Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Alleged links to Somalia fighting divide Minnesota community
  Recent claims that young men have left Minnesota to fight in East Africa are deepening divisions in the Twin Cities Somali community.6:20 a.m.
• Census data shows minority increase in small communities
  The U.S. Census Bureau has just released new data on mid-size Minnesota counties. For the first time, the American Community Survey includes information on places as small as 20,000 in population. It's considered the first statistical portrait since the 2000 Census on a wide range of topics, such as demographics, education, income and housing.6:50 a.m.
• Commentator finds holiday cheer hard to embrace
  The holiday season is here, and for some Minnesotans, the magic of the season is just beginning. But for others, like commentator Peter Smith, the joy of the season always seems just a bit harder to appreciate.6:55 a.m.
• Recession isn't pulling the curtain down on holiday shows
  Regional holiday shows are beating back the recession. If ticket sales are any measure, a number of regional holiday shows appear to be selling pretty well.7:20 a.m.
• 3M layoffs include 400 jobs in Twin Cities
  Maplewood-based 3M says layoffs announced recently will include about 400 Twin Cities jobs as the weakening global economy cuts into profits.7:25 a.m.
• A sportswriter's take on the Timberwolves' coaching change
  When the Minnesota Timberwolves face the Utah Jazz tonight at the Target Center, Kevin McHale will be coaching the team. McHale begins his second stint as coach of the Wolves after yesterday's firing of Randy Whitman.8:35 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Dogs Understand Fairness, Get Jealous, Study Finds
  A new study suggests that dogs can feel jealous and become resentful if they think another dog is getting a better deal. If canines spot unfair treatment, they're likely to become less cooperative, researchers found.
• Eighteen-Wheelers And A Health Insurance Crunch
  In Flora, Ill., Huck's convenient store is where lives intersect. Sandy Higgs works the counter there, and she also has a job maintaining big rigs to make ends meet. Neither she nor one of the company's truckers get health insurance from the job — and each faces a looming crisis.
• 'Wall Street Journal' Editor Sizes Up The Competition
  A year after being taken over by Rupert Murdoch, The Wall Street Journal is expanding its coverage — despite the sputtering economy. Robert Thomson, the Journal's managing editor, says his paper "is able to report the world in a way that's far superior to the competition."
• Pakistan Strengthens Response To Mumbai Attacks
  Pakistani troops have raided a militant camp and arrested a suspected mastermind in the deadly attacks last month in Mumbai, India. Is India satisfied with Pakistan's military operations against militants?
• Carter: African Leaders Must Pressure Mugabe
  Former President Jimmy Carter says reports of humanitarian conditions from inside Zimbabwe are "horrifying and even much worse than we had feared." He says conditions might only improve if neighboring African nations pressure Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe to step down.
• Shift In Chinese Labor Force Marks Poor Economy
  The tide of migrant Chinese workers is starting to show a permanent shift toward inland, non-factory jobs as the flagging economy continues to force manufacturing shutdowns. An influx of new, skilled labor combined with dwindling numbers of jobs is forcing laborers to return home.
• Fashion Wholesaler Says Customers Disappeared
  In normal times, Eric Hansen supplies clothing to major retailers. But these days, orders at Moda America, where he serves as senior vice president, have dropped precipitously. Now Hansen is selling directly to consumers at sample sales and trying to hang on.
• Marching Bands Compete For Inauguration Gig
  Washington, D.C., has some of the best marching bands in the nation: Ballou Senior High School and Eastern Senior High School are two, and then there's Howard University's famous "Showtime" Marching Band. They all want to represent the nation's capital for President-elect Barack Obama.
• Rendition Victim's Suit Targets U.S. Officials
  A federal appeals court in New York hears arguments Tuesday over a lawsuit filed by Maher Arar, a Canadian detained at JFK airport in 2002 and deported to Syria, where he was tortured. Arar says his goal is to hold U.S. officials responsible for violating his human rights.
• There ARE Atheists In Foxholes
  One year ago, commentator Benjamin Tupper's National Guard unit was embedded with Afghan troops. Tupper, an atheist, recently learned that one of the young interpreters he worked with was captured, tortured and murdered by the Taliban. Tupper hopes the interpreter's vision of an afterlife is real.

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