Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Housing slump affects all segments, even retirees
  The housing slump can mean big problems for older folks hoping to fund their retirement by selling their house.6:50 a.m.
• Farm bill will influence food shelf future
  The slow-down in passing a new Farm Bill has left increasingly needy food shelves and food stamp recipients in the lurch.7:20 a.m.
• Biomass power plant planned for Minneapolis
  It is unusual to build a power plant right in the middle of a city. This one would be fueled by wood chips.7:24 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• 18 Hours of Christmas Music: My Holiday Hellride
  The week of Thanksgiving, NPR Music producer Stephen Thompson completed a daunting task: He listened to nothing but new holiday CDs for an entire 18-hour drive. The trip yielded prizes and punishments, and even a minor Christmas miracle.
• Poll: Parents Still Trust Cold Meds for Kids
  This fall, an FDA advisory committee recommended that cold medicines no longer be marketed for children under age 6; clinical trials found these over-the-counter drugs were no better than a placebo. An NPR/Kaiser/Harvard poll finds that most parents still cast a cautious vote of confidence in the drugs.
• A Japanese Attack Before Pearl Harbor
  This bit of history may sound familiar. Japanese warplanes stage a surprise December attack on the U.S. Navy. But the sinking of the USS Panay, on China's Yangtze River, occurred four years before Pearl Harbor.
• GOP Presidential Debate Somber
  The Republican presidential candidates faced off for the final time in Iowa before the state's influential caucuses next month. The candidates were subdued and positive during the debate, despite the highly contentious race.
• Film, TV Writers Strike Talks at Impasse
  The contract talks between the striking screenwriters and the production studios are ground to a halt. The latest round of contract negotiations collapsed Friday, and the prospect of the two sides coming to an agreement in the near future seems increasingly dim. The strike began Nov. 5.
• Ancient Indian Tales Inspire a Modern Indian Art
  In Bangalore, Richard Branson, director Shekhar Kapur and the son of Deepak Choprah are working to make Indian-flavored graphic novels as popular as Japanese manga.
• Home from India, a Reporter Still Moves to Its Beat
  Laura Sydell's driver during her trip to Mumbai had a favorite tune: "Ganpat," from the Hindi film Shootout at Lokhandwala. Sydell confesses that she can't get the bouncy, mildly naughty song out of her head.
• China Softens Stance on Emissions at Bali Meeting
  China appears to be more positive about supporting a framework that will require it to cooperate in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. China is one of the world's biggest polluters and is under pressure to agree to changes at the U.N. Conference on Climate Change in Bali, Indonesia.
• FDA Weighs Statin Drug Sales
  Statin drugs that lower cholesterol have become popular. Merck, which manufactures the statin drug, Mevacor, thinks its product is safe enough to be sold without a prescription. An advisory committee for the Food and Drug Administration will meet to discuss whether that is a good idea.
• Merck Recalls Children's Vaccine
  Merck issues a recall on the common children's vaccine Hib, which guards against meningitis, pneumonia, and other serious infections. It's routinely administered to babies beginning around two months of age. The recall covers about 1.2 million doses of the vaccine distributed since April.

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