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

• 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.
• Iraq's Sadr City Not Helped by U.S. Troop Surge
  The U.S. military surge in Baghdad has largely skipped over the neighborhood of Sadr City, home to 2.3 million Shiites loyal to anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. The U.S. and Iraqi forces have made some improvements across the rest of the capital.
• 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.
• Letter to Kansas Resident Arrives 93 Years Late
  Ethel Martin's cousins addressed the card to her in Oberlin, Kan., in December of 1914. But the card from Alma, Neb., just showed up in the Oberlin Post Office. Since Martin has passed on, the post office sent it to her sister-in-law. It shows Santa holding up a little girl. It has a one-cent stamp.
• Canada Ends Campaign to Write Santa
  Canada's postal service is blaming the actions of a single "rogue elf" for its decision to shut down its popular "Write to Santa" program in Canada's capital city. This year, someone sent inappropriate responses to at least 10 Ottawa children. Police haven't identified the culprit yet.
• Nashville's WSM Chronicled in 'Air Castle'
  When radio ruled the airwaves, Nashville station WSM was a broadcasting powerhouse. Started in 1925, it became a cultural force that shaped the future of Nashville, largely because of its signature program, The Grand Ole Opry.
• Iraqis See U.S. Contractors, Troops the Same
  A tape of a September shootout in Baghdad involving Blackwater USA leaves Iraqis unable to distinguish between U.S. military personnel and private security contractors. The Blackwater shootout left 17 Iraqis dead.
• Baseball's COO DuPuy Discusses Mitchell Report
  New York Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte admits using human growth hormone in 2002 — not banned by baseball until 2005. The Baltimore Orioles became the first team to publicly criticize the report. How will the league and players' union deal with issues detailed in the report?
• Forecasting Difficult for Presidential Nominee
  With Iowa's caucuses and New Hampshire's primaries less than three weeks away, it is still too tough to call who will emerge as nominee for each party. John McCain could benefit from the Mike Huckabee-Mitt Romney fight. John Edwards may benefit from Hillary Clinton-Barack Obama fight.
• Clinton, McCain Backed by 'Des Moines Register'
  Iowa's largest newspaper endorses Republican John McCain and Democrat Hillary Clinton. The Des Moines Register's backing comes as Clinton remains in a tight race with Barack Obama and John Edwards. McCain is running well behind GOP candidates.
• Internet Vanity Becoming Common
  A new report shows 47 percent of adult Internet users have Googled themselves. It shows people are comfortable posting personal information on the Web, and that it is easier for others — employees to identity thieves — to find information. Only 3 percent of all self-Googlers do it regularly.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

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