Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• North Minneapolis mentor is a "mother on a mission"
  With pay or without, one determined woman is intent on seeing the young people around her succeed.6:25 a.m.
• Winter snow?
  Cathy Wurzer talks with University of Minnesota climatologist Mark Seeley about this dry December and the possibility of a little more snow.6:55 a.m.
• Is donor fatigue hitting Minnesota charities?
  At least one Minnesota charity executive wonders if people may be tapped out.7:20 a.m.
• Workers with criminal backgrounds encouraged to apply for city jobs
  The Minneapolis City Council today is scheduled to vote on a resolution that aims to encourage more people with criminal records to apply for city jobs.7:25 a.m.
• Holding on to ephemera
  Authors and collectors Moira and Leo Harris talk about why it's worthwhile to save ephemera.7:40 a.m.
• Powering the holidays
  We're all familiar with the benefits of Christmas lights: holiday cheer, and friendly neighborhood competition. But there's another side of the equation: the cost of our holiday lighting obsession.7:45 a.m.
• Holiday messages from the faith community
  What leaders in the faith community are saying to their congregations this year.7:55 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Judd Apatow: Favorite and Forgotten DVDs
  Judd Apatow, the man behind The Forty-Year-Old Virgin, shares five of his favorite DVDs and tells why it took so long to get the DVD released for his cult-hit TV show, Freaks and Geeks.
• Crumpet the Elf Reprise: 2006
  Crumpet the Elf is back. Actually, it's writer David Sedaris, reminding us what it was like to work as a Macy's elf. We first learned about Sedaris' un-merry Christmas 14 years ago when he read from his Santaland Diaries. Crumpet is back for an encore.
• Changes to WIC Program Upset the Dairy Industry
  The federal government is seeking changes in the popular WIC program that provides nutritional food for poor women and children. But the dairy industry sees problems with the plan.
• Australia's Birdsville Hotel for Sale
  A 122-year-old pub in the Australian outback is on the block. Bids are in for the landmark Birdsville Hotel. It's located in Birdsville, population 100. But it's a draw for people from all over.
• Transfer Charitable Donations Directly from IRAs
  Until the end of the year, some Americans can take advantage of a law that lets them donate money directly from their IRA without paying any tax on it. It's a pilot program, but an idea that's been around for years.
• Fractional Giving of Art Threatened by New Rules
  Fractional giving allows people to donate a painting, or other work of art, a little bit at a time, providing a tax benefit over many years. But new rules are putting limits on the practice. Museums say it could have a chilling effect on art donations.
• Marines Charged with Murder in Haditha Killings
  Four Marines are being accused of murder in the deaths of 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha last year. And four Marine officers are being charged with dereliction of duty for failing to report or properly investigate the killings.
• Judge Blocks Los Angeles Mayor from School Control
  A struggle for control of the Los Angeles public school system took a fresh turn Thursday when a judge ruled against Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's move to lead the schools. The judge said Villaraiagosa can not take partial control of the school district. The school board had sought to block the mayor.
• A Perfect Christmas in the Desert
  My son's first Christmas was not spent in the snow. There were no trees. There was hardly anything living but the cactus which bristled up through black, wind-sharpened rock. We were a small group of travelers in the Gran Desierto of northern Mexico.
• Mixed-Faith Families Celebrate the Holidays
  The Christmas Tree or the Menorah? Or both? For about 2.5 million families of mixed-faith marriages, the holidays are about respecting each others' traditions and balancing the needs of their faiths.
• California Fault Found to be Extra Slippery
  The same stuff that makes baby powder silky soft may also be making one of the most dangerous faults on earth extra slippery. Scientists say they have found talc, as in talcum powder, inside the mighty San Andreas fault, which cuts through California.
• Turkmenistan Rudderless After President's Death
  The death of Turkmenistan President Saparmurat Niyazov, also known as Turkmenbashi, or "Father of all Turkmen," leaves a power vacuum in an energy rich nation built around a cult of personality. Niyazov died at age 66, after more than two decades in power.
• Russia's Putin Makes Trip to Neighboring Ukraine
  Russian President Vladimir Putin makes his first visit to Ukraine in nearly two years. It's a sign that relations are warming between the two countries. Just last year Moscow shut off natural gas supplies to Ukraine during a bitter winter cold spell.
• Denver Airport Is Home to Stranded Travelers
  Travelers at Denver International Airport have been forced to make themselves at home in the airport after a snow storm shut it down, canceling nearly 2,000 flights.
• Militias in Sudan Threaten Aid Workers
  Caroline Nursey, based in Sudan with the charity Oxfam, says the new trend among the rogue militias in Darfur is to attack aid workers.

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