Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Teaching the art of conducting an orchestra
  As part of an initiative to get local young professionals interested in classical music, the Minnesota Orchestra invited about 60 young professionals to a brief seminar on what an orchestra conductor does. Then some of the participants got a chance to try it for themselves. Minnesota Public Radio's Curtis Gilbert condensed the hour-long program into three minutes. The orchestra's assistant conductor Sarah Hicks led the session.6:55 a.m.
• Minneapolis streets proof of budget strain
  This week, the Minneapolis city council will approve a new budget. The amended budget accounts for gaps left by a cut in state aid.7:20 a.m.
• Senate hearing explores Minneapolis-Somalia connection
  A Minneapolis mosque is again denying allegations it's responsible for a dozen or more young Somali men leaving the U.S. to join a terrorist group in East Africa. It was one of two mosques named at a U.S. Senate committee hearing Wednesday investigating Islamic extremist recruitment in America.7:25 a.m.
• Art Hounds: Week of March 12
  Each week Minnesota Public Radio News asks three people from the Minnesota arts scene to be "Art Hounds." Their job is to step outside our own work and hunt down something exciting that's going on this weekend.8:25 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Film Depicts 'Train Of Death' Ride
  Central Americans coming to the U.S. often make the perilous 1,000-mile journey across Mexico. Thousands make that trip riding a freight train so dangerous they call it "the train of death." More people will learn about that train ride with the release of the film "Sin Nombre," which won two top awards at the Sundance Film Festival.
• Obama To Name Hamburg To Head FDA
  President Obama is expected to name former New York City Health Commissioner Margaret Hamburg to lead the troubled Food and Drug Administration.
• Ford's Modified UAW Pact Brings Parity
  Ford Motor Company says new modifications to its contract with the United Auto Workers union are bringing the company in line with foreign-based automakers doing business in the U.S. The changes eliminate cost-of-living increases and performance bonuses of three percent of base earnings this year and next.
• After Guilty Plea, Madoff Sentencing Set For June 16
  Bernard Madoff has pleaded guilty to all 11 charges in the largest fraud case in Wall Street history. The former New York money manager is accused of stealing billions of dollars from thousands of investors in what he himself has described as a Ponzi scheme.
• Are Americans Saving More Lately?
  The latest government figures show the personal savings rate has increased. For most of 2007, the rate was barely above 0. For December 2008, it was about 5 percent. David Wessel, of The Wall Street Journal, discusses how saving more now is actually hurting the economy.
• No Bidders For Michael Vick's Georgia Home
  Former football star Michael Vick is in prison for his role in a dogfighting conspiracy. He's now in bankruptcy proceedings. In advance of a bankruptcy hearing next month, Vick put his eight-bedroom mansion in suburban Atlanta on the block to raise money to pay off his debts. However, no one placed a bid for the home in Tuesday's auction.
• Roche To Take Over Genentech In $47 Billion Deal
  In what's being described as the largest takeover in Swiss corporate history, Roche says it has agreed to buy the remaining shares of Genentech for $46.8 billion. Genentech's board gave its approval only after Roche raised its offer to $95 a share.
• A Temperature Hike Can Trigger Migraines
  Researchers know that migraine headaches can be triggered by factors like a lack of sleep, certain foods or stress. A new study shows that weather can also trigger severe headaches, with some people suffering migraines when the temperature rises.
• Jobless Rate Rises In Nearly Every State
  The Bureau of Labor Statistics says nearly every state saw its unemployment rate rise in January. Michigan and South Carolina have unemployment rates of more than 10 percent. However, the health of state labor markets varies a lot. For instance: Wyoming, which benefited from an earlier run up in prices for oil and natural gas prices, registered the lowest unemployment rate at 3.7 percent.
• Economy Shakes Up 'Forbes' Billionaires List
  The richest people in the world are a lot poorer this year. Forbes magazine's annual list of the world's top billionaires has 332 fewer names this time around. Still, all those empty spots made room for 38 new billionaires to make the rankings.
• Colonel Sanders Rescued From River After 24 Years
  Back in 1985, a Japanese baseball team won the pennant with the help of an American player. Randy Bass had a beard. Some Japanese fans saw some resemblance between Bass and a statue of Colonel Sanders. After the winning game, they tossed the statue into the river. Twenty-four years later, it's been recovered.
• Funeral Director's Offer Is One To Die For
  A funeral director in New York City wants to add a sitting room to his residence. He's looking for a reliable contractor. In exchange, he'll provide the funeral. He'll trade a full service funeral — viewing, coffin and hearse — for a sitting room. The offer is good in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
• Companies Believe In Oil Shale's Future
  There's a saying in the Rocky Mountain West: Oil shale has a promising future — and it always will. The Obama Administration has reversed a Bush administration policy of allowing large leases on public lands for oil shale research and development. That made environmentalists happy, but oil companies are not giving up on shale just yet.
• Iraqi Shoe Thrower Gets 3 Years In Prison
  The Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at former President George W. Bush during a news conference in Baghdad last December was sentenced to three years in prison on Thursday.
• Drug-Related Killings In Juarez Down
  In the Mexican border city of Juarez, the arrival of thousands of soldiers and federal police has dramatically reduced a wave of drug-related killings. The city, which has been the epicenter of Mexico's brutal drug war, has been relatively quiet in recent days.

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