushing Health Care Costs Must Be Fixed
  President Obama invited more than 120 people to the White House Forum on Health Reform on Thursday. The participants have a wide range of views on how to fix the system. Obama told everyone to keep an "open mind." He added to get the federal budget under control, the "crushing cost of health care" must be addressed this year by this administration.
• Citigroup Stock Trades Below $1
  Shares of Citigroup traded below the $1 mark for the first time in the company's history. The financial services company used to be worth $57 a share. If it can't get its share price back above $1, it eventually will be de-listed from the stock exchange and become just another penny stock.

Resources

• Future Tense®
• Marketplace Morning Report®
• Mark Seeley's WeatherTalk

Services

• Hourly Newscast
• HD Radio
• iPhone App / Mobile
• E-mail newsletters
• RSS feeds
• Podcasts
• Submit your photos
• Videos
• Weather
• Most e-mailed stories

Become a Sponsor