Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Highlights from pop music in 2010
  David Campbell, host of The Local Show on The Current, talks about highlights of the year in pop music.6:20 a.m.
• 2010 was a wild weather year
  Meteorologist Mark Seeley looks back on a record-setting year for weather in our region and looks ahead to more nasty weather on the way.6:50 a.m.
• New state budget commissioner faces big challenge
  Gov. Mark Dayton's pick to be commissioner of Management and Budget, Jim Schowalter, faces a massive challenge. He will have just six weeks to come up with a plan to solve the projected $6.2 billion deficit in Minnesota's next two-year state budget. MPR's Cathy Wurzer talked with Schowalter about his new job.7:20 a.m.
• Job market improved, but still pain behind the numbers
  Manufacturing, which had been hammered in the recession, added nearly 13,000 jobs so far this year-- almost as many as 12-31-2010 03:00:007:25 a.m.
• Highway closed after massive accident
  A chain reaction car crash near Fargo yesterday has made national news. Dozens and dozens of cars plowed into one another on Interstate 94 outside of Fargo. The freeway is closed between Jamestown, N.D. and Alexandria, Minn. because of bad road conditions and abandoned vehicles. Jim Thorson, the Chief Deputy Sheriff of Cass County, N.D., talked to MPR's Cathy Wurzer about the situation.8:40 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Decade In Sound: Voices In The News 2000-2010
  Remember Y2K? That's beginning to seem like a long time ago, now. Morning Edition takes some time to remember how much has happened since the turn of the century. Listen for a decade of history in this audio montage.
• John Ridley's Top 7 'Nontroversies' Of 2010
  They consumed our Facebook and Twitter streams! Hijacked our RSS feeds and blog readers! Loopty-looped on all the cable news channels! But it turns out, they were much ado about nothing.
• Princess Revives Swati Culture One Stitch At A Time
  In northwest Pakistan's war-torn Swat Valley, a member of the former royal family is creating jobs and dignity for widows on both sides of the conflict. A princess has founded a vocational center to teach women how to make traditional textiles -- and earn a living.
• College Bowl Games Mix Nailbiters With Oddities
  College football bowl season is in full swing, as schools will play 35 games in 24 days, culminating in the national championship game on Jan. 10. There have already been some tight games, and some odd moments — like the runaway falcon.
• Kidnappings Highlight Al-Qaida's Rise In The Sahara
  How to counter and curb growing Islamist militancy and banditry in the Sahel — the vast, poorly policed zone that straddles the African nations of Niger, Mali, Mauritania and Algeria — is a priority for governments in West Africa, Washington and beyond.
• The Year In Music: Indie Classical Blossoms On Small Labels
  Blurring the borders separating classical, rock, jazz and more, an assortment of young, smart musicians feels equally at home playing in trendy nightclubs or swanky concert halls.
• Former Car Czar Settles New York Probe
  Steven Rattner, a banker who advised the Obama administration on the auto bailout, will pay a $10 million penalty as a way to settle allegations by New York authorities. Rattner had been accused of trading favors for business with the state's pension fund.
• Record Snow Boosts Ski Resorts' Holiday Season
  Snow is piling up in record amounts in the western part of the U.S. That's good news for the snow-dependent ski industry, which like most travel and tourism industries, has limped its way through the economic downturn. The Christmas-New Year's holiday is the make or break time for most ski resorts and hotels.
• Local Liquor: Small Distilleries Find Their Niche
  Craft distillers are catering to drinkers who have a taste for the regional and the unique. They're still just a fraction of the market, but more small-batch spirits are showing up on liquor-store shelves, next to pints of Jack Daniel's and Everclear.
• Calif. To Ban Sale Of 100-Watt Incandescent Bulbs
  The 100-watt incandescent light bulb will no longer be available for sale in California starting Saturday. The state is implementing new federal energy efficiency standards a year before other states.

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