Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Warm weather in December
  Cathy Wurzer talks with University of Minnesota climatologist Mark Seeley about the unusually warm temperatures for this time of year.6:55 a.m.
• DNR stuggles to place showcase ATV trail
  The Minnesota DNR is scrambling to find a place to put a showcase 70-mile ATV trail. Four counties are vying to host the trail. But public opposition continues to crop up.7:20 a.m.
• Final days at the Ford plant
  As the Ford plant prepares for a permanent shut-down in 2008, half of the workforce leaves the plant today. One worker has some final parting words about his time at Ford.7:25 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• My Mother's Story: Dot the Welder
  The legend of "Rosie the Riveter" has inspired romantic ideas about American women doing their patriotic duty in wartime. But for Dorothy Kelley, those motives were combined with more personal concerns. Recently divorced, she was raising four children on her own.
• When It Comes to the Spacewalk, Size Matters
  This weekend, Sunita Williams is set to become one of the few women to ever walk in space. That's because NASA's million-dollar spacesuits only come in medium, large, and most recently, extra-large.
• Dream World to Cosmopolis: Authors' Shanghai
  Shanghai is changing at breakneck speed. That transformation, along with the hope, fear, greed and nostalgia that it engenders, is the stuff of novels. Three authors talk about the inspiration that China's most exciting city provides them.
• Great American Writers and Their Cocktails
  Famous writers and their drinks are inseparable, despite the price some paid for the vice. Hemingway & Bailey's Bartending Guide delves into the drinking habits of America's top writers to reveal their favorite cocktails. Steve Inskeep talks with author Mark Bailey and illustrator Edward Hemingway, the great writer's grandson.
• The Amazing Ears of the Late Ahmet Ertegun
  A music industry pioneer has died. Ahmet Ertegun, the founder of Atlantic Records, died Wednesday. He was 83 years old.
• Untangling the Many Threads of the Litvinenko Case
  The investigation continues into the London poisoning of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko. The investigation has turned up a complex web of stories generated by witness accounts.
• Threat of War Looms in Somalia
  Leaders of Somalia's Islamist movement are threatening to attack Ethiopian troops who are in the country backing the interim government. Meanwhile, a U.S. diplomat says al-Qaida is gaining a stronghold in Mogadishu, the capital city of Somalia.
• SEC Requires Clear Disclosure of Executive Pay
  Many companies have become experts at disclosing executive pay as obliquely as possible. Now the Securities and Exchange Commission is requiring them to clearly explain their compensation practices in plain English.
• Lower Your Tax Bill Before It's Too Late
  With tax season approaching, many are wondering if there is still time to do anything to lower their tax bill. The short answer is: yes.
• Automakers Celebrate Decision to End Steel Tariffs
  U.S. and foreign carmakers are celebrating a decision to end most tariffs on imports of high-grade steel. Many steel producers argued that ending the tariffs would turn the U.S. into a dumping ground for foreign steel sold at below-market prices. Automakers say the tariffs cost the industry an additional $3 billion in recent years.
• Sen. Sununu on the U.S. Policy in Iraq
  Sen. John Sununu (R-NH) says he largely agrees with the conclusions of the the Iraq Study Group. Sununu's opinion is worth noting because he sits on the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, which includes oversight of Iraq policy in its brief.
• 'Dreamgirls' Is a Triumph of Old School Glamour
  Based loosely on the career of Diana Ross and the Supremes, Dreamgirls is alive with the sound of music. It's a love song two times over, a tribute to both a vibrant period of American popular music and the big-budget Hollywood musical.
• Study Notes 2003 Drop in Breast Cancer Cases
  The number of breast cancer cases dropped by seven percent in 2003, according to newly released figures, meaning about 14,000 fewer women were diagnosed with the disease than in 2002.
• Iraq War Seen as Rumsfeld's Pentagon Legacy
  Donald Rumsfeld's long tenure as secretary of defense comes to an end Friday. How will history judge him? Observers today expect that Rumsfeld's legacy will always be seen as the Iraq war.
• Large U.S. Congressional Delegation Visits Cuba
  The largest U.S. congressional delegation to visit Cuba since the revolution arrives for meetings with top Cuban officials. To Cubans this signals a possible opening in relations.

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