Around the Nation

Tennessee Volkswagen Workers Vote On UAW Membership

7:57am February 12, 2014

by Blake Farmer

In Chattanooga on Wednesday, workers at Volkswagen's auto plant will vote on whether to unionize. This is billed as the most closely watched unionization vote in the South in decades.

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Education

Mass. Suit Aims To Clarify Religious Groups' Latitude In Hiring

7:57am February 12, 2014

by Tovia Smith

When it comes to hiring pastors and teachers, religious organizations like churches or schools are exempt from most employment discrimination laws. But a lawsuit in Massachusetts wants to clarify how much leeway they have. For example, can they discriminate against people in same-sex marriages for non-religious jobs like gym teacher or cafeteria worker?

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A new study shows that the income gap between young adults who go to college and those who don't only continues to grow.

Going To College May Cost You, But So Will Skipping It

8:00pm February 11, 2014

by Jennifer Ludden

The gap in earnings between young people who have a college degree and those who don't has continued to widen over the past several decades. And while total student loan debt in the U.S. continues to rise, millennials say a college degree is still worth it.

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An evidence locker at the Vermont field office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is filled with confiscated guns.

National

Straw Buyers Exchange Vermont Guns For East Coast Drugs

8:00pm February 11, 2014

by Taylor Dobbs

Last month, Vermont's governor said addiction has reached epidemic levels in his state. Officials say that high demand, combined with the state's loose gun laws, create a lucrative market for out-of-state dealers.

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Devin Logan practices during a ski slopestyle training session in Sochi on Friday. She says she doesn't stress about competing, even on a course that some have called dangerous. "What we do is scary in general," she says. "But we know how to do it."

Slopestyle Skier Devin Logan Keeps It Cool, But She's 'All In'

7:01pm February 11, 2014

by Sam Sanders

Much of the attention on the Olympic slopestyle events has focused on snowboarders, but the downhill event is also done on skis. Devin Logan enters Tuesday's competition as the world's top-ranked female freestyle skier. And at 20, she'll compete before she can legally celebrate with a beer.

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Ole Einar Bjoerndalen of Norway practices in Sochi on Monday.

The Norwegian Athlete Who's One Medal Away From History

3:55pm February 11, 2014

by Robert Smith

Ole Einar Bjoerndalen is a biathlete competing for a record 13th medal — which would make him the most decorated athlete ever at the Winter Games. No one has ever been so good for so long in his sport. "He's 40 years old, and he's motivated like an 18-year-old," says one expert.

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AmEx Settles With Feds Over Add-On Products

11:07am February 11, 2014

by Sam Sanders

American Express has agreed to pay a $16 million fine and issue nearly $60 million in customer refunds. The settlement with the federal government involves allegations that AmEx misrepresented the value of add-on services, such as identity theft protection.

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Does Congress Have Enough Political Will To Reduce The Debt?

10:24am February 11, 2014

by Ailsa Chang

When the bipartisan budget deal was announced in December, supporters heralded cuts that would balance spending increases — among them, a slight reduction to the pensions of working-age military retirees. But a bipartisan consensus emerged to undo it — calling into the question whether Congress has the political will necessary to make any cuts that reduce the long-term debt.

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Propane cylinders sit on the grounds of Blue Rhino, a propane gas company, in Tavares, Fla. In the Midwest, farmers needed more propane for crops that came in later than normal.

As Temps Drop, Gas Prices Rise, Along With Demand For Fuel

4:18pm February 10, 2014

by Jeff Brady

The country is producing more natural gas than it can burn, but frigid weather has made it harder for companies to deliver that gas to those who need it, especially in densely populated areas in the Northeast. As a result, prices have skyrocketed.

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Kansas Mayor Says Sustainability Is About Community, Not Politics

1:36pm February 10, 2014

by NPR Staff

Today's political polarization makes it seem harder than ever to tackle climate change. Republican Bob Dixson says the goals of going green aren't only for liberals. His town of Greensburg was hit by an unusually strong tornado, and now he's working on a White House task force to prepare communities like his.

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