Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Sen. Tim Johnson: It's been a long road home
  U.S. Sen. Tim Johnson told well-wishers in Sioux Falls Tuesday afternoon that it's been a long journey home, one that's taken longer than he wanted. It's his first public appearance since he suffered a brain hemorrhage in December.7:20 a.m.
• New charter school aims to close achievement gap
  A new Minneapolis charter school aims to close the academic achievement gap between white students and students of color.7:50 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Portable Health Insurance Faces Challenges
  Holding on to health insurance can be a big challenge if you have a chronic disease or history of illness. But it wasn't supposed to be that way. Eleven years ago this month, Congress passed a law intended to free people who felt trapped in their jobs because they were afraid of losing their health insurance.
• Bloomberg: Give Poor Cash for Good Behavior
  The New York mayor says conventional approaches to fighting poverty haven't worked, so why not try something new? In a pilot program, he's offering rewards for working full time, attending school or going to the doctor.
• More Americans Lack Health Insurance
  The number of Americans without health insurance grew to an all time high of 47 million last year, an increase of more than 2 million from a year before. The number of children without health insurance coverage also rose. The Census Bureau figures are likely to raise the stakes in the political debate about health care.
• U.S. Workers Gain Leisure Time, Study Says
  Despite its label of the "no vacation-nation," leisure time in the United States has actually increased in the last 40 years, according to a new study. Men work less in the market than they used to. And women have gained leisure time, thanks to declines in work they do in the home.
• Tight Credit Squeezes Jumbo Mortgage Market
  Troubles in the mortgage market are moving upscale, to the "jumbo" home loan market. Jumbo mortgages cover amounts larger than $417,000, the maximum that can be guaranteed by the government-backed agencies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
• Managing Pain During Cancer Treatment
  Commentator Leroy Sievers had a particularly unpleasant round of cancer treatments not long ago. That got him thinking about pain, both real and perceived. He reflects on the difficulties of planning for the future while battling cancer.
• Arts Festival's Burning Man Torched Early
  Paul Addis burned the Burning Man. He torched the symbol of the annual Burning Man Arts Festival in the Nevada desert. It's wood and neon, 40 feet high. The symbol is meant to be burned. But Addis, who's a performance artist, burned the Burning Man four days early. He has now been arrested.
• China Enlists Internet Cops
  China already blocks Internet sites the government finds morally or politically threatening. But it can't seem to keep its citizens from logging onto to forbidden sites involving illegal gambling, pirated videos and nudity. So it's calling the police.
• New Orleans Slowly Rebounds
  Pockets of New Orleans have recovered, but other parishes still have shuttered stores, boarded up businesses, closed schools and hospitals. The city has become a symbol of failure for the government at all levels. The biggest responsibility of government is strong, safe levees.
• U.N.: 48-Hour Work Week Common Except in U.S.
  A U.N. report on working time around the world shows that Americans work short hours compared to other countries. Only 18 percent or Americans work more than 48 hours per week. As a comparison, in England, a greater percentage of people work 48 hours or more.
• Sen. Obama Seeks Fine for Unscrupulous Lenders
  Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) wrote in an editorial in the Financial Times that unscrupulous mortgage lenders are to blame for the current credit crisis. Obama wants to fine lenders who sell mortgages to borrowers who can't afford them.
• Utah Mine Rescuers Hit Setback
  Families of the six coal miners trapped more than three weeks ago when the Crandall Canyon mine in Utah collapsed wait as officials drill a seventh exploratory hole into the mine. They plan to lower a robotic camera into a kitchen area where the miners could have taken cover.
• NFL Reshaped by Commissioner, Firm Coaches
  The National Football League begins its regular season next week following a pre-season dominated by the troubles of Michael Vick, the Atlanta Falcons quarterback who pleaded guilty to a federal dogfighting charge. Stable leadership should keep leading teams in tact.
• S. Dakota Receives a Healing Sen. Johnson
  South Dakota Sen. Tim Johnson returned home for the first time since suffering a life-threatening brain hemorrhage last December. The 60-year-old Democrat, whose term ends next year, has been making a slow but steady recovery. At the welcome-home rally, he declared in halting speech that he's back.
• Taking the 'Foot' Out of Football
  The good ol' kicker might have too much of a role in football. Commentator Frank Deford has a modest proposal for the NFL.

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