Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Home sales could be sign of economic turnaround
  Low home prices and mortgage rates have some people - who have been holding out for the market to hit bottom - ready to buy. Experts say that's just what the economy needs to start turning around.6:20 a.m.
• The Morning Show ends 25-year run
  MPR's Morning Show will hold its final broadcast on Thursday, ending a quarter-century run.6:50 a.m.
• Hutchinson Technology cuts 1,100 jobs
  Hutchinson Technology is cutting as many as 1,100 jobs. Hutchinson, a Minnesota maker of computer hard drive components, says the remaining employees will take a 5 percent pay cut.7:20 a.m.
• Rejected absentee ballots the main topic for next canvassing board meeting
  Media reports and an MPR analysis shows that about 300 absentee ballots around the state have been identified as mistakenly rejected, and should have been counted on election day. Whether to count those ballots as part of the Minnesota senate recount is expected to be a topic of discussion when the State Canvassing Board meets on Friday.7:40 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Bill O'Reilly Discusses Jesus, Obama — And Himself
  Fox News TV host Bill O'Reilly describes himself "as the most controversial journalist and commentator in the United States of America." In his memoir, A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity, he explains how he got that way.
• A Bird With A Catlike Name — And Sound
  The world is full of unusual animal sounds — and among the more unusual is the call of the bare-throated tiger heron. Greg Budney, a biologist from the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, recorded one of these long-legged wading birds in Guatemala. The bird, he says, makes him "think of a large cat."
• Boxing Day: Has The Fight Gone Out Of Vegas?
  Las Vegas, like much of America, is in post-Money Party detox. You could make that point with a bunch of dry stats. Or you could visit Vegas on a fight night and compare it to a visit in the middle of 2007.
• Resignation Watch: Will Blagojevich Step Down?
  Federal authorities say Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich tried to benefit from his ability to appoint someone to fill the Senate seat left vacant by President-elect Barack Obama. After Blagojevich's arrest Tuesday, there were calls for the governor to step down. Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn says the governor should do what's right for the people of Illinois and either resign or step aside.
• Blagojevich Wanted 'Chicago Tribune' Writers Fired
  Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is also accused of trying to have Chicago Tribune editorial writers he didn't like fired. The revelation is detailed in a federal corruption complaint released Tuesday. He's accused of, among other things, trying to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.
• Political Ideas Proposed For China's Shenzhen
  China's wealthiest city began as an economic experiment to attract foreign investors in the 1980s. Now some Chinese propose that Shenzhen should begin political experimentation. But democratic reforms, like government transparency and separation of powers, are unlikely in the near future.
• Traffic Accidents Top Cause Of Fatal Child Injuries
  Nearly a million children worldwide die every year as a result of unintentional injuries, and the biggest killer is traffic accidents, according to a report from the World Health Organization. But experts say such injuries can be predicted and prevented.
• Rice Says Successor Hillary Clinton Will 'Do Great'
  In an exclusive interview with NPR, outgoing Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice also says she is trying to build up international pressure on Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe. "We shouldn't fall prey to moral relativism here," Rice says.
• More Global Layoffs Including The NFL
  Global miner Rio Tinto is laying off 14,000 workers, because of shrinking demand for raw materials. Sweden's SKF, the world's biggest bearings maker, will lay off 2,500 people, mostly from its automotive businesses in Europe and the U.S. And, the National Football League said it will cut more than 10 percent of its staff, or about 150 people.
• Former Chysler Chairman Iacocca Backs Auto Execs
  Former Chysler Chairman Lee Iacocca hasn't said much during the debate over whether the government should bail out the auto industry. Iacocca led Chrysler through a government bailout in the 70s. In a written statement Tuesday, Iacocca defended Detroit's Big 3 top executives. He said, "You don't change coaches in the middle of a game, especially when things are so volatile."

Resources

• Marketplace Tech Report®
• Marketplace Morning Report®
• Mark Seeley's WeatherTalk

Services

• Hourly Newscast
• HD Radio
• iPhone App / Mobile
• E-mail newsletters
• RSS feeds
• Podcasts
• Submit your photos
• Videos
• Weather
• Most e-mailed stories