He is a bookish loner — a soldier who did not like going to the firing range. Coworkers remember him as quiet and inoffensive, yet he had problems with job performance and may have posted inflammatory comments on the Web using the screen name "NidalHasan."

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The case of Nidal Malik Hasan, the Army psychiatrist who is the primary suspect in the Fort Hood shooting spree Thursday that killed 13 people, is pointing up the enormous need to help soldiers overwhelmed by the stress - or even the prospect - of serving in wartime.

The Minneapolis-based publisher, which also has other suburban and national magazines, has lost a deal to sell off its meetings-and-events titles for badly needed cash.

By David Brauer

Five corporations own 85 percent of the Twin Cities radio market. So how are they faring in group competition?

By David Brauer

The Nation’s Maureen Tkacik offers “Gladwell for Dummies,” a look at Malcolm Gladwell’s fascinating best-sellers “The Tipping Point” and “Blink.” (via)

The Bonddad Blog finds something for both bears and bulls to like in the latest national unemployment figures, which show the rate at 10.2 percent, the first time since 1983 that it’s hit double digits.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A complicated picture is emerging of both the shootings at Fort Hood that left 12 people dead and 31 wounded, as well as the soldier suspected of carrying them out, Army psychiatrist Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan.

BERLIN — The world is moving toward December climate change talks that have been described in some quarters as "pivotal." But a European Union agreement, signed last week, sheds light on how tenuous the prospects are for a comprehensive deal any time soon.

JERUSALEM — Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas says he's made up his mind once and for all: There will be elections in January - and he will not be a candidate in them.

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — In California, a Global Position System (GPS) device is strapped to every registered sex offender on parole. The system is supposed to keep the public safe - and make it easier for parole agents to track dangerous felons. But that system is broken, and giving the public "a false sense of security," according to a new report.

Minnesota, 3M scramble to provide flu-blocking respirators for health care workers

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Jennifer Smith, a Texas real estate agent, remembers when she considered her car an office, her cellphone a professional lifeline. If it rang, she picked it up. If she thought of information to share, she dialed. She knew that it wasn't the best idea to chat while driving, of course, but it wasn't illegal, and she didn't want to lose clients. Besides, she figured, she was careful.

SANTIAGO, Chile — They are the face of Chilean guidebooks: giant statues made of volcanic rock scattered across Easter Island. Constructed centuries ago, the figures are thought to represent ancestors or chiefs of the indigenous Polynesian population. It is their descendants who now inhabit the tiny triangular island nearly 2,000 miles off the Chilean coast.

LASHKAR GAH, Helmand — No one knows what made him snap. Some say he was a Taliban infiltrator, others cite anger and frustration against British military tactics. But just after 3 p.m. on Nov. 3, a young police officer named Gulbuddin picked up a machine gun and killed five British soldiers, wounding another six. He then escaped, leaving both international and Afghans forces trying to piece together how and why such a thing could happen.

What would a broadsheet look like if designers designed one paper a month and the staff included Michael Chabon and Stephen King?

By David Brauer

The cancellation of the proposed Big Stone II coal-fired power plant brings back memories of the cancellations of the proposed power plants at Durand, Wis. Northern States Power Co. (NSP, now Xcel Energy) in 1973 proposed that the "Tyrone Nuclear Park," initially with two 1,150 megawatt (MW)  reactors, be built at Durand, Wis., at a time when a national debate was raging over the acceptability of nuclear power.

National Geographic has published a series of striking photos by Stephen Alvarez of caves and cavers of the Deep South.

Bachmann leads Capitol rally against health care bill

A few months after Star Tribune workers agreed to givebacks in bankruptcy, Pioneer Press Newspaper Guild members voted Wednesday to open discussions with management seeking similar cuts.

By David Brauer

It’s been a busy few weeks for U.S. Bancorp Chairman and CEO Richard Davis and his team. Good news seems to follow good news, and the momentum just keeps building.

The network's longtime president and CEO tops a list of executives making over $275,000.

By David Brauer

Trivia Battle this coming Sunday -- meet the MinnPost members team

I should have known things were going to get weird when my wife got to our meeting with the financial planner at the credit union two minutes late, and the building's automatic lock — not yet reprogrammed from a recent change in hours — left her outside, knocking for 10 minutes until someone took notice.

If you're curious how much Krista Tippett, Lynne Rossetto Kasper, Chris Farrell make, we have just the tax documents for you.

By David Brauer

The pioneering discussion site, which waxes and wanes with regularity, plans to add more content, especially if you're a blogger looking for publicity, not cash.

By David Brauer

In the last two weeks, there has been a wave of new mergers that many see as a sign of renewed confidence in the markets. As the recession is receding, we see the economy returning. Antitrust history, though, tells us that mergers among competitors can lead to increased concentration in the market and, ultimately, to higher prices for consumers. This can result directly, as we've seen in the past, in huge consolidations that have resulted in only a few, large, firms within a market.

Susan Richard Nelson to be named federal judge

Target, Best Buy try to entice cautious holiday shoppers

Gov. Pawlenty on how far a Republican can stray

By Eric Black

FARGO, N.D. — The recent story from East Grand Forks, Minn., about "less rowdy" school recess made my teeth grind. The proponents of organized recess made a passable case that it's good for children. But the idea of orderly, structured, regimented recess seems counterintuitive. The value of recess — indeed, the joy of recess as I remember it — was the chaos of a free-for-all break from the discipline of the classroom.

On the (dis)benefits of talking only to those who agree with me

By Eric Black

On Sept. 4, 2009, Theodore J. Wirth (Ted), an internationally recognized landscape architect who specialized in park planning, died at his home in Minneapolis. On Nov. 3, 2009, Minneapolitans will be going to the polls. Every voter in Minneapolis can vote for park commissioners, one commissioner for the voter's district and three at-large commissioners. I feel it is tragic that Ted Wirth will not be with us to cast his vote.

Ink-stained wretchedness, plus imams, on the radio Saturday

By Eric Black

Matthew Hoh: Please refute what I'm saying, we are stuck in the Afghan civil war

Bachmann and Grayson in Time: "Welcome to the Funhouse."

By Eric Black