Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Fed plan could save millions from foreclosure
  The federal government is hammering out details of a $50 billion program that would give lenders an incentive to modify home loans and make them affordable. The plan would help an estimated three million people avoid foreclosure, but some say lenders and the government need to do more to help homeowners before they fall behind.6:20 a.m.
• MIA director takes on new plan to make museum more contemporary
  Almost a year after the Minneapolis Institute of Arts hired its new director, Kaywin Feldman, she's filled several open positions, and created some new ones. The hires gave Feldman the opportunity to set a course for the future of the museum, a course aimed at taking it straight into the contemporary art world and into the national limelight.6:50 a.m.
• November is commentator Peter Smith's least favorite month
  The weather is turning colder, and the daylight getting shorter. MPR Morning Edition commentator Peter Smith tells us why November is his least favorite month.6:55 a.m.
• Hennepin Co. declines to reconsider absentees
  The Hennepin County canvassing board has rejected Democrat Al Franken's campaign's request to count some absentee ballots that had been declared invalid.7:20 a.m.
• Hospitals worry about bad debt
  Hospitals worry more medical bills will go unpaid as the economy worsens and health insurance plans shift more of the cost to patients.7:25 a.m.
• Future Tense with Jon Gordon
  Software empowers cell phones to fight traffic8:20 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Glenn Fine Praised As Model Inspector General
  He has investigated waste, fraud and abuse — and a Justice Department scandal over political partisanship in hiring practices. That kind of investigation can make someone a bull's-eye for political arrows, but it hasn't happened with Fine.
• Art Auctions Watched For Economic Fallout
  Two big contemporary art auctions in New York City this week are being closely watched to see how much the financial crisis will affect the high-end art market. Sarah Thornton, author of the new book Seven Days in the Art World, talks about what's happening financially in the art world.
• Iraqi Refugees Find Michigan Is No Land Of Plenty
  More than 14,000 Iraqi refugees are expected to enter the U.S. this year, and most of them have gravitated to Detroit. But the economy is so bleak that the State Department no longer wants to allow Iraqis to settle in Michigan unless they have immediate relatives already living there.
• A Soldier's Refrain: Going Home
  With wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the number of returning troops we honor grows every Veterans Day. Commentator Forrest Brandt served in Vietnam from 1968-69. Brandt, who is now retired from the Army, wrote about the day he came home.
• GM, Ford, Chrysler Want Emergency Aid
  Detroit's Big Three automakers are asking the government for a bigger bailout. They received $25 billion in federal loans and now want an additional $25 billion. Congressional Democrats urged the Bush administration to use some of the $700 billion bailout for banks to help the car companies. Joe White of The Wall Street Journal talks about what a bailout would mean.
• 'American Widow Project' Born From Grief
  Taryn Davis was just 21 years old when her husband was killed in Iraq. As a young widow, she felt bereft and very alone. She channeled her grief into the American Widow Project. It began as a documentary and transformed into a national support group for other widows.
• QE2 Sets Sail On Farewell Voyage
  Queen Elizabeth 2, one of the world's most famous ocean liners, is on her final voyage. The vessel will become a first-class hotel and entertainment center in Dubai. Captain Ian McNaught talks about what it has been like to work on the ship for more than 20 years.
• Washington-Area Hotels Book Up For Inauguration
  Good luck getting a hotel room if you're coming to Washington, D.C., in January to watch President-elect Barack Obama be inaugurated. Hotels in the area are already booked.
• Credit Repair Companies Can't Fix Everything
  As the economy sours and credit remains tight, consumers with poor credit scores are especially vulnerable to those that promise to clean credit histories, boost credit scores and even eliminate bankruptcy filings. But credit repair firms can't always do what they claim, and dozens of them have been sued.
• Sun Goes Down On Mars Phoenix Lander
  NASA has lost contact with the Mars Phoenix probe, and officials say the mission is over. Phoenix landed in the northern polar region of Mars last May. Mission managers knew this day was coming. It's getting to be winter at the Phoenix landing site, and the few hours of daylight aren't enough for the lander's solar panels to recharge the batteries.
• RNC, DNC: Who's In, Who Out?
  Along with the many changes a new administration brings to Washington, there is going to be a change at the helm of the two political parties. In January, both the Democratic and Republican National Committees will elect new chairmen.
• Citigroup To Help Struggling Mortgage Holders
  Citigroup is announcing a new initiative to help more homeowners avoid foreclosure. Citi will lower mortgage payments for more than 100,000 people who haven't yet fallen behind on their payments. Other lenders have launched their own efforts, and the government is considering taking more dramatic action to stem foreclosures.
• George Carlin Honored With Mark Twain Prize
  The late comedian George Carlin was honored Monday night with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Carlin is famous for those "Seven Words You Can Never Say on TV." The Mark Twain Prize was the only comedy award Carlin believed was a legitimate comedy prize.
• Capitol Visitor Center Opens Dec. 2
  The long-awaited, $621 million underground Capitol Visitor Center opens to the public in three weeks. It's lush — made out of Pennsylvania sandstone, Tennessee marble and Virginia granite. It's also behind schedule and way over budget. It's the biggest expansion in the Capitol's history.
• Chinese Government Fights Recession
  Economic data out of China suggest that the world's fastest growing economy is slowing down, just as the rest of the world is counting on it to maintain growth. Inflation in China fell to 4 percent last month, marking a 16-month low. The government responded this week with a nearly $600 billion spending plan to rev up the economy.

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