Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• 27 flu-related deaths prompt state to redefine outbreak
  A big surge in flu cases and deaths has redefined how health officials are describing the current flu outbreak. The Minnesota Department of Health is now declaring that Minnesota is in the midst of a severe flu season.6:49 a.m.
• Unusual weather in January
  Jan. 10 brought record warmth to some northern communities. MPR's Cathy Wurzer spoke with with University of Minnesota Climatologist Mark Seeley about the warming trend.6:55 a.m.
• What doctors do to prevent suicides
  A memorial service will be held in Duluth today to honor the life of an acclaimed journalist who had a wonderfully graceful way of telling a story. Sadly, Larry Oakes's own story ended last week in the woods near Hawk Ridge in Duluth. Larry Oakes was a longtime award-winning reporter for the Star Tribune who recently took his own life. Dr. Katharine Nelson, Program Director for the University of Minnesota Psychiatry Residency Program talks about what family members and medical professional can do to try and prevent a suicide.7:24 a.m.
• Study: Open enrollment increasing racial segregation in Twin Cities schools
  The state's open enrollment policy is increasing racial segregation in Twin Cities-metro area school districts, says a report out Friday from the University of Minnesota.7:35 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Senators Exert Power During Confirmation Process
  President Obama's second-term Cabinet is beginning to take shape — that is, if the Senate confirms his nominees. It only takes one senator to put the brakes on a nomination, or at least to slow it down.
• Ex-Ambassador Crocker Supports Hagel's Nomination
  Many Republicans have criticized President Obama's nomination of Chuck Hagel as Defense Secretary. Some Democrats are uneasy about their president's pick as well. But former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq and Afghanistan Ryan Crocker tells Steve Inskeep that Hagel is the right man for the job.
• Consumer Electronic Show Highlights Home Technology
  As more devices connect to the Internet, more companies are flocking to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Dozens of them are hoping to bring all the appliances in your home online.
• This Butter Sculpture Could Power A Farm For 3 Days
  The biggest attraction at the annual Farm Show in Harrisburg, Pa., is always a giant, 1,000-pound sculpture crafted from butter. Once this year's show wraps up, all that beautiful butter will go right into a manure pit to become methane gas.
• Major League Baseball Enacts Anti-Doping Policies
  The new policies are being hailed as unprecedented in American professional sports. Starting next year, the league will be fighting the use of human growth hormone and testosterone, two allegedly popular banned substances.
• U.N. Holds Emergency Meeting On Mali Crisis
  In the west African nation of Mali, Islamist forces who took control of the north of the country, are now pushing south. They are threatening the government's control of what was once one of Africa's more stable democracies.
• Black Market Pharmacies And The Big Business Of Spam
  An apparent feud between two black market pharmacies sheds light on a shady global industry.
• Ford To Hire 2,200 White Collar Workers In U.S.
  The jobs will center on product development, manufacturing and IT. This continues an upswing in hiring at Ford that added more than 8,000 U.S. jobs last year.
• AmEx Travel Section Bears The Brunt Of Layoffs
  American Express has announced plans to eliminate 5,400 jobs in the coming year. Expenses rose faster than revenue for the credit card giant and fourth quarter profits were down sharply. The company said the largest reductions would come in the global travel business.
• Spain's Banks Face Layoffs, New Regulations
  A major overhaul of Spain's banking system is in full swing. Felled by the housing crunch, Spanish banks are getting billions in rescue loans from Europe, but they'll have to lay off about 55,000 workers in exchange.

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