National

Miner Steve Ator cleans a drill bit inside the Lincoln Project Mine, in Sutter Creek, Calif.

National

New Gold Rush Has Little Luster For Some In The Golden State

6:23pm January 28, 2013

by Lauren Sommer

More than 150 years ago, prospectors moved to California hoping to strike it rich. Now, companies are reopening hard rock mines that have been shut down for decades, but past experiences with environmental damage have made some communities leery of gold diggers.

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The Silver Lining In Drought: 5 Upsides To Rain-Free Weather

6:23pm January 28, 2013

by Sarah McCammon

Drought is mostly seen as a bad thing — and for good reason. But the upsides include fewer mosquitoes, less polluted runoff and greater awareness of climate change.

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Whit Hiler (left) and Griffin VanMeter are spearheading the campaign to change Kentucky's slogan from Unbridled Spirit to Kentucky Kicks Ass.

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Unbridled Kentuckians Decide It's Time For A Kick-Ass New Slogan

6:23pm January 28, 2013

by Brenna Angel

A couple of advertising professionals want to spruce up their home state's image by ditching the slogan Unbridled Spirit for a new one: Kentucky Kicks Ass. The new slogan has garnered fans as far away as Japan and England, but will state officials sign off on it?

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Visitors take in a re-created scene at the massacre museum at Vietnam's My Lai village. Researcher Nick Turse says atrocities of all kinds were more common in the Vietnam War than most Americans believe.

'Anything That Moves': Civilians And The Vietnam War

4:06pm January 28, 2013

In a new book, Nick Turse says the pressure on U.S. forces to produce a body count during the Vietnam War led to mass civilian deaths. "The idea," he says, "was that the Vietnamese, they weren't really people."

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Subaru, known for its success in Denver, the Pacific Northwest and the Northeast, aims to expand its market to Texas and Tennessee.

National

Beyond Portlandia: Subaru Drives For America's Heartland

10:11am January 28, 2013

by Sonari Glinton

The Japanese carmaker aims to expand its markets to other states after much success in the Pacific Northwest and the Northeast. "They don't have to be everything to everyone; they have to be something to someone," says Jake Fisher, director of auto testing at Consumer Reports.

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Mike Williams (left) was homeless and broke in Sacramento, Calif., when he met Dr. Jong Chen. Now the two men are working together to develop a portable housing pod for the homeless.

National

A Doctor's Kindness Gives Homeless Inventor A Second Chance

6:34pm January 27, 2013

by NPR Staff

After inventor Mike Williams lost his business and his marriage, he ended up homeless. Then he found himself in the hospital after he was attacked and beaten in a California park. Dr. Jong Chen helped Williams back to health and back on his feet. Now they're working together on another invention.

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National

The Changing Nature of American Diplomacy

9:18am January 27, 2013

Confirmation hearings begin on Thursday for President Obama's pick to replace Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Nominee Sen. John Kerry told a Senate committee that he would come to the job at a moment when the world is "complicated and ever more dangerous."

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Alicia McCoy holds a photo of her husband, Sgt. Brandon McCoy. Despite taking part in basewide suicide prevention efforts at Fort Campbell in 2009, Sgt. McCoy took his own life in 2012.

National

To Combat Suicides, Army Focuses On The Homefront

7:32pm January 25, 2013

by Blake Farmer

Military suicides hit a record high in 2012, and the Army has been the hardest-hit branch. Its prevention efforts have included everything from a buddy system to 24-hour hotlines. Now, the Army is deploying psychiatrists and counselors to the places where soldiers live and work.

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Court Ruling Upsets Conventional Wisdom On Recess Appointments

6:51pm January 25, 2013

by Carrie Johnson

In a bombshell decision, a federal appeals court panel has invalidated President Obama's recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board. Legal experts say the ruling deals a big victory to Senate Republicans in an era of congressional gridlock, and could push the issue to the Supreme Court.

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Bryan Wilmoth (right) reunited with his brother Michael years after their parents kicked Bryan out for being gay. All six of their siblings either ran away or were kicked out of their family's home over the years.

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After Years Of Estrangement, Eight Siblings Become A Family

9:14am January 25, 2013

by NPR Staff

Bryan Wilmoth grew up in a strict, religious household where all of his siblings either ran away or were kicked out. He was the first to go, after his father discovered he was gay. Years later, Wilmoth tried piecing the family back together and assuming the big brother role once again.

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