Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Betty Crocker retires her catalog
  Friday marks the end of an era for one of Minnesota's best-known businesses. General Mills is shutting down a program that's seen generations of consumers snip and save box-top coupons.6:50 a.m.
• No slowdown in illegal document trade
  The immigration raid this week in Worthington, Minnesota hasn't stopped the vendors of fake documents.7:20 a.m.
• Airlines consider potential mergers
  As airline companies talk about possible consolidations, a closer look at what mergers might mean for the future of air transport.7:25 a.m.
• An early analysis of Sen. Johnson's condition
  Medical analyst Dr. Jon Hallberg analyzes Sen. Tim Johnson's medical situation with preliminary information.7:50 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• A Cinematic Ode to Shanghai's Vanishing World
  Shanghai has a population of almost 18 million, but only 632 protected historic sites. Its distinctive traditional architecture is rapidly disappearing, and along with it, a way of life. A local filmmaker has produced an ode to these vanishing neighborhoods.
• Missouri Church Leaders Accused of Child-Sex Abuse
  Early next year, the first of several child-sexual abuse cases involving church leaders is expected to be heard in a courtroom in southwest Missouri. The sex charges were filed this summer by women who grew up in a religious community deep in the Ozarks. Most of the accusers and the accused are related by blood or marriage.
• Philadelphia Works to Keep 'Gross' Treasure
  Two Philadelphia museums are scrambling to raise $68 million to hold on to a local art treasure. If they fail to reach their goal by a Dec. 26 deadline, "The Gross Clinic," Thomas Eakins' 1875 masterpiece, will be sold.
• Prosecutor Briefs U.N. on Alleged Crimes in Darfur
  The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court briefs the U.N. Security Council on the court's investigation into crimes committed in Darfur, Sudan. Luis Moreno Ocampo says his first case will prove crimes against humanity.
• Iranians Vote Friday for Assembly of Experts
  Iranian voters go to the polls Friday in local elections. The ballots will include candidates for the Assembly of Experts, a group of clerics responsible for selecting Iran's next supreme leader.
• Hollywood Partners with China for 'The Painted Veil'
  The China of the past is what feature film director John Curran was seeking when he scouted locations for The Painted Veil, which opens next week. It's based on the Somerset Maugham book set in China in the 1920s. It stars Naomi Watts and Ed Norton. The movie studio producing the film went into a partnership with the Chinese government to get it made.
• Botswana Bushmen Win Right to Return to Land
  A Botswana court ruled Wednesday that the country's Bushmen, also known as the Basarwa, were illegally removed from their land in the Kalahari desert.
• Laser Treatment May Aid Prostate Patients
  Men with enlarged prostates often have uncomfortable side effects and undergo invasive medical procedures to treat their symptoms. Now, these men may choose an alternative laser treatment which is far less invasive.
• Ballroom Dancers Waltz to Healthier Hearts
  Italian researchers have found that just 21 minutes of dancing, three times a week can match the cardiovascular benefits from working out on a treadmill or bicycle. The news is good for those who hate to work out -- but love to dance.
• Paulson, Bernanke in Beijing for Economic Talks
  U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, along with other cabinet-level officers, are in Beijing for talks with senior Chinese officials on trade and economic concerns, including the huge U.S. trade deficit with China.

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