National

Students at Tenth Street Elementary out on the playground.

L.A. Schools Hire Security Aides To Watch For Threats

7:20am April 10, 2013

by Kirk Siegler

Amid deep budget cuts and layoffs, the nation's second-largest school district is spending $4.5 million to hire 1,000 new aides this year. The superintendent says he'd rather use the money to hire back teachers, but the shootings in Newtown, Conn., led to a change in priorities.

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Some Public Defenders Warn: 'We Have Nothing Left To Cut'

7:20am April 10, 2013

by Carrie Johnson

Around the country, budget cuts are bringing some federal public defenders to the breaking point. "We can't not pay the rent, and ... everything else is personnel. We can't send a computer to court," says Washington, D.C., public defender A.J. Kramer.

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Head coach Jeff Walz of the Louisville Cardinals talks to his team during a timeout in the game against the Maryland Terrapins in the second round of the NCAA women's basketball tournament.

Giant-Killing Louisville Women Look To Keep Charmed Run Alive

7:34pm April 09, 2013

by Tom Goldman

The Louisville women haven't beaten UConn in 20 years — including a 22-point loss to the Huskies in the 2009 women's national championship game. And Connecticut breezed in their last matchup in January. But as any tournament watcher knows, January is ancient history when it comes to March — and April — madness.

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Louisville Cardinals' athletic director Tom Jurich is often cited as the reason the school has become a national athletic powerhouse.

How Louisville Went From 'Little Brother' To Powerhouse

7:34pm April 09, 2013

by Rick Howlett

University of Louisville fans have had a lot to cheer about lately — and not just basketball. Monday's big victory by the school's men's basketball team over Michigan is just the latest success for an athletic department that is quickly becoming one of the country's most admired.

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The 'Hard To Change' Legacy Of Medicare Payments

9:14am April 09, 2013

by Julie Rovner

One possible proposal in President Obama's budget would change the way Medicare patients pay for their care. It's been floated as a possible bipartisan compromise, but it's an idea with a long, controversial and unsuccessful history.

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Spring Blooms, And So Do The Creepy Crawlies

7:49am April 09, 2013

Springtime means bug time. Michael Raupp, professor of entomology at the University of Maryland, has the story of a big brood of cicadas that is set to emerge up and down the East Coast. We can also expect the largest infestation of stink bugs this year. USDA entomologist Tracy Leskey talks about the bugs with guest host Jacki Lyden.

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In Columbus, Ohio, signs of the sequester were hard to find.

Searching For The Sequester In The Middle Of Ohio

9:59pm April 08, 2013

by Tamara Keith

It's only been about a month since across-the-board federal spending cuts kicked in, but real, tangible, quantifiable signs of the sequester are proving hard to find so far. Politically, that means — for now, at least — there's not much pressure for Congress to undo or modify it.

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Mount Hope, W.Va., population 1,400, was once a thriving coal town. Today, many of the storefronts in its tiny downtown sit empty.

National

Struggling W.Va. Town Hopes Boy Scout Camp Brings New Life

9:59pm April 08, 2013

by Noah Adams

Prosperity in Mount Hope, W.Va., faded along with the local coal industry. Residents are hopeful that a Boy Scout camp atop a nearby mountain, slated to open in July, will attract new residents, visitors and dollars to the town. But others are worried any new wealth will remain on the mountaintop.

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Electrolux's new plant in Memphis, Tenn., is the Swedish appliance company's most modern and high-tech facility. The factory will open this summer while an Electrolux plant in Quebec, Canada, is being shuttered.

One Manufacturing Giant Creates Winners And Losers

9:59pm April 08, 2013

by Andrea Hsu

Residents in Memphis, Tenn., are thrilled that Swedish appliance giant Electrolux is opening a new factory there this year. The company plans to employ 1,200 people at the new, high-tech facility. But in Webster, Iowa, an Electrolux plant closure in 2011 has left the local economy reeling.

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North Korea's Threats: Predicable Pattern Or Provocation?

4:05pm April 08, 2013

The North Korean government officially suspended operations at the Kaesong industrial complex, withdrawing all of its more than 50,000 workers. Many see the complex as the last remaining symbol of North and South Korean unity and fear that tensions may be nearing a dangerous tipping point.

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