Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Bill eliminates tax breaks for businesses
  The Chair of the Minnesota House Tax committee wants to eliminate tax breaks for businesses. In exchange, taxes would be cut for all businesses.6:21 a.m.
• NTSB divided over public hearing on I-35W bridge collapse
  Rep. Jim Oberstar, D-Minn., is asking the chairman of the NTSB board to reverse the board's decision against holding a public hearing into the I-35 bridge collapse.7:21 a.m.
• Big decisions ahead on ATV trails in Superior National Forest
  The U.S. Forest Service is about decide where ATVs can and cannot go in the Superior National Forest in northern Minnesota.7:25 a.m.
• Some young vets struggle to find work
  Several thousand Minnesotans have been to Iraq and back over the past five years. Some are finding that the economic downturn has made getting a job more difficult than it used to be.7:41 a.m.
• Politics of the Iraq war are changing
  It has been five years since the U.S. invasion of Iraq began. Recent polls show the politics of the war in the presidential campaign, and Minnesota's U.S. Senate campaign, seem to be changing.7:45 a.m.
• Edo de Waart returns to the Twin Cities
  A familiar face is returning to the Twin Cities classical music scene. The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra has appointed former Minnesota Orchestra conductor Edo de Waart as one of the group's new artistic partners beginning in 2010.7:54 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Fed's Rate Cut Affects Borrowers, Savers
  The Federal Reserve on Tuesday slashed a key interest rate by three-quarters of a point, making it cheaper for banks to borrow. Banks may eventually pass the savings to consumers in the form of lower interest rates for loans, but the interest that consumers earn on savings can also go down.
• Obama: U.S. Can't Afford to Ignore Race Issues
  Sen. Barack Obama has addressed the simmering controversy about racially charged remarks made by his longtime pastor. In his speech in Philadelphia Tuesday, Obama denounced the remarks and engaged in a conversation about the broader issues of race in America.
• Individuals' Rights Key in Landmark D.C. Gun Case
  The Supreme Court on Tuesday heard arguments on the District of Columbia's law that essentially bans handguns in the city. Courts historically have interpreted the right to bear arms as a collective right, linked to military service and state militias. But on Tuesday, a majority of justices indicated that they believe it's an individual right.
• Van Dyke, 82, Keeps Moving with 'Poppins'
  If you say it loud enough, you'll always sound precocious. It's "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious." Dick Van Dyke sang it the first time around, and he sang it again this week at a Hollywood event.
• Winemaker's Nose Insured for $8 Million
  If Ilja Gort followed the old saying, and cut off his nose to spite his face, Lloyd's of London would not be happy. The company agreed to insure Gort's nose. As a winemaker, he says he can distinguish millions of different scents, and he can't work without that ability.
• U.S. Troops in Baghdad Make Fishing a Tradition
  While U.S. troops in Iraq spend much of their time searching for high level insurgents, some soldiers at Baghdad's Camp Victory try to catch another type of "big one." They fish in the lakes surrounding Saddam Hussein's palaces. After five years, it's become a tradition — soldiers on their way out hand fishing rods to newcomers.
• Japanese Businesses Lure Aging Seniors Off Roads
  Amid an increase in traffic accidents caused by drivers older than 65, police in Japan have joined with businesses in a novel campaign to encourage seniors to hand over their drivers licenses. A store offers free delivery for seniors who give up driving, a hotel chain offers discounts, and a bank offers special interest rates.
• Investors Flock to Buy Visa Stock After Record IPO
  Despite anxiety in the financial markets, investors flocked to buy stock in credit card giant Visa. The company completed the biggest IPO in U.S. history Tuesday, raising nearly $18 billion. When trading began Wednesday, the share price jumped nearly 50 percent.
• FCC Airwave Auction Rakes In $20 Billion
  For the past eight weeks, the Federal Communication Commission has been auctioning off airwaves that will be empty when television stations move to digital format next year. Bidding ended Tuesday, with the FCC — and ultimately the U.S. Treasury — raking in about $20 billion.
• Doctor: China's Stem-Cell Therapy for Kids Is Risky
  Optic nerve hypoplasia is a condition in which nerves in and around the eye fail to develop properly. Some parents of affected children are seeking controversial stem cell treatments in China. Dr. Mark Borchert, head of the Vision Center at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, urges caution.
• 'Space Odyssey' Author Clarke Dies at 90
  Writer Arthur C. Clarke has died in Sri Lanka. He was 90. He's best known for writing 2001: A Space Odyssey, but he wrote many dozens of science fiction novels. Clarke, a trained scientist who united intellectual rigor with imagination, inspired generations of writers and scientists with his powerfully humane vision of the future.
• Chicagoans: Reports Misrepresent Obama's Church
  The Rev. Jeremiah Wright's comments from the pulpit at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago have spotlighted on his church and his relationship with Barack Obama. The church being portrayed in the media, however, is unrecognizable to many who are familiar with the congregation.
• U.S. Works to Tighten Military Ties with Pakistan
  Over the past few months, senior U.S. military officers have been traveling to Pakistan to meet with their counterparts there. Analysts say this is, in part, to push Pakistan's military to take on terrorists who are finding refuge along the border, and to understand the next generation of military leaders coming behind President Pervez Musharraf.
• New Ob/Gyn Guidelines Stir Ethics, Legal Debate
  The Department of Health and Human Services says organizations that oversee certification for obstetrician-gynecologists may be breaking federal law by instituting new ethics guidelines. The guidelines have stoked the debate over whether a doctor's right to refuse care trumps a patient's right to obtain it.
• Wal-Mart Expands Employee Health Care Options
  Wal-Mart, the company known for its low prices, also delivers low-cost health coverage to its employees. The world's largest retailer, based in Bentonville, Ark., says a record number of workers, many previously uninsured, are signing up.

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