Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• No loafing for this Minneapolis baker
  Solveig Tofte, the head baker at Turtle Bread Company in Minneapolis, is training for the "Olympics of Baking."6:45 a.m.
• Non-profits may lose property tax exemption
  Leaders in Minnesota's non-profit community are strategizing over how to respond to a decision by the state's top court. The Minnesota Supreme Court recently issued a ruling that could jeopardize the property tax exemption for non-profits in the state.7:20 a.m.
• The Christmas tree debate: Real or fake?
  Did you think of the ecological consequences of your Christmas tree? Minnesota Public Radio did some homework on whether real or artificial trees are better for the environment.7:25 a.m.
• Local donors help replace stolen Christmas gifts
  Many people are donating toys to a Maplewood, Minn., man after a thief stole a truckload of toys meant for needy children.7:50 a.m.
• Gift suggestions for art lovers
  With less than a week until Christmas, shoppers are entering the final sprint. Instead of a sweater or scarf, how about giving a little culture this holiday season? Arts commentator Dominic Papatola has a few suggestions.8:25 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• 'Generation Next' in the Slow Lane to Adulthood
  Recent studies find that Generation Next, those people age 18 to 25, are taking their time growing up compared with that age group in past decades. Psychologists are calling it "emerging adulthood," and say cultural changes in the past five decades have created a lengthened path to independence.
• Bush Lukewarm to Congressional Progress
  President Bush issues praise and condemnation for Congress during a year-end press conference. The legislature's adoption of war-spending bills and a freeze on the alternate minimum tax is met with cheer while he sharply criticizes some of their other work.
• U.N. Security Council Deadlocked over Kosovo
  The future of Kosovo again tops the agenda of the United Nations Security Council. The U.N. has been running the region ever since NATO helped end a Serb crackdown on ethnic Albanians there eight years ago. But Kosovo's Albanians are planning to declare independence, a move resisted by Serbia.
• EPA Refuses California's Stricter Limits on Emissions
  In a setback for California's efforts to cut greenhouse gases, the Environmental Protection Agency says the state cannot set its own limit for lower tailpipe emissions. California and 17 other states want to cut greenhouse gas emissions from cars, trucks and SUVs below federal levels.
• Pakistan Highway a Surprise Obsession
  Pakistan's M2 highway, as wide and clean as a freshly minted air strip, has become an unexpected obsession. It has six lanes that carve a path across the plains of the Punjab, from the city of Lahore to the capitol Islamabad and beyond. The M2 is South Asia's first motorway.
• Thompson Accelerates Pitch to Iowa Voters
  Two weeks before the Iowa caucuses, Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson is still introducing himself to voters. The former senator from Tennessee is following a more traditional political path — a bus tour across the rural sections of Iowa.
• John Edwards Appeals to New Hampshire Voters
  Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards tours New Hampshire with blues singers Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Browne at his side. The former senator from North Carolina has been spreading his message of "America Rising" as he tries to catch up in the polls with party rivals.
• General Mills Anticipates Higher Prices
  Food packaging giant General Mills says it expects higher food and energy costs in the coming year. The maker of Cheerios, Yoplait and Pillsbury says higher prices for basic ingredients like corn and wheat means reducing discounts to customers.
• Farmers Scramble to Profit from Wheat Shortage
  The price of wheat has doubled because of a global wheat shortage and strong demand. While consumers and food makers swallow the higher food prices, farmers are starting to plant wheat in hopes of cashing in on the shortage.
• Frustration Marks Year of Democratic Rule
  Lawmakers end the year with a few major accomplishments such as the energy bill and some failures such as immigration. Democrats, who took the reins in the House and Senate in January, acknowledge feeling frustrated by a Republican Senate minority that set a new record for filibusters.
• Flight Caps Set for New York Area Airports
  The Bush administration introduces a plan to reduce delays at airports across the country, starting in March. Fewer flights will be allowed in and out of New York's airports at the busiest times. John F. Kennedy airport will only be allowed 82 or 83 flights per hour at the peak times.
• Utah Woman's Name Brings Cheer
  Some hope for a Merry Christmas each Dec. 25, but a Utah man wakes up to one every morning. Paul Christmas recently got married and his new wife's name is — you guessed it — Mary Christmas. She says the name makes people happy.
• North Dakota Bank Gives Money Away
  A bank in North Dakota is being celebrated for how it gave money away. Fargo's State Bank and Trust opened its holiday party announcing that each of its 500 employees would receive $1,000, and that they are to keep on giving to any charity or family as long as it went to people who are in need.
• Tax Hike to Help Environment a Hard Sell
  A so-called carbon tax would put a price on any carbon released into the atmosphere. But even for the greenest voters, a tax increase that would help the environment is likely to be a hard sell.
• Immigration Debate Heats Up in Phoenix
  A street corner in Phoenix becomes the latest hotspot for dramatic confrontation over the nation's immigration issue. Immigration rights activists and anti-immigration forces have competing protests over immigration laws.

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