National

Now 59, George Prendes works as a telemarketer in New York and struggles to make the rent on his small Bronx apartment.

National

Decades On, Stiff Drug Sentence Leaves A Life 'Dismantled'

1:11pm February 15, 2013

by Brian Mann

George Prendes was 23 when he was sentenced under New York's Rockefeller drug laws — tough mandatory sentencing guidelines for nonviolent drug crimes. The 15 years Prendes served for a drug transaction still reverberate for him and his family.

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In Kansas, A 'Glide Path' To No Income Taxes. Will It Work?

9:47am February 15, 2013

by Frank Morris

Gov. Sam Brownback plans to get rid of Kansas' income tax and cut the size of state government. Some lawmakers say it's a great experiment that will show that lower tax rates and streamlined bureaucracy can stimulate growth; others are concerned about overreaching.

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The Caplans. Louis, 76, and Harriet, 67, visited StoryCorps in Santa Fe, N.M.

National

A Husband And Wife Blessed Late In Life

8:39am February 15, 2013

by NPR Staff

He was in his late 50s. She was in her late 40s. Louis and Harriet Caplan talk about how they became a couple at a stage in life when most people give up on falling in love, and about making the most of their time together.

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The Jan. 4, 1973, edition of the New York Daily News reports that Gov. Rockefeller's State of the State speech called for a life sentence for drug pushers.

National

The Drug Laws That Changed How We Punish

3:05am February 15, 2013

by Brian Mann

Forty years ago, New York enacted tough laws in response to a wave of drug-related crime. They became known as the Rockefeller drug laws, and they set the standard for states looking to get tough on crime. But a new debate is under way over the effectiveness of such strict sentencing laws.

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Taxpayers Steaming Over Florida Nuclear Plant's Shuttering

7:15pm February 14, 2013

by Greg Allen

The Crystal River nuclear plant was a driver of commercial life in rural Citrus County, Fla. The power company's decision to close the troubled plant will leave taxpayers and ratepayers on the hook for up to several billion dollars and has residents worried about their region's future.

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'Klansville, U.S.A.' Chronicles The Rise And Fall Of The KKK

5:30pm February 14, 2013

by NPR Staff

Author and sociologist David Cunningham speaks with Fresh Air's Terry Gross about the origins of cross burnings and white hoods, and why North Carolina had more Klan members during the height of the civil rights movement than all other Southern states combined.

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Minute Suite's 7-by-8-feet rooms offer Wi-Fi, a sofa bed, a television and a workspace. One traveler compared the small spaces to having an MRI done, but others say the idea is overdue at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.

National

Airport Suites Offer Travelers A Place To Nap On The Fly

9:44pm February 13, 2013

by Cheryl Corley

One company says it has a solution to long delays between flights: tiny suites where you can sleep, watch TV or work without leaving the airport. Minute Suites is currently operating in Atlanta and Philadelphia and is headed next for Chicago O'Hare and Dallas-Forth Worth.

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John David, 73, teaches fitness classes to help older people stay healthy and fit. Here he teaches an hourlong class at the 92nd Street Y in New York City.

For One Senior, Working Past Retirement Age Is A Workout

8:29pm February 13, 2013

by Ina Jaffe

John David, 73, is one of the many faces of a growing group of Americans: seniors who work. The former TV producer switched careers in his 50s, becoming a fitness instructor. "This turned out to be the real calling," he says.

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National

Search For Ex-L.A. Cop May Be Over

2:04pm February 13, 2013

The week-long manhunt for ex-L.A. police officer Christopher Dorner, recently led to a cabin in Big Bear, which, after an exchange of gunfire, burst into flames, leaving a body inside. Host Neal Conan discusses law enforcement tactics employed and how social media was used during the search.

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Unpacking State of the Union Night Addresses

1:41pm February 13, 2013

NPR's Political Junkie Ken Rudin discusses Tuesday night's big speeches — President Obama's State of the Union; Sen. Marco Rubio's GOP response and GOP Sen. Rand Paul's Tea Party take — with Paul Glastris, editor-in-chief of The Washington Monthly and Peter Robinson of the Hoover Institution.

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