NPR 2012-12-11

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　　From NPR News in Washington, I’m Windsor Johnston.

 

　　President Obama is in Michigan today, where he is expected to help announce the expansion of a truck engine plant near Detroit. The president and Detroit Diesel¹ will unveil a 100-million-dollar investment at a factory in Redford Township. The money will be used to expand transmissions and axles.

 

　　Six weeks after Hurricane Sandy, shore communities in New York and New Jersey² are racing³ to rebuild their boardwalks before next summer. NPR's Margot Adler reports the reasons are financial as much as sentimental⁴.

 

　　Shoreline communities have always relied on tourism as an economic engine. In Seaside Heights immortalized in the reality show Jersey Shore and now noteworthy for the roller coaster that fell into the ocean during the hurricane, the mayor says 75% of the town’s economy comes from tourism, the boardwalk is key. He estimates it will take 10 to 12 million dollars to rebuild the boardwalk and the town is currently taking bids. The town of Belmar has approved 20 million dollars to rebuild its boardwalk. Sea Girt, Asbury Park and Point Pleasant Beach are also planning to rebuild. Some of the new boardwalks may be concrete or synthetic⁵. Some officials say wooden boardwalks are problematic. Many use wood from endangered rain forests. Margot Adler, NPR News, New York.

 

　　The final House race of the 2012 elections is done. Louisiana Congressman⁶ Charles Bruce Denny has defeated fellow Republican Congressman Jeff Landry in a runoff. NPR's S.V. Date reports.

 

　　Bruce Denny and Landry were forced to run for the same seat after the state lost a house member due to slow population growth. When the new lines were drawn⁷, the two incumbents⁸ were put into the same Southeast Louisiana district. Neither received the majority of the vote on November 6th. Bruce Denny won Saturday's runoff 61% to 39% to earn his fifth term. The runoff does not change the partisan⁹ balance in the House. Republicans will hold a 234-to-201 advantage when the new Congress takes office January 3rd. S.V. Date, NPR News.

 

　　Parts of Minnesota have been crippled by a slow-moving storm that has dumped at least 16 inches of snow in some areas. National Weather Service meteorologist Jim Tiger says only flurries are in today's forecast, but the twin cities will have colder than normal wind chills.

 

　　“Zero to 10 below zero, around the twin cities, a little bit colder around the west, probably averaging about 10 to 20 below zero.”

 

　　Nearly 600 vehicles crashes have been reported in the state. Lieutenant¹⁰ Eric Brzezinski of the Minnesota State Patrol says many drivers were still calling for help this morning.

 

　　“In the Twin Cities’ natural area, the morning could be very busy. We still have a number of crashes, vehicles spinning out, so we are still dealing¹¹ with a high volume of calls.”

 

　　Dozens of flights to and from the Twin Cities have been canceled.

 

　　On Wall Street, the Dow was up 20 points.

 

　　This is NPR.

 

　　Major French cosmetics¹² retailer¹³ Sephora has won the right to keep its flagship Paris store open past 9:30 PM. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley reports that French unions want to curb¹⁴ night and Sunday work.

 

　　Paris's Champs Elysées boulevard remains¹⁵ hopping¹⁶ after shops in other areas have closed, so stores generally stay open until midnight. But Sephora's unions contested, saying employees were being pressured to work undesirable¹⁷ shifts. Sephora countered with a full-page newspaper ads saying more than a fifth of its sales were at night and cutting back the hours threaten jobs. A Paris court ruled in its favor. But the battle rages over nocturnal and Sunday work. Stores are allowed to open only five Sundays a year in France, unless they are located in a specific tourist area. President Francois Hollande says he wants to reform French labor¹⁸ laws and increase French competitiveness. But unions say closing Sunday preserves a cherished way of life for workers who have a common day off to spend with their families. Eleanor Beardsley, NPR News, Paris.

 

　　The European Union was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize today. Officials accepted the award saying their organization has helped many countries on the continent rebuild after World War II. European Union Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso says the EU must continue to fight for human rights as with the conflict in Syria which he calls a sting on the world's conscience.

 

　　“As a community of nations that has overcome war and fought totalitarianism, we will always stand by those who are in pursuit of peace and human dignity.”

 

　　The prize money of 1.2 million dollars will be given to projects that help children in struggling war zones.

 

　　I’m Windsor Johnston, NPR News in Washington.

 

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