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Barletta proposes legislation to improve disaster relief efforts

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Mississippi State officially names PSU’s Joe Moorhead as new head coach

<p>MINNEAPOLIS (AP) &#8212; Garrison Keillor, the former host of &#8220;A Prairie Home Companion,&#8221; said Wednesday he has been fired by Minnesota Public Radio over allegations of improper behavior.</p><p>Keillor told The Associated Press of his firing in an email. In a follow-up statement, he said he was fired over &#8220;a story that I think is more interesting and more complicated than the version MPR heard.&#8221; He didn&#8217;t give details of the allegation.</p><p>Minnesota Public Radio didn&#8217;t immediately respond to messages seeking comment.</p><p>Keillor, 75, retired as host of his long-running public radio variety show in 2016. His hand-picked successor, mandolinist Chris Thile, is in his second season as &#8220;Prairie Home&#8221; host.</p><p>The statement came shortly after Keillor, an avowed Democrat, wrote a syndicated column that ridiculed the idea that Sen. Al Franken should resign over allegations of sexual harassment.</p><p>Keillor started his Saturday evening show featuring tales of his fictional Minnesota hometown of Lake Wobegon &#8212; &#8220;where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average&#8221; &#8212; in 1974. The show featured musical acts, folksy humor, parody ads for fake products such as Powdermilk Biscuits and the centerpiece, Keillor delivering a seemingly off-the-cuff monologue, &#8220;The News From Lake Wobegon,&#8221; in his rich baritone voice.</p><p>Keillor bowed out with a final show at the Hollywood Bowl in July 2016 and turned the show over to Thile, a mandolinist and frequent &#8220;Prairie Home&#8221; guest musician. Keillor went on a 28-city bus tour this summer, vowing it would be his last tour, but he continues on the road with solo shows. Keillor also is finishing a Lake Wobegon screenplay and a memoir about growing up in Minnesota.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">FILE - In this July 26, 2017 file photo, Garrison Keillor, creator and former host of, &#8220;A Prairie Home Companion,&#8221; talks at his St. Paul, Minn., office. Keillor said Wednesday, Nov. 29, he&#8217;s been fired by Minnesota Public Radio over allegations of improper behavior. (AP Photo/Jeff Baenen, File) </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/web1_119303159-3a83186808934fd2999e8b80dd0b7c91-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>FILE - In this July 26, 2017 file photo, Garrison Keillor, creator and former host of, &#8220;A Prairie Home Companion,&#8221; talks at his St. Paul, Minn., office. Keillor said Wednesday, Nov. 29, he&#8217;s been fired by Minnesota Public Radio over allegations of improper behavior. (AP Photo/Jeff Baenen, File) </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>

Garrison Keillor says he’s been fired over alleged improper behavior