Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Lean Health brings manufacturing efficiency to health care
  Concepts used to make assembly lines more efficient are now being used by some Minnesota hospitals to improve efficiency and patient care.6:20 a.m.
• State may loosen mandates to help communities save
  Minnesota cities, counties and school districts could be getting a holiday next year from some state-imposed spending requirements.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.
• Economic stimulus could lift up some minorities
  A veteran organizer and educator sees opportunity for minorities in forthcoming economic stimulus package.7:35 a.m.
• Local retailers fare well compared to chains
  Most retailers were not expecting a jolly holiday shopping season as the recession continues. Throughout the season, we have been checking in with three Minnesota retailers. For an early look at how they did, we have called them again.7:40 a.m.
• Future Tense with Jon Gordon
  Five tech predictions for 2009.8:20 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• FDA Reverses Cephalosporin Ban
  The Food and Drug Administration had planned to ban the use of a popular antibiotic from use in animal feed. At the last minute, the agency pulled back. Cephalosporin is one of the most important drugs for treating infectious diseases in humans.
• After 8 Years Of Bush-Bashing, What's Next?
  The Bush administration is winding down its term and will say goodbye to the White House next month. Morning Edition is talking with foreign analysts about how the U.S. looks from abroad as the Obama administration prepares to take power. Nicole Bacharan is a political scientist in Paris specializing in French-American relations. She says Europe is reconsidering how it feels about Washington.
• Gaza Crisis Likely Punted To Obama White House
  The Bush administration has blamed the renewed violence in the Gaza Strip on Hamas. The White House says Hama broke a cease-fire by firing rockets into Israeli territory. Shibley Telhami, a professor at the University of Maryland and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, says the incoming Obama administration must work on an Israel-Palestinian peace plan as soon as it takes office.
• 2008 Tech Pick: Campaign Text Messaging
  Even with the financial meltdown, technology companies have continued churning out gadgets or new advances of the devices we carry in our pockets, purses, or clip on our ears. Morning Edition tech guru Mario Armstrong selected one innovation as our technology pick of the year. He explains his decision to Renee Montagne.
• Post-Holiday Sales Won't Fix Spending Doldrums
  Retailers offered deep discounts over the weekend, trying to make up for the lackluster holiday shopping season. A spokesman for the National Retail Federation says the weekend after Christmas is becoming just as critical for the industry as Black Friday. That's the traditional start of the holiday shopping season on the day after Thanksgiving.
• 2008 Shaping Up To Be A Bleak Trading Year
  The year just ending is expected to show one of the biggest-ever stock market falls. With only three trading days left, the S&P 500 is down 41 percent. Economic reports this week are expected to bring more bleak news.
• Mercedes To Introduce Attention Assist To E-Class
  Drowsy drivers are blamed for 100,000 car wrecks in the U.S. each year. Mercedes-Benz will offer one possible solution next year: Attention Assist, a drowsy-driver detection system. It monitors the driver's speed, steering wheel movements and braking for signs of exhaustion.
• The Best African Music Of 2008
  This has been a strong year for African music, with two big trends emerging: the continuing integration of African music into the U.S. and European mainstream, as well as the ongoing unearthing of treasures from Afropop's "golden era," particularly the '70s.
• President Of Somalia Announces Resignation
  Somalia's president resigned Monday as the head of his country's U.N.-backed government after four years. The speaker of parliament will stand in as acting president until elections.
• Detroit Lions: Worst NFL Team Ever?
  The Detroit Lions have become the first NFL team to finish the regular season with zero wins and 16 losses. The Lions' season ended Sunday with a 31-21 loss to the Packers in Green Bay, Wis.
• Josef Stalin Named Among Great Russians
  In Russia, a State TV contest to name the greatest Russians in history ended Sunday with more than 50 million votes cast. First place went to a medieval prince who fended off German invaders. Second place went to a prime minister who fended off revolutionaries. And, despite gulags, famines and purges that killed millions, Soviet dictator Josef Stalin came in third.
• Israel Presses On With Gaza Offensive
  Israel conducted a third day of intense bombing against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip Monday. More than 300 Palestinians have been killed in the air raids. Since the attacks began Saturday, Israel says it has limited Hamas' ability to launch rocket attacks into southern Israel. Several hundred Israeli reservists have been called up.
• Egypt Won't Permanently Open Border With Gaza
  Israeli warplanes pounded the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip for a third consecutive day Monday. The Jewish state is prepared to launch a possible invasion after killing more than 300 Palestinians in air raids. Tension along the border between Gaza and Egypt is tense as Gazans try to escape the chaos. Hamas wants the border open permanently — Egypt refuses.
• Airstrikes Worsen Gaza's Humanitarian Situation
  The U.N. Relief and Works Agency is the main provider of basic services for Palestinian refugees in Gaza. Spokesperson Christopher Gunness says there have been a lot of civilian casualties, and hospitals are stretched to their breaking points. He also expects the situation to get worse as the bombing raids continue.
• Coal Ash Cleanup Is 24-7 In Tenn. Neighborhood
  In Kingston, Tenn., around-the-clock cleanup operations continue at the site of a major spill of coal ash. The ash sludge broke through an earthen dam at the Tennessee Valley Authority's coal burning power plant last week. Ash now covers some 300 acres, including a river and a small lake.

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