Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Economy emerges as key election issue
  With the Iowa caucuses less than three weeks away, economic issues have moved to the top of the list of voter concerns.6:41 a.m.
• Digital divide still an issue in Minnesota
  A new report by the University of Minnesota's Institute on Race and Poverty shows that while the digital divide remains a problem in Minnesota, community technology centers can help bridge the gap.7:21 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Worries About Water as Chinese Glacier Retreats
  The Mingyong glacier, China's lowest, is retreating at a rate that astonishes scientists. The glacier helps feed rivers that deliver water to hundreds of millions of people — and no one knows what will happen as it continues to melt.
• U.S. Wants NATO to Step Up in Afghanistan
  Suicide and roadside bombings have increased in Afghanistan, making this the most violent year since 2001. Some NATO countries' commitment to the Afghan mission appears to be wavering, and the U.S. is urging NATO allies to do more.
• Turkey Bombs Rebel Kurds' Hideouts
  Dozens of Turkish planes were bombing mountain hideouts of the rebel Kurdish organization, the PKK, over the weekend. The attack, 60 miles inside Iraq, lasted for three hours. This appears to be the most intense cross-border attack launched by the Turks since the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003.
• Parents Force Charter Takeover of L.A. High School
  Locke High School is, by all accounts, among the worst high schools in Los Angeles. It's crowded and on the brink of an academic meltdown. Earlier this year, parents and half of the school's faculty revolted, forcing the school district to turn over Locke High to a private group.
• Net Game Boosts Vocabulary, Fights Hunger
  A computer programmer in Indiana develops FreeRice.com, a game that teaches vocabulary and helps fight hunger. The word game offers four definitions for a word, and clicking on the right definition leads to a donation of 20 grains of rice to the U.N. World Food Programme.
• Congress Presents $500 Billion Spending Bill
  Lawmakers unveil a $500 billion-plus catchall spending bill, reluctantly sticking within President Bush's budget but still protecting politically sensitive domestic programs from White House cuts. Eleven overdue spending bills will be rolled into one.
• Mexico's Drug-Related Murders Rise
  In his first year as Mexico's president, Felipe Calderon takes aim at drug cartels, deploying thousands of soldiers and police to battle narco-traffickers. Although violence is dropping, drug-related murders for the year are at an all-time high. And those on the front lines say more needs to be done.
• Rising Food Costs Threatens Inflation
  As consumers digest higher energy prices, it looks like rising food costs will also cut into household budgets. Grain prices are soaring. Wheat prices have jumped to an all-time high of more than $10 a bushel. Corn and rice prices are up, and soybeans are the highest in more than three decades.
• Mac Computers Increasingly Targeted by Hackers
  A report from a computer security firm shows hackers are increasingly targeting Macintosh computers. It's an unhappy change for Apple, since the Mac has long been touted as more secure than Windows PCs.
• Green Jobs Seek Entry-Level Workers
  Green companies are sprouting. There are some 200 new businesses for solar-panel installation, home weatherization, and electronic recycling. The sector is growing so fast, there's a critical shortage of entry-level workers. And that's opening doors for unemployed young people.

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