There's an upside to cold, snowless New England days — great skating
Maine Public reporter Ari Snider heads out on a couple of Maine's lakes to explore the burgeoning sport of "wild ice skating." (Story aired on All Things Considered on Jan. 16, 2025.)
Civil Penalties At Stake In Trial Against BP
A massive civil lawsuit over liability for the worst oil disaster in U.S. history goes to trial next week in New Orleans. The U.S. Justice Department and Gulf states say BP was grossly negligent and put profits over safety, leading to the 2010 explosion of the Deepwater Horizon. Eleven rig workers were killed. Settlement talks have continued but states say they are pushing for a trial to make sure BP is held accountable and pays to restore the Gulf Coast environment and economy.
Older Tech Workers Oppose Overhauling H-1B Visas
Overhauling immigration is complicated and controversial. There's been a proposed increase in H-1B visas. Those are the visas that allow companies to bring in skilled foreign workers for jobs that can't be filled by Americans.
Obama Again Calls For Balanced Plan For Cuts
President Obama spoke Tuesday about the impacts of deep spending cuts scheduled to take effect March 1. With a group of first responders in uniform standing behind him in the White House, he said if Congress doesn't stop the cuts, responders won't be able to help communities respond to disasters.
Houston Couple Welcomes Quadruplets
The couple thought they'd hit the jackpot when they found out they were expecting twins. Then they heard four heartbeats. About 1 in 800,000 births are quadruplets. But two sets of identical twins — what are the odds? About 70 million to 1.
Hackers Disrupt Burger King's Twitter Account
The hackers changed Burger King's bio, saying the company was sold to rival McDonalds because the Whopper had flopped. McDonalds tweeted "Not Us!" The hackers, however, brought Burger King 30,000 new followers.
Majority Of Downloaded Apps Are Abandoned
People have been downloading about 10 apps per month onto their devices. Great news for businesses, except research from the business consulting firm Nuance Enterprise shows that the vast majority of those apps are quickly forgotten about, especially those that are free.
Islamists Failed To Quiet Mali's Music
The African nation of Mali has long claimed it gave birth to the blues. Renee Montagne reports that the country's musical tradition was threatened this past year when Islamist militants took over the deserts of northern Mali and banned music.
Prisoner's Handwritten Petition Prompts Justices To Weigh Government Immunity
The Supreme Court hears arguments on whether the federal government can be sued for the actions of prison guards. It comes 50 years after the landmark Gideon v. Wainwright ruling required states to provide counsel for indigent criminal defendants, a case that also began with a long shot, longhand plea from behind bars.