Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Minnesota farmer is attached to his yak
  A central Minnesota farmer has a steady niche business with yak. John Hooper of Cold Spring has the largest herd of the long-haired bovine in the eastern half of the country.6:20 a.m.
• U.S. Senate could play a role if recount drags on
  The State Canvassing Board has finished most of its work, but Minnesota still doesn't know who its next U.S. senator will be. The final result depends on a number of factors, including improperly rejected absentee ballots and ballots the campaigns initially challenged and then allowed to stand. It's possible that work won't be done before the Senate reconvenes.7:20 a.m.
• Markets with Chris Farrell
  Minnesota Public Radio's chief economics correspondent Chris Farrell discusses the latest in the financial markets.7:25 a.m.
• Seats are scarce on Amtrak's Empire Builder
  Amtrak's fleet has not grown in recent years, to match the demand for passenger rail seats.7:35 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Abuse Victims Seek Court Date With Vatican
  Michael Turner, one of about 90 boys abused by Father Louis Miller, a priest in the Archdiocese of Louisville in the 1960s, is hoping to bring his case to trial — against The Vatican. If successful, it could be the first case against the Holy See, which normally enjoys sovereign immunity.
• Days Of Easy Growth Over, A Business Adapts
  It's understandable that landscaper Christy Webber's partner would call her the Golden Goose. After all, she often sees opportunities before anyone else. Her biggest work project was on Chicago's Millennium Park. But now, her task is to realign her business so it can survive a slowdown.
• Rift Divides Somalia's Top Leaders
  The U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African affairs is expected to meet in Nairobi, Kenya, Monday with top leaders of Somalia's transitional government. Somalia's capital is under siege from an Islamist insurgency. The meeting will likely be tense because the president fired the prime minister but the prime minister says he isn't going anywhere.
• Oatmeal Is Hot In Chilly Economy
  The competition for oatmeal is heating up. Starbucks recently put oatmeal on its menu. And it's been one of the company's fastest selling new food items ever. Now the smoothie chain Jamba Juice will offer slow-cooked, organic oatmeal at its 750 stores starting in January. The raw ingredients are so inexpensive that oatmeal provides some very comforting profit margins in this chilly economy.
• Toyota Expects To Barely Break Even
  Toyota says its earnings for the next fiscal year could be down more than expected. The company expects it will barely break even for the year through March. The car maker also expects to post an operating loss for the first time in nearly 70 years. Like all Japanese automakers, Toyota faces plunging auto sales in North America and Europe and a surge in the value of the yen. Still, Toyota is on track to finish this year as the best-selling brand in the U.S. — for the first time.
• U.S. Won't Support Zimbabwe's President Mugabe
  In a significant policy change, the U.S. has concluded there can be no power-sharing government as long as Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe is in power. A State Department official spent days meeting with regional leaders in an attempt to get them to get tougher on the 84-year-old leader.
• Missing Diamond Found In Vacuum-Cleaner Bag
  The American Museum of Natural History in New York acquired a new gem rather accidentally. In a vacuum cleaner bag. The $15,000 diamond fell out of a ring when a museum visitor had a sleepover during a "Night at the Museum." Custodians rummaged through four vacuum bags to find the missing gem. The owner says it shows a diamond really is forever, "because it came back to me."
• Info Hard To Come By On Polluted Russian Province
  The remote Chelyabinsk region is one of the most polluted in the world. It was there that Josef Stalin ordered scientists to develop the Soviet Union's first atomic weapon. They dumped huge quantities of poisonous radioactive waste into the water system. In the 1990s, scientists and environmentalists began to explore the legacy of that nuclear program.
• Pirates, Byproduct Of Somalia's Internal Conflict
  A spike in piracy off the horn of Africa has focused the international spotlight on Somalia. While the world's most powerful navies try to protect ships from pirates, aid groups say more needs to be done inside Somalia. But so far there seems to be little appetite for or at least a few good ideas on how to resolve an internal conflict that has ravaged the country.
• Job Recruiting Slows On College Campuses
  Because of the economic downturn, this year may be one of the hardest for graduating seniors trying to find jobs in their field. Many big employers have suspended their recruiting efforts on college campuses. Some recent graduates have already been laid off and are returning to their campus career centers for additional placement help.
• To Make Sense, Put Numbers Into Context
  It's been a big year for numbers in 2008. Take the $700 billion bailout for example. Economist Andrew Dilnot and journalist Michael Blastland try to make sense of numbers in their new book, The Numbers Game: The Commonsense Guide to Understanding Numbers in the News, in Politics, and in Life. They say the secret is to put numbers into context.
• President-Elect Obama Goes On Working Vacation
  President-elect Barack Obama has gone to Hawaii for the holidays. Obama leaves Washington with his Cabinet and White House picks in place. It's a transition to executive office that many view as one of the most efficient ever. However, there are some daunting tasks facing Obama when he returns to Washington.
• 46 Latkes Wins Contest For Power Eater
  Hanukkah began Sunday and along with the holiday: A latke eating contest. Latkes are crispy, golden-colored potato pancakes often topped with applesauce and sour cream. Pete Czerwinski ate them with more latkes on top. The young man gorged on 7 pounds of latkes to win the contest in Lake Grove, N.Y. — that's 46 pancakes. He calls himself a "power eater" and says his brain never signals that he's full.
• Will Obama Press To End 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'?
  The military's policy for gays in the armed forces was an awkward compromise in the 1990s. Many say it is now outdated — but will the new president want to take up the same issue that roiled Bill Clinton's White House debut?
• Survey Reports Scientists 'Suspicious' Of FBI
  The agency may need an image makeover if it wants the expertise and cooperation of the nation's top researchers. According to the report, members of the scientific community would rather discuss their work with total strangers than an FBI agent.

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