Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• UMD Bulldogs success leads to championship game
  The University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs football team will be in Alabama on Saturday to play in the NCAA Division II national championship game. The undefeated Bulldogs will take on Northwest Missouri State University.6:55 a.m.
• Another big Iraq deployment for Minnesota Guard
  More than 1,000 Minnesota National Guard soldiers deploy to Iraq next spring for a year-long mission.7:20 a.m.
• Minneapolis goes to court over new voting style
  The City of Minneapolis goes to court today to defend the constitutionality of instant runoff voting, the system it intends to use in city elections, starting next year.7:25 a.m.
• Lawmakers may eye Legacy amendment to close budget shortfall
  With the state facing a projected $5.2 billion shortfall, lawmakers and others are looking at a variety of solutions to close the deficit. But should money from the Legacy Act -- a constitutional amendment passed by voters this fall -- be part of that solution?8:25 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Booksellers' Picks For Your Holiday Lists
  Small-town America may or may not be the heart of the country, but it sure is at the heart of many of the books suggested by the independent booksellers this year.
• Obama Calls On Blagojevich To Step Down
  President-elect Barack Obama made his most extensive comments yet about the scandal involving the governor of Illinois, speaking at a news conference Thursday. Federal prosecutors say Gov. Rod Blagojevich tried to put a U.S. Senate seat up for sale — the seat that Obama once held.
• Mining For Diamonds In The Canadian Rough
  A surge of diamond mining in northern Canada aims to be a boon for the economy. Running a mining operation in the remote tundra region of the Northwest Territories is costly and challenging, but demand for conflict-free diamonds is high.
• PETA Taking Beliefs To The Grave
  The animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is selling coffins. They are for people, not pets. The wooden boxes carry slogans like "Lifetime PETA Member." The coffins are said to be eco-friendly. They're made of wood, with no nails, screws or animal-based glues. And the more adventurous occupant can be buried with the slogan, "Told You I Wouldn't Be Caught Dead in Fur!"
• Examining Potential Legal Strategy For Blagojevich
  Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has denied any wrongdoing, and his legal team is presumably already at work preparing a defense against the corruption charges. What might the legal strategy look like? Criminal defense lawyer Stanley Brand talks with Steve Inskeep about potential defense strategies in the case.
• FDA Advisory Panel Weighs In On Asthma Drugs
  The Food and Drug Administration has taken on a difficult challenge: determining the safety of medication for severe asthma. Many doctors and professional groups say the drugs are lifesavers. But the agency is considering whether long-acting beta agonists may make asthma worse, or even prove fatal.
• Frugal Icelanders Prepare For The Holidays
  Iceland has been hit by the global financial crisis in a big way. With unemployment surging and the currency collapsing, less expensive traditional staples are coming back into fashion. Frugal Icelanders are avoiding imported beers. They are also buying horse meat, which is half the price of beef. As the country searches for simpler pleasures as the holidays approach, a DVD seller in the capital of Reykjavik reports brisk sales of an uplifting family favorite, The Sound of Music.
• Washington Post Co. Sets Cuts at 'Newsweek'
  Newsweek is the latest news organization planning to cut staff, according to The Wall Street Journal. Aiming to lower costs, the magazine's owner, The Washington Post Co., also may reduce the number of pages in the magazine and shrink its circulation base.
• It's Unclear How Next Ill. Senator Will Get The Job
  Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has been charged with seeking bribes from candidates for the Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama. There could be a special election to fill the vacancy. Legislative leaders plan a special session to strip Blagojevich of his power to pick the new U.S. senator. There are fears that the governor will still try to appoint someone.
• Santa Clawed, May Need Rabies Shots
  Santa Claus encountered some trouble in New Jersey while doing a photo shoot at a PetSmart store. A pet owner asked him to pose with his very large cat, possibly a bobcat. Nobody anticipated that the big cat would be terrified by some nearby dogs. Unless the owner produces a vaccination record, Santa Claus may have to get rabies shots after the cat bit and clawed him. Fortunately, Santa was wearing a thick red suit at the time.
• Mumbai Fallout Could Include Pakistani Government
  Pakistan is under pressure from the U.S. and its neighbor India to show that it's willing to go after militant groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba, which India blames for the Mumbai attacks. Hassan Abbas is a research fellow at Harvard University's Belfer Center Center for Science and International Affairs. He tells Steve Inskeep that a confrontation over the Mumbai attacks would destabilize Pakistan's new democratic government.
• Actors Union Sets January Strike Vote
  The Screen Actors Guild plans to send strike authorization ballots to more than 100,000 union members Jan. 2. Votes will be counted on Jan. 23. That is nearly two weeks after the Golden Globe Awards ceremony, but ahead of the Feb. 22 Academy Awards show, which is the most important date on the Hollywood calendar.
• Revenue Decline Forces Cuts At NPR
  Because of a sharp drop in corporate underwriting, National Public Radio has announced the elimination of 64 filled and 21 unfilled positions as part of cuts throughout the organization. Two shows, News & Notes and Day to Day, were canceled.
• GOP Senators Could Derail House's Auto Bailout
  A proposed bailout of the U.S. auto industry has passed its first test in Congress. The House has approved a bill to give struggling automakers $14 billion in emergency government loans. It was a compromise worked out by Democratic leaders and the Bush White House. A much tougher test awaits in the Senate, where a Republican revolt is under way.
• Ill. Politicians Distance Themselves From Blagojevich
  Just a few days ago, some Illinois politicians were jockeying to fill the Senate seat left vacant by President-elect Barack Obama. But with Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich facing federal corruption charges, those hopefuls are now trying to avoid the taint of the governor's scandal.

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