Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Farmland is now the hot real estate deal
  Farmland prices are rising rapidly. The trend reminds some of the bubble that burst back in the 1980s, setting up many farm foreclosures. Others see nothing but dollar signs on the horizon.7:20 a.m.
• Congress considering new laws designed to help the homeless
  Changes in the federal definition of homelessness could mean more help for the homeless.7:24 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Big Flat-Panel TV Sets in Big Demand
  Flat-panel television sets are due to outsell models with picture tubes by more than seven to one this year. Inch for inch, the price of flat screens is coming down. But instead of pocketing the savings, many consumers are upgrading to ever-larger sets.
• Climate Experts Mull Payment to Stop Deforestation
  Climate experts are trying to come up with new ways to cut emissions of greenhouse gases after the current international climate treaty expires in 2012. One proposal is to pay developing countries to stop cutting down trees. The experts are gathering in Bali, Indonesia.
• New England's Famed Stone Walls in Demand
  The weathered stone walls crisscrossing New England's landscape are disappearing. Not only are thieves taking some stones, but homeowners are also selling some. Demand is so high that ads are often in newspapers. The walls are remnants of an agricultural past.
• Venezuela's Chavez Narrowly Loses Referendum
  Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has suffered a startling defeat in a referendum that would have greatly enhanced his power, including ending presidential term limits. Voters rejected the referendum, 51 percent to 49 percent. Opponents said the country was hurtling toward dictatorship.
• Romney to Address Mormon Faith
  Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney is due to give a speech Thursday about his Mormon faith and the role it would play in his presidency. The speech from Romney, who could be the first Mormon president, draws comparisons to an address by John F. Kennedy about his Catholic faith.
• Oldest Rolls Royce Set for Auction
  The world's oldest Rolls Royce is up for auction in Britain. The two-seater, built in 1904, still runs. It was the fourth car to come off the line after Charles Rolls and Henry Royce began building cars. The starting price for the 103-year-old model is 1 million pounds, about $2 million.
• Presidential Candidates Run Tight Race in Iowa
  Races for the GOP and Democratic Iowa presidential caucuses are dead heats. Democrat Barack Obama's support is 28 percent, Hillary Clinton's is 25 percent and John Edwards' 23 percent. Republican Mike Huckabee's is 29 percent to Mitt Romney's 24 percent and Rudy Giuliani's 13 percent.
• Montana Man Charged with Stealing Holiday Trim
  A Montana man is accused of stealing his decorations from a local holiday store. Storeowner Shane Clouse spotted two Christmas trees in the suspect's yard, with the tags still on, and a stack of wreaths. When police arrived, the man was inside making more wreaths.
• NYC Runs Holiday Train
  New York City subway riders are getting a look at holidays past this season. Riders hopped onboard a 1930's train featuring old-fashioned wicker seats, ceiling fans, and vintage ads. The train, which normally resides in the City's Transit Museum, is running every Sunday until New Year's.
• LSU, Ohio to Meet for Football's National Title
  Top-ranked football teams Ohio State University and Louisiana State University are set to meet next month for the national championship. But other top teams are grumbling about their exclusion. LSU's selection stems from it winning the Southeastern Conference.
• Digital Technology Alters Media Listening, Viewing
  Digital technology is changing music and video experiences. Independent record label Sub Pop Records launches an MP3 store while networks and filmmakers release entire episodes and exclusive films online.
• Vivendi to Buy Activision
  French media conglomerate Vivendi says it plans to buy a controlling stake in U.S. video game maker Activision. The deal is worth nearly $10 billion. If regulators approve it, Vivendi would go from being a minor player, to the giant in the $40 billion international game industry.
• Iris Scanning Tracks Sex Offenders
  Law enforcement officials are tracking sex offenders with a futuristic biometric tool: iris scanning. Jurisdictions in seven states are experimenting with technology that takes a picture of an offender's iris and stores it in a national database where it can be used to identify them.
• Germany Funds Child Care
  Germany has one of the lowest birthrates in Europe. But the government is hoping to increase the number of births by spending billions of dollars on a plan to triple by 2013 the number of child care spaces available for kids under age 3.
• Russia's Putin Helps Party to Landslide Victory
  Russia's President Vladimir Putin has led his party to a landslide victory in parliamentary elections. But opposition groups say voter fraud was widespread. They accuse the authorities of rigging the vote to let Putin retain power after his presidential term ends.

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