Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Job hunting gets harder
  The economic downturn has forced many more Minnesotans to look for a new job -- either because of layoffs or a cutback in hours or to supplement retirement. Compared to a year ago, about 40,000 more Minnesotans are unemployed. But over the same period there are 16,000 fewer jobs in the state.6:20 a.m.
• Minnehaha Falls restoration starts today
  In the next several months, Minnehaha Falls will get a make-over. It will involve some much-needed repairs, but there'll also be some work to improve the ecology of the place.6:50 a.m.
• Weather with Mark Seeley
  University of Minnesota Climatologist Mark Seeley discusses Minnesota weather history and looks ahead to the weekend weather.6:55 a.m.
• Senate election outcome may rest with challenged ballots
  The number of challenged ballots in the Senate recount has reached a level that has made the slim margin between the two leading candidates meaningless. With more than half of the precincts now recounted, the number of ballots challenged by both Al Franken and Norm Coleman is above the 215 vote margin by which Coleman led Franken at the end of the first count.7:20 a.m.
• Voters have second thoughts about first picks
  It's like the campaign never ended. Senate candidates Al Franken and Norm Coleman are still raising money, their campaigns are still trading barbs and they have staff and volunteers fanned out across the state to press for advantage in the recount. But there is one thing that's not like the campaign: Minnesotans don't get to vote again.7:25 a.m.
• The price of road salt is up
  Officials in cold-weather states like Minnesota are trying to find ways to pay an increasing amount for road salt. Minnesota typically uses tons of salt each winter to remove snow and ice.8:35 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Thanksgiving Treat: Special Cranberry Relish
  Every year as Thanksgiving approaches, friends ask NPR's Susan Stamberg for her mother-in-law's recipe for cranberry relish. The side dish combines the sweet tartness of cranberries with soothing sour cream — and gets a kick from a little horseradish. "It sounds terrible but tastes terrific," Stamberg says.
• Bush Hits Deadline For 'Midnight Regulations'
  There are now 60 days left until President Bush leaves office and President-elect Barack Obama is sworn in. By law, there is a 60-day waiting period before any big, new federal regulations take effect. That means Friday is the deadline set by the Bush administration to get rules onto the books before the Democrats arrive.
• Chicago Symphony Tops U.S. Orchestras
  The city of Chicago has one more thing to boast about: Its hometown orchestra, the Chicago Symphony, has been named America's top orchestra in a new critics' poll published in the venerable British magazine Gramophone.
• Lending Stalls; Banks On Sidelines
  Stock prices are at six-year lows. Over the past two days, the Dow Jones industrial average has lost more than 6 percent of its value. The $700 billion bailout was supposed to stabilize the financial industry and get banks lending again. But that hasn't happened yet.
• Dodd Frustrated By Banks' Use Of Bailout Funds
  Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd says he's angry that banks are using government-provided funds to pay dividends, for excessive executive compensation and for acquiring other banks. He also says the Treasury has been too slow in addressing the mortgage crisis.
• Will Credit Rating Agencies Be Monitored?
  The G-20 last weekend committed to exercising strong oversight of credit rating agencies. Many of the financial instruments that are at the heart of the financial crisis had been given AAA ratings, meaning they were supposed to be of the highest quality. That turned out to be wrong. Will the G-20 declaration change anything?
• Congress Gives Automakers Homework
  Lawmakers are demanding that GM, Ford and Chrysler submit a plan for improvements before Congress will consider a $25 billion aid package for the auto industry. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid say if there's a viable plan, Congress might return to work early next month for a vote. Some lawmakers wanted Congress to stay in session.
• Electric Car Battery Must Keep Going And Going
  One of the buzzwords at the Los Angeles Auto Show is "electrification." It's a future where cars run solely on battery power. Paul Eisenstein of The Detroit Bureau, an independent auto news service, says that future is still a ways off. He tells Steve Inskeep that for electric cars to succeed, they'll need a battery that lasts for more than 100 miles before a recharge.
• Trading Foreign Oil For Foreign Electric Car Parts?
  A rush to build electric cars could also mean a rush to get minerals that are produced in unstable parts of the world. Lithium-ion batteries require large amounts of cobalt, which comes primarily from the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo, Tibet and Siberia. Easing dependence on foreign oil could mean increasing dependence on foreign minerals — from even less reliable trading partners than the Persian Gulf states.
• Citigroup CEO Weighs Company's Options
  The financial crisis is closing in on Citigroup. The banking colossus has more than 200 million customers around the world. But investors are increasingly worried about Citigroup's financial condition. Its share price tumbled more than 25 percent Thursday. CEO Vikram Pandit is weighing his options, including selling off parts of the company or selling the whole company. Citigroup lost half its value this week and is trading at levels not seen since the mid-1990s.

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