Fired: Garrison Keillor, the former host of “A Prairie Home Companion,” says he’s been fired by Minnesota Public Radio for improper behavior. In an email to The Star Tribune in Minneapolis, Keillor says the incident involved putting his hand on a woman’s bare back in an attempt to console her. It’s unclear when the incident occurred. Keillor, 75, retired from his longtime radio show last year but still produced “The Writer’s Almanac” for syndication by MPR’s parent company, St. Paul-based American Public Media. Officials at MPR say they will change the name of Keillor’s former radio show, which is now hosted by Chris Thile; end distribution and broadcast of “Writer’s Almanac” and rebroadcasts of old Keillor-hosted radio shows; and separate itself from the Pretty Good Goods online catalog, which sells Keillor merchandise. Read more.
At the podium: Mayor Sharon Weston Broome will deliver the keynote address at Baton Rouge Community College’s first ever fall commencement ceremony at 10 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 15. The fall ceremony is the first community college’s 19-year history. Degrees will be conferred on more than 367 students who completed their studies in the summer and fall.
On holiday: A scheduling glitch allowed American Airlines pilots to take vacation at the same time around Christmas, leaving thousands of flights during the busy holiday travel period without pilots, CNBC reports. The public relations nightmare has resulted in American Airlines, the largest U.S. airline, offering 150% of hourly pay for pilots to work those dates and avoid cancellations, an airline spokesman says. Read more.
