Around the Nation

A new comic features Captain Citrus teaming up with the Avengers to defeat a villain. The new superhero, who uses the power of the sun to generate "energy items," is sponsored by Florida's citrus industry.

Marvel's New Hero Wants To Save The World — And The Citrus Industry

5:40pm September 22, 2014

by Greg Allen

Captain Citrus was sponsored by Florida's orange growers, whose profits are being hurt by disease and declining consumer demand for orange juice. They hope the comic character will boost sales.

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Firefighters from the U.S. Forest Service clean up hot spots of the King fire in the El Dorado National Forest near Georgetown, Calif., late last week.

National

Largest Of Calif. Wildfires Destroys 10 Homes, Other Structures

2:11pm September 22, 2014

by Scott Neuman

More than 5,500 firefighters are battling the so-called King Fire in the Sierra Nevada forest area. Some 2,800 people have been evacuated.

The Biology Of Altruism: Good Deeds May Be Rooted In The Brain

10:55am September 22, 2014

by Michelle Trudeau

Angela Stimpson donated a kidney to a complete stranger. Why did she do it? Researchers found that the brains of Stimpson and other altruists are sensitive to fear and distress in a stranger's face.

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Chief Brita Horn of the Rock Creek Volunteer Fire Department in Colorado says the department is "always short-handed."

National

Shrinking Pool Of Volunteer Firefighters Leaves Communities At Risk

10:03am September 22, 2014

by Bente Birkland

Busy schedules and long hours of training are partly to blame for the ever-shrinking volunteer pool.

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Volunteers Transcribe Material For Smithsonian's Digital Project

9:27am September 22, 2014

The Smithsonian Institution has asked volunteers to transcribe handwritten material from its vast collection. We meet a couple of the transcribers and hear what they've been working on.

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How To Get Children To Behave Without Hitting Them

8:13am September 22, 2014

by Nancy Shute

Most parents say they have used corporal punishment. But there's abundant evidence that it doesn't improve behavior over time. Changing how parents talk to children does work, but it takes practice.

A Different Take On Nude Photographs

7:15am September 22, 2014

Trevor Christensen of Utah takes nude photographs. The subjects are not nude. The photographer is. He wants a picture of how you look when you see the photographer is wearing nothing.

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For This Job, You Need A Creepy Voice And A Fabulous Scream

8:13pm September 21, 2014

by Lucy Perkins

Halloween may seem like it's a long ways away, but haunted houses around the country are already getting ready, and they are looking for aspiring actors who can make the hair on your neck stand up.

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Frostburg State University police officer Derrick Pirolozzi conducts a "knock and talk" at a house near campus, reminding students of laws on underage drinking and open containers.

National

Colleges Brainstorm Ways To Cut Back On Binge Drinking

11:38am September 21, 2014

by Jennifer Ludden

With 40 percent of college students binge drinking, efforts to get students to drink less may seem futile. But something as simple as encouraging beer stores to quit selling pingpong balls can help.

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As Friday's panel chatted on, a lively, honest and engaging conversation was also happening on Twitter. Check out #NPRBroadway for more.

Adding Color To 'The Great White Way'

11:15am September 21, 2014

by Michel Martin

NPR's Michel Martin asks a panel of award-winning playwrights how diverse artists are challenging Broadway's landscape, and whether it matters.

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