Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Two cities, two sets of rules for clearing snow
  Why does Minneapolis have one set of rules for snow emergencies and St. Paul, another?6:50 a.m.
• Minnesota golfer itching to tee it up
  The official beginning of spring is less than two weeks away. But people who live in Minnesota know that the end of winter is not determined by the calendar. We look for signs in the natural environment that the season is changing.6:55 a.m.
• Lawmakers consider bill to help homeowners avoid foreclosure
  A new bill being considered by state lawmakers would force lenders to negotiate with struggling homeowners to avoid foreclosure.7:20 a.m.
• Home builders get creative to survive
  Despite the beating the home building industry has been taking over the past few years, some Minnesota builders say they're managing to fare pretty well. They attribute their success to their creative sales techniques.7:25 a.m.
• For Wayzata math team, a family affair
  Wayzata won its fifth state math championship in seven years on Monday, thanks in part to its own numerical anomaly.7:35 a.m.
• Minneapolis to launch a bike sharing program
  The Twin Cities is getting $4 million in federal money to fund projects that promote walking and biking. The money will be used to create a bike center on the University of Minnesota campus and a bike-sharing program in Minneapolis.8:25 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• GOP And Corporate America Bond Loosens
  Some of the Republican Party's most loyal allies in business supported the Obama administration's economic stimulus package. With the change in power in Washington, business lobbyists who used to be part of the GOP team are acting more like free agents.
• Inheriting Infections: Can Genes Make You Sick?
  Here's a radical concept: Our genes could determine which infectious diseases we are susceptible to. Some scientists say this could explain why some people infected with a microbe develop the disease and others show no symptoms.
• 'Leaning Tower' Of Shanghai Underwhelms Visitors
  Everyone's heard of the Great Wall of China and the Forbidden City. But who knew that China had its very own Leaning Tower? Certainly not most Chinese. What's more, the 900-year-old pagoda outside Shanghai could well be the most tilted building in the world.
• 50 Years Ago, The Dalai Lama Fled Tibet
  Thousands of Tibetans rose up against Chinese rule in 1959, and the Dalai Lama was forced to escape to India. Robert Barnett directs modern Tibetian studies at Columbia University in New York. He was in touch with Tibetians until the government shut down text messaging for "maintenance."
• FedEx Offers Free Resume Printing On March 10
  The copy chain FedEx Office is offering job seekers across the country free resume printing. The company will print up to 25 black-and-white copies at no charge. It would normally cost about $10.
• Europe Rejects U.S. Appeals To Spend More
  The Obama administration has been urging European governments to pump more money into their economies to combat the global economic crisis. On Tuesday, a top European finance official said Eurozone finance ministers agree that these American appeals are "not to our liking." He said there are no plans for more stimulus measures.
• Airman Honored For Bravery During Fierce Battle
  Staff Sgt. Zachary Rhyner was dropped into a valley in the mountains of Afghanistan with about 100 other special forces last April. Within minutes, they came under fire from hundreds of Taliban. After six hours, the force was able to fight its way to evacuation helicopters. Rhyner is being awarded the Air Force Cross, the highest award the service bestows.
• Merck, Schering To Merge In $41 Billion Deal
  Merck is buying Schering-Plough for $41 billion in stock and cash. The deal between the drug giants is aimed at giving them better ability to contend with slumping sales, tough generic competition and intense pricing pressures.
• Scams Target Mortgage Loan Modifications
  The collapse of the housing market has spawned a new industry — companies that say they can help troubled homeowners negotiate modifications to their mortgages. But officials in several states are warning that these offers can sometimes be more scam than substance.
• Helping Science, May Hurt Pro-Life Relations
  President Obama kept a campaign promise Monday by overturning President Bush's restrictions on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. But the stem cell executive order — and a companion presidential memo intended to rebuild the wall between politics and science — aren't helping the administration's efforts to reach out to the pro-life community.
• Vilsack Proposes Changes To Farming
  Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is proposing radical changes to farming. Vilsack tells Steve Inskeep that farmers should see the Obama administration's new energy initiatives as opportunities to make new money, at a time when traditional farming policies run in the face of a soaring deficit.
• Sen. Finance Committee Backs Kirk As Trade Rep.
  Some key figures in President Obama's administration are still waiting to be confirmed. Ron Kirk, the nominee for U.S. trade representative, could have faced questions about back taxes. But that was barely mentioned Monday night as the former Dallas mayor breezed through a 45 minute confirmation hearing. Senators were more interested in how the Obama administration plans to handle some controversial trade agreements.
• FanBridge Makes A Profit Connecting Fans, Band
  In the down economy, there are still some companies that are making a profit and growing. One such company is called FanBridge. Musicians pay FanBridge to keep them connected to their fans.
• 2009 Economy, Glimpses Of The 1930s
  President Obama's top economic adviser says the current economic downturn bears striking parallels to the Great Depression. Christina Romer, the economic historian who chairs the Council of Economic Advisers, says the administration's current economic policies were designed to reflect lessons learned from Franklin Roosevelt's attempts to guide the nation to economic recovery in the 1930s.
• Keeping China's Ancient Music Alive
  Only a dozen orchestras in northwest China remain devoted to performing music from the seventh-century Tang Dynasty. Predating even European Gregorian chants, the songs and instrumentals are among the oldest notated music in the world.

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