Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Climate change group votes
  At a meeting Wednesday, the task force working on ways to reduce Minnesota's carbon footprint approved some ideas and sent others back to the drawing board. They had more questions than answers about many of the ideas.7:20 a.m.
• Finding beauty in the religions of others
  A Minneapolis sculptor uses handmade paper, uprooted trees, grapevines, and dried roses to tell a story of loss, displacement and personal spiritual transcendance.7:24 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Autism Study Lends Credence to 'Fever Effect'
  Autism researchers have been hearing reports about the "fever effect" for decades. Parents of autistic children report a sudden improvement in their child's condition when the child has fever. Now a study suggests that phenomenon might be real.
• British Economy Hit by U.S. Housing Market Woes
  The troubles in the American housing market are rippling across the Atlantic. European central bankers worry their economy could slow down. The Bank of England and the European Central Bank announce decisions on interest rates.
• Meat Processors Look to Puerto Rico for Workers
  With the ongoing immigration crackdown, meat and poultry processors are desperate for legal workers. The average hourly wage is $11 to $12. To get legal workers, many plants must recruit heavily. A Cargill plant in Beardstown, Ill., recently began recruiting workers from Puerto Rico.
• New Orleans Hospital Welcomes Triplets, Quads
  The chances of having triplets are about one in 8,000 births. Add a set of quadruplets, born in the same hospital all within 24 hours, and the odds become vanishingly small. But two mothers at a New Orleans hospital managed to do just that.
• Engineers: North Pole Not an Optimal Base for Santa
  A Swedish engineering firm still believes in Santa Claus. But it says the North Pole is all wrong for him. To finish his job in time for Christmas morning, the firm calculated that Santa's base should be in Kyrgyzstan. It took into account the main population centers and the Earth's rotation.
• Hadley Responds to NIE on Iran
  National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley discusses the National Intelligence Estimate on Iran, and how the intelligence reversal will affect international diplomacy on Iran. He says the report confirms that Iran had a convert program that could be restarted at anytime.
• Fake Web Site Turns Real Profit
  For fun, Linda Katz created the "Prairie Tumbleweed Farm," a make-believe Internet company that supposedly sold the dry, rolling shrubs: $15 for a small one, $25 for a big one. Then real orders started to come.
• Part of U.S.-Mexico Border Fence on Wildlife Refuge
  As if the controversy over constructing hundreds of miles of border fence to stem the tide of illegal immigrants along the Mexican border isn't enough, there is now news of a land swap. The federal government plans to put some of the fencing on a wildlife refuge in Arizona.
• Socialized Medicine Belittled on Campaign Trail
  One of the issues presidential candidates like to debate is health care, and the term "socialized medicine" is getting thrown around. It's not exactly a compliment, as the politically charged term means different things to different people. Policy experts say the phrase is meant to polarize debate.
• Omaha Teen's Shooting Rampage Kills 8, Himself
  A man opened fire with a rifle in a mall in Omaha, killing eight people before turning the gun on himself. Five people were also wounded in the attack. The shooter, Robert Hawkins, had split with his girlfriend, been fired from McDonald's, and had been kicked out of his parents' house.
• Atlantis Due to Blast Off with European Science Lab
  Space shuttle Atlantis is due to blast off with a science lab called Columbus inside its cargo bay for long-term research. Columbus is designed to operate for 10 years, and will double research capacity. It was built for the European Space Agency and will be controlled from Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany.
• Bush to Unveil Plan to Aid Struggling Homeowners
  President Bush is expected to unveil a plan worked out with the mortgage industry to help stave off a rising number of home foreclosures. Many homeowners with subprime, adjustable rate loans are seeing their interest rates swell, making their payments too high.
• Intelligence Official to Testify Before Congress
  Lawmakers are sure to grind the deputy director of national intelligence about the accuracy of the NIE report on Iran. Analysts say that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program four years ago, contradicting a judgment two years ago that Iran was working to build a nuclear bomb.
• Supreme Court Hears Guantanamo Arguments
  The Supreme Court hears arguments for a third time in a case involving whether the prisoners classified as enemy combatants and held at Guantanamo Bay are entitled to challenge their detention in U.S. courts. The prisoners have been held for six years.
• Mitt Romney to Address Faith and Public Office
  Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney plans to give a speech on the tradition of religious tolerance in America. He's expected to talk about how his Mormon faith would inform his presidency if he's elected. Polls show rival Mike Huckabee pulling ahead of Romney in Iowa.

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