Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Groups race to find replacement medical care for poor
  Earlier this year, Gov. Tim Pawlenty cut the General Assistance Medical Care program, which provides coverage for adults without dependents who don't qualify for other health care assistance, and now 33,000 of the poorest Minnesotans may lose state health coverage sooner than expected.6:20 a.m.
• In schools, even chemistry is going green
  Chemistry professors these days are trying some new approaches to minimize the amount of hazardous substance students are exposed to, and as schools turn to more green chemistry, the benefits could include cost savings and possibly more career options for students.6:25 a.m.
• Weather with Mark Seeley
  University of Minnesota climatologist Mark Seeley discusses Minnesota weather history and looks ahead to the weekend forecast.6:55 a.m.
• Senate to meld health care bills
  Negotiations continue in Washington on how to craft legislation that reforms health care and has enough support to pass. Earlier this week, a reform bill passed out of the Senate Finance Committee. It must now be reconciled with a substantially different health care bill that was approved by the Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions Committee.7:20 a.m.
• U of M places fifth in solar decathalon
  A team of students from the University of Minnesota has finished fifth in the Solar Decathlon in Washington, D.C. The team from the U competed against 19 other schools. The goal was to build a fully-functional house that runs entirely on solar power and is as efficient as possible.8:25 a.m.
• Balloon boy has universal experience
  Commentator Peter Smith was one of the people watching the live coverage of the balloon saga on television. A six-year-old boy was thought to be inside a container attached to an experimental weather balloon floating across the Colorado sky. He was found safe, hiding in his attic. Smith says we could have guessed how it would end if we put ourselves in the shoes of the boy.8:40 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• 'Where The Wild Things Are,' Dismay Also Lurks
  The Spike Jonze-Dave Eggers film, adapted from Maurice Sendak's classic children's book, is one of the year's most anticipated movies. Critic Kenneth Turan says the big-screen version of the tale is a self-indulgent cinematic fable, one he doesn't think will thrill either parents or kids.
• Health Care Overhaul Rests On Senator Reid
  Majority Leader Harry Reid has been the Democrats' top man in the Senate for nearly five years. But his leadership skills are soon to be tested as he presides over merging the two very different health care overhaul bills. The task has prompted remarks like, "Is he Harry Reid or Harry Houdini?"
• In Milliseconds, Brain Zips From Thought To Speech
  Researchers had the rare chance to learn more about how speech works by testing patients with electrodes embedded in their brain. The study found it takes the brain less than half a second to cue up what the mouth is about to say.
• U.S. Is Main Foe In North Korea's 'History' Lessons
  The chasm between North Korea and the United States sometimes seems insurmountable, especially on questions of history — and the way it's portrayed in North Korean propaganda. In the U.S., the Korean War is known as the Forgotten War; in Pyongyang, it is the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War.
• Layoffs At Ailing D.C. Schools Spark Union Outrage
  Washington, D.C., schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee's reform program for the city's school system involves changing the way teachers are evaluated. Tensions escalated between Rhee and the teachers union earlier this month when more than 200 teachers were laid off only months after 900 new teachers had been hired.
• A Healthy Approach Replaces Self-Pity With Promise
  When Andrew DeVries was recovering from a serious accident in 2002, he met a physician's assistant who helped him navigate his way back to health — and who became a friend for life. With surgeons preparing him for life with one leg, the young physician's assistant asked DeVries a question: "Andy, what kind of golf ball do you play?"
• Julie Andrews Celebrates The Sound Of Poetry
  Though her singing voice was irreparably damaged in 1997, Julie Andrews' innate musicality is irrepressible. Her new book, a collection of poems, songs and lullabies, features an accompanying CD in which Andrews reads some of the verses that played an important role in her family.
• What White House Jobs Report Really Means
  More than 30,000 jobs have been created as a result of the Obama administration's stimulus bill. The figure comes from the first accounting of this data released by the White House on Thursday.
• In India, High Prices Spark Homeownership Feuds
  Real estate has plummeted in value in some parts of the world, but in India's capital, it costs a fortune to buy a decent home. Sky-high property prices are producing family feuds over homeownership and cases of people trying to swindle the elderly into parting with their houses — including an unusual case involving a particularly distinguished Indian woman.
• Suspicions Arise About Boy's Balloon Saga
  The 6-year-old Colorado boy who was thought to have floated away in an experimental balloon raised eyebrows when he said in a TV interview, "You guys said we did this for a show." When asked to clarify what he meant during another TV interview, the boy got sick.

Resources

• Marketplace Tech Report®
• 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