VFW Chief Envisions a Changing Post September 30, 2006 • Imagine a family-friendly VFW post, with child care, a fitness center... and a ban on smoking. That's what Gary Kurpias has in mind. He's the new commander-in-chief of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States.
On Eve of War, Truman Turned to Comfort Food September 30, 2006 • As the Korean War loomed, President Truman summoned his war Cabinet to the White House for a strategy dinner that included a key ingredient to solving any crisis: comfort food.
Culture Celebrated Military Nurse, Poet Revealed as a Fraud September 30, 2006 • Dana Shuster was a celebrated Vietnam war-era military nurse who wrote poetry about her experiences. One of her poems was read by Vice President Al Gore when the Vietnam Women's Memorial was dedicated in 1993. But it turns out she was never a nurse, never in the military and never in Vietnam.
Radio Expeditions Remembering Conservationist Mingma Norbu Sherpa September 30, 2006 • Mingma Norbu Sherpa was one of 24 conservationists killed in Nepal this week in a recent helicopter crash near Kathmandu. A child of the Himalayas, Sherpa, 50, was an official with the World Wildlife Fund who helped change conservation practices around the world.
Opinion Simon Says Iva Toguri D'Aquino, a True American Rose September 30, 2006 • Iva Toguri D'Aquino, who died this week at age 90, was convicted and later pardoned of being "Tokyo Rose," a World War II propagandist. NPR's Scott Simon, who met D'Aquino, reflects on a woman who was long, and wrongly, maligned.
Politics Congress Approves 700-Mile Border Fence September 30, 2006 • The Senate on Friday night approved the construction of a 700-mile-long barrier along the U.S.-Mexico border, before recessing for the midterm-election campaign break. Congress also passed guidelines for trying and treating detainees, but it left several other key bills unfinished.
California's 'Day Fire' Keeps Burning -- and Costing September 29, 2006 • One of the largest wildfires in Southern California's history is still claiming huge areas of forest land north of Los Angeles. The Day Fire, which started by accident on Labor Day, already has consumed nearly 200,000 acres. More than 4,200 firefighters are on the front lines of the blaze.
Politics Congress Gives Final OK to Detainee Bill September 29, 2006 • Congress gives final approval to a new system for trying and interrogating terror suspects while it scrambles to try to finish a mountain of unfinished work as lawmakers campaign to hold on to their jobs. Democrats are calling this a "do-nothing" Congress; Republicans say they are the ones voters can count on to protect national security.
The Impact of War High School Honors Graduates Who Fell in Iraq September 29, 2006 • Bishop Hendrickson High School in Warwick, R.I., has lost two students in combat in Iraq, and seen others severely wounded. Nancy Cook reports on how the school is coping with the losses.
Sports Baseball Set to Enter October Playoffs September 29, 2006 • Next week, the Major League Baseball playoffs get under way -- but the matchups are far from set. In the National League, the New York Mets are in, but six other teams are still alive for the other three spots. In the American League, it's still unclear whether the Tigers or Twins will take the wildcard spot -- and open against the Yankees.
Politics White House Steps Up Rhetoric, Denies Charges September 29, 2006 • As Congress wraps up and heads for the campaign trail, the White House is ramping up its political rhetoric against what it calls "the party of cut and run." President Bush says his Iraq war critics are buying into what he calls "the enemy's propaganda."
Movies Bad Movies Lead Owner to Shutter Illinois Theater September 29, 2006 • Melissa Block talks with Greg Boardman, owner of the Lorraine Theater in Hoopeston, Ill. Boardman closed the theater for a few weeks, because he didn't think there were any movies worth showing. But the community strongly disagreed.
All Things Considered Parties Court the Growing Exurban Vote in 2006 September 29, 2006 • Robert Siegel travels to the eastern portion of Loudoun County, Va., to talk with a group of residents about the upcoming midterm elections. Loudon, the eighth-fastest growing county in the United States, has struggled to grow its infrastructure along with its population.
Law Mass. Judge: Out-of-State Gay Couple Can Marry September 29, 2006 • A Massachusetts court rules that gay and lesbian couples from Rhode Island can get married in Massachusetts, the only state that allows gay marriage. The case may pave the way for couples in other states that, like Rhode Island, don't explicitly prohibit gay marriage.
The Mark Foley Scandal Foley Resigns; E-mails to Male Page Questioned September 29, 2006 • Rep. Mark Foley has resigned, effective immediately, in the face of questions about e-mails he wrote to a former male page. Before news of the e-mails surfaced, the Florida Republican had been predicted as an easy winner over Democrat Tim Mahoney.