Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Those not-so-flexible spending accounts
  Few people use health care FSAs, failing to understand the tax breaks and fearing they'll forfeit unused money.6:25 a.m.
• Minnesota, land of 'Amber Waters'
  The colorful evolution of beermaking in Minnesota is documented in a new book published by the University of Minnesota Press. "Land of Amber Waters: The History of Brewing in Minnesota" follows the changing industry as it goes from local to regional to national, and back again.6:50 a.m.
• Orchestral fans take a swing at conducting a virtual orchestra
  While such video games as Guitar Hero and Rock Band offer the chance for players to act out rock star fantasies, an installation at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis gives classical music fans the opportunity to try out their dreams of conducting a symphony orchestra.7:50 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Fire Breaks Out at Vice President Cheney's Office
  Thick smoke billows from the Executive Office Building after an apparent electrical fire breaks out. The building is the ceremonial office of Vice President Dick Cheney. The vice president was across the street in his West Wing office when the fire was discovered.
• Senate Panel Weighs Truck-Driver Safety Rules
  A Senate panel is due to hear the hotly contested issue of how many hours truckers can safely drive. The Bush administration lengthened time behind the wheel in 2004. But safety advocates sued, saying tired truckers are putting themselves and everyone else on the road at risk.
• Romney Runs Negative Ads Against Huckabee
  Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney tries to regain his momentum by running negative ads against rival Mike Huckabee. Political junkies have been waiting to see whether Huckabee would retaliate.
• U.N. Resources Scant to Protect Darfur Refugees
  The U.N. is supposed to start deploying its biggest peacekeeping operation in a couple of weeks to protect millions displaced by war in Darfur, Sudan. But U.N. planners are still short of helicopters and some key units. Activists are growing frustrated with the shortcomings of the international response.
• New Heathrow Terminal to Log Parking
  When the new Terminal Five opens at London's Heathrow Airport it will come with a new parking system. Once you drive into the lot, your car's license plate and where it's parked will be photographed. When you return, put your parking ticket into a kiosk and the map shows with directions.
• Michigan Man Discovers a Coworker is His Mother
  A Michigan man spent years looking for his biological mother. Then he found her right under his nose. Steve Flaig drives a delivery truck for a Lowe's in Grand Rapids. His mother, Chris Tallady works a cash register there. They had known each other as coworkers.
• Pittsburgh Still a Player in Steel Industry
  Pittsburgh is remembered as a big steel town. The steel mills that used to line the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers are gone, as are their tall, belching smokestacks. But the steel industry isn't exactly dead. Pittsburgh is home to 25 percent of America's steel mill suppliers.
• Fed Moves to Fix Mortgage Crisis
  The Federal Reserve proposes regulations to combat predatory lending. The new rules would only affect future mortgages. The plan is already under fire from critics who wanted more aggressive action and charge that the Fed has been slow to address problems in the subprime mortgage market.
• McCain's Presidential Bid Garners Serious Attention
  Republican presidential candidate John McCain is seeing brighter days on the campaign trail. He is focused on New Hampshire, hoping to re-create his 2000 presidential primary win there. His once-highflying campaign foundered in weak fundraising and mismanagement.
• Finland Creates School for Santa's Elves
  A city in Finland's far north has a new job-training center focusing on customer service, storytelling, and wilderness survival. It's an Elf Training Academy — as in Santa's elf. Lapland claims to be the home of the "real" Santa. The school will open at Lapland Vocational College next year.
• Ski Resorts Scramble to Find Workers
  Ski resorts rely on foreign labor, but this winter they're feeling a squeeze. An obscure exemption to the government's foreign-worker program has allowed them to hire extra foreign workers. But the exemption expired, and efforts to renew it have stalled.
• Giuliani's Presidential Prospects Slipping
  While the presidential campaign of John McCain has revived, other GOP presidential contenders have seen their fortunes decline, especially Rudy Giuliani. He leads in most national polls measuring presidential preference among Republicans — but barely. Mike Huckabee is gaining.
• House Expected to Approve War Funding
  The Democratic-controlled House is expected to give final approval to an omnibus spending bill that includes $70 billion for U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, ending a months-long impasse between Congress and the White House.
• Los Angeles Transit to Abandon Honor System
  The Los Angeles subway system doesn't have turnstiles, relying instead on the honor system. But the transit authority is losing money because some riders don't pay, so the system could soon end.
• U.K. Muslims Support Keeping Christ in Christmas
  Muslim leaders join the U.K. Commission for Equality and Human Rights in urging Britons to enjoy Christmas, and not worry about offending non-Christians. The urging comes amid reports of schools cancelling nativity plays in order not to offend Muslims and students of other religions.

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