Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• In 2 downtowns, parking spaces face the chopping block
  Both Minneapolis and St. Paul are making big investments in their downtowns and hope to lure more residents to live there. But at the same time, the cities are taking steps to reduce the amount of parking available downtown. And that's alarmed some downtown residents.6:20 a.m.
• Women in combat: Minnesota National Guard helps pave the way
  The Minnesota National Guard's First Brigade Combat Team is one of nine brigades around the country helping to pilot the Pentagon's new policy lifting the restriction on women in combat.6:35 a.m.
• Dayton defends budget in speech to Minn. newspaper editors
  If Gov. Mark Dayton was hoping Minnesota newspapers would endorse his tax plan on their editorial pages, he may be disappointed. Dayton faced criticism on his budget proposal Thursday when he gave a speech to the Minnesota Newspaper Association at its annual convention in Bloomington.6:49 a.m.
• Minnesota sees coldest temperatures in years
  University of Minnesota Climatologist Mark Seeley talks with MPR's Cathy Wurzer about the weather.6:55 a.m.
• Dayton: Counties should pay more for mental health treatment at 2 facilities
  Gov. Mark Dayton wants counties to pay millions of dollars more to help fund mental health treatment for patients at the Minnesota Security Hospital and the Anoka Metro Regional Treatment Center.7:24 a.m.
• Minneapolis considers changing how the history of race relations is taught
  The Minneapolis school district is considering whether to change its curricula after an emotional community meeting on Wednesday night. Julie Landsman taught in Minneapolis public schools for more than 20 years and has since written several books on race. She spoke with Morning Edition host Cathy Wurzer.7:46 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Ex-Prosecutor Mary Jo White Nominated To Head SEC
  President Obama has tapped a former U.S. attorney to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission. The president says he wants a tough new cop on the financial beat. Mary Jo White would be the first former prosecutor to chair the SEC.
• Senate Changes Filibuster Rules
  The new rules would make it easier to bring bills and nominations to the floor for debate. There was a time when a senator would have to sustain a filibuster by holding the floor and talking non-stop for hours on end, just as Jimmy Stewart did in the movie Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.
• Lives Of Praise, Lives In Progress On 'The Sisterhood'
  The Sisterhood is a new reality show about the lives and struggles of five Atlanta-area preachers' wives. The show has been likened to the Real Housewives franchise and has drawn criticism for its warts-and-all portrayal of the women. But they say they felt called by God to participate.
• Foreign Investors Trade Dollars For U.S. Residency
  Obtaining a U.S. visa can be pretty straightforward if you have $500,000. The EB-5 program grants foreigners permanent residency if they invest $500,000 in an American business and create at least 10 jobs. Despite its success, critics say the program pushes the rich to the front of the immigration line.
• Sponsors Of Assault Weapons Ban Hope Newtown Shooting Changes Minds
  Gun control advocates acknowledged they'll face big obstacles in Congress to a new ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. But they say the shooting last month of 20 schoolchildren in Connecticut could make a difference.
• Files: Cardinal Mahoney Hid Child Sex Abuse Cases
  The Los Angeles Times has released decades-old personnel files of Catholic priests accused of child sex abuse. The documents show church officials kept the cases private, and many are addressed to, or written by, Cardinal Roger Mahoney, who retired nearly a year ago. Steve Inskeep talks to Victoria Kim, one of the paper's reporters covering the story.
• Microsoft Earnings Disappoint Investors
  Microsoft reported a 4 percent decline in earnings. The figures are blamed on sagging sales of personal computers.
• Dodgers Channel Close To Being A Reality
  The Los Angeles Dodgers and Time-Warner Cable are expected to announce a deal that would give the team its own channel. The cable giant would handle distribution and operations. The Dodgers channel would pay the team roughly $7 billion over at least 20 years.
• For Would-Be Sundancers, Kickstarter Can Fuel Films
  Financing a movie can be tough — but more and more filmmakers are crowdsourcing their creative cash. Nearly 10 percent of the films at this year's Sundance Film Festival found backers through the online fundraiser Kickstarter.
• In China, James Bond Is Censored Not Stirred
  The Bond film Skyfall is playing in the world's second-largest movie market: China. Some 007 fans are furious about the nips and tucks Chinese censors have made to the movie.

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