Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Rescuing animals helps humans, too
  A new book looks at the relationship between rescued animals and the people who save them. Former Star Tribune journalist Karin Winegar has collected 28 true stories about animals that have been abused, abandoned or left for dead. Her book is called "Saved: Rescued Animals and the Lives They Transform."6:25 a.m.
• Remembering Christmas shopping past
  Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and there are more than a few last minute shoppers out there planning a late run to the mall. But commentator Peter Smith remembers a time in his youth before malls -- and a desperate, adolescent's shopping trip.6:55 a.m.
• Secretary of State report shows Franken with 47-vote lead
  Democrat Al Franken now leads Republican Norm Coleman by an unofficial 47 votes in the U.S. Senate recount.7:20 a.m.
• Some small toy makers not happy with new toy-safety law
  A new federal law intended to prevent unsafe toys from reaching store shelves has made critics out of an unlikely group: mom-and-pop toymakers.7:25 a.m.
• U.S. snowmobile sales down, but worldwide sales growing
  Minnesota is home to two of the four major snowmobile manufacturers in the world. How are they weathering the economic downturn?7:35 a.m.
• Apartment fire hits building in Burnsville
  Hundreds of people are in search of a new place to live after an apartment building in Burnsville was destroyed by fire. About 360 people were evacuated from the apartments and a nearby building. Some of them spent the night at Burnsville high school7:45 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Gritting It Out Amid The Dirt In Chicago
  The city's Millennium Park is a living reminder of the tough challenges that popped up along the way for Christy Webber's landscaping firm. Now she and one of her employees are both hoping to weather the economic crisis.
• Dan Rather Hopes To Tell His Bush Story In Court
  Dan Rather is pursuing a $70 million lawsuit he filed against CBS following his infamous, retracted 2004 story about President Bush's military service record. A follow-up investigation never concluded whether the Bush documents were real or fake.
• Blind Man Sees With Subconscious Eye
  A man left clinically blind by a stroke was able to perfectly navigate an obstacle course. Yet he had no idea he was doing it. This remarkable case of "blind sight" is providing new clues to the mind's subconscious eye.
• Fort Dix Convictions Seem To Validate FBI Strategy
  The five men were found guilty of conspiring to kill U.S. soldiers. Previous attempts to make terrorism arrests pre-emptively — before an actual attack takes place — have met with mixed results. But this time, FBI officials took a much slower and more methodical approach.
• Hopes Run High In Middle East For Obama
  The Middle East will likely be a major foreign policy priority for Barack Obama. His election has generated high expectations — some say too high — that he can restore the image of the U.S. in the Arab world and that changes in Mideast policy are imminent.
• HumanLight: December's Secular Holiday
  While others are lighting Hanukkah candles or decorating Christmas trees, atheists and humanists are holding their own December celebrations. The secular holiday known as HumanLight began eight years ago. While there are no set traditions, many of the gatherings use familiar rituals to highlight reason and human achievement.
• Markets Bustling As Truffle Season Begins In France
  There is an atmosphere of intrigue as truffle sellers line up carrying les truffes noires, the famous black truffle of the Perigord region of France, in their baskets. They will fetch anywhere from $250 to $400 a pound, depending on their quality.
• English Christmas Cooking From Elizabeth David
  A new cookbook spreads the wisdom and recipes of the late Elizabeth David, perhaps the most celebrated English food writer of the last century. David enjoys a place in British cooking and culture somewhat like that of Julia Child in the United States.
• U.S. Recession Claims More Jobs
  Information services company Unisys said it's eliminating 1,300 jobs worldwide. The Pennsylvania-based company will also suspend matching contributions to its 401(k) plan. In Rhode Island, Textron — the world's largest maker of corporate jets — said it's cutting 2,200 jobs. And Caterpillar, the big construction equipment maker based in Peoria, Ill., said it will offer buyouts to as many as 25,000 U.S. workers.
• Mortgage Rates Go Down; Refinancing Goes Up
  Rates on 30-year fixed mortgages have dropped to 5.29 percent, triggering a surge in applications for refinancing. So far, it has not turned into a wave of home buying, but it might help spur sales next year.

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