Education Study: Corporate Recruiters Back on Campus November 30, 2004 • The sluggish economy over the past few years has made it difficult for college grads to find jobs. But, a new study shows that corporate recruiters are making their way back to job fairs and student unions and in numbers. Jerome Vaughn of Detroit Public Radio reports.
Missouri Residents Hope to Save Historic Bridge November 30, 2004 • With the price of scrap metal soaring on world markets, a railroad company is seeing dollar signs when it looks at an old bridge across the Missouri River. Residents now want to save the bridge, but don't know how they can come up with the $8 million its worth. Catherine Welch of member station KBIA reports.
News Bush Nominates Gutierrez to Head Commerce November 30, 2004 • President Bush nominates Carlos Gutierrez as Commerce secretary. The CEO and chairman of Kellogg's is considered one of the country's most prominent Hispanic executives. Gutierrez built an impressive record at the cereal company and now is called upon to help reform Social Security, simplify the tax code and make life easier for small business owners. NPR's Andrea Seabrook reports.
Education Court: Colleges May Ban Military Recruiters November 30, 2004 • A federal appeals court rules that colleges and universities have the right to ban military recruiters from campus without fear of losing federal funding. The schools argued that the armed services openly discriminate against homosexuals and that university rules prohibit such discrimination. Hear NPR's Jackie Northam.
Historian: Free Education Drew Immigrants to America November 30, 2004 • Diane Ravitch discusses the educational history of immigrant children in the United States. Ravitch is a professor of history at New York University and is assistant secretary of Education for the Bush administration. Hear Ravitch and NPR's Renee Montagne.
Business Car Device Acts as High-Tech Repo Man November 30, 2004 • For people with bad credit, getting a car loan can be a challenge. But the auto industry has come up with a novel idea for letting poor creditors drive new cars off the lot: a kindler, gentler and automated repo-man. Hear NPR's Jack Speer.
L.A. Air Force Base Faces Closure November 30, 2004 • The tiny Los Angeles Air Force Base has been at the forefront of some big developments in space science; it was a major player in the development of the Global Positioning System, or GPS. But now the base may have landed a spot on the Pentagon's chopping block. NPR's Ina Jaffe reports.
Obituaries Remembering Noel Perrin November 30, 2004 • Noel Perrin, a writer and professor at Dartmouth College, died earlier this month at his farmhouse in Thetford Center, Vt. at age 77. A city transplant, Perrin wrote with love and humor about rural life. We'll hear excerpts from an 1978 interview Perrin did with NPR's Noah Adams.
Supreme Court Considers Arguments on Title IX Scope November 30, 2004 • The Supreme Court hears the case of a girls basketball coach in Alabama who was fired after complaining that girls' teams received fewer resources than boys' teams. Coach Roderick Jackson's case tests the scope of the anti-discrimination law Title IX. NPR's Nina Totenberg reports.
Obituaries Remembering Lance Corporal Dimitri Gavriel November 30, 2004 • Dimitri Gavriel interrupted a career on Wall Street to join the Marines. He wanted to prove his integrity and improve his leadership skills. The 29-year-old lance corporal died earlier this month in a bomb blast near Fallujah. Rachel Gotbaum reports.
NAACP President Mfume Steps Down November 30, 2004 • NAACP President Kweisi Mfume announces he will step down after nine years as head of the nation's oldest and largest civil rights group. NPR's Brian Naylor reports.
Stay of Execution Recommended in Texas Murder Case November 30, 2004 • The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles recommends a 120-day stay of execution in the case of Frances Newton, who was scheduled to be executed Wednesday. Newton was convicted of killing her husband and two children in 1987, but a number of questions have been raised about how well she was defended and the evidence used to convict her. Now, it is up to Gov. Rick Perry to decide. Janet Heimlich reports.
Politics John Edwards Begins 'Thank You' Tour November 30, 2004 • Defeated Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards embarks on a statewide tour in North Carolina. Edwards gave up his Senate seat this year, but is hinting that his political career is not over. NPR's Adam Hochberg reports.
Pop Culture A Long 'Jeopardy!' Run, Jeopardized November 30, 2004 • After winning 74 consecutive Jeopardy! games since June and winning more than $2.5 million, contestant Ken Jennings may have finally met his match. NPR's Michele Norris talks with Andy Saunders, a Canadian college student and Jeopardy! enthusiast.
Jailed Immigrants Allege Abuse Government Halts Use of Dogs Around Detainees November 30, 2004 • The day after the first story of NPR's investigation into the use of dogs to terrorize and attack people held in administrative detention in the U.S., the Homeland Security Department notified the Passaic County jail and other facilities contracted by the federal government to hold detainees to stop using dogs around detainees. NPR's Daniel Zwerdling reports.