Around the Nation

National

Investigation Begins Into Fiery North Dakota Oil Train Crash

6:56pm December 31, 2013

by Todd McDonald

Federal safety investigators are in eastern North Dakota at the site of a train wreck. The train was carrying crude oil and apparently crashed into a soybean shipment that had derailed, triggering a series of blasts that engulfed nearly two dozen cars in flames. Residents of nearby Casselton, N.D., evacuated overnight, and the town's mayor is now calling for changes to how crude oil is transported across the country.

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Science

10,000 Year Clock Challenges Approach To Time

8:56am December 31, 2013

In this final interview in our series of conversations about the future, Morning Edition co-host Steve Inskeep talks to Danny Hillis, a scientist and engineer and the inventor of a clock designed to last 10,000 years. The clock is meant to encourage people to think about the long-range future; the "long now" as Hillis calls it.

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Sports

Kiwi Gardner Gets A Break, Told To 'Go At The Rim'

7:44am December 31, 2013

by Tom Goldman

Two months ago, NPR listeners were introduced to Kiwi Gardner, 20, a 5'7" basketball wiz from Oakland, Calif. Like so many talented young ballplayers, Gardner's ultimate goal is the NBA but he has took take the minor league route.

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Would-Be Robber Rejects Victim's Flip Phone

7:44am December 31, 2013

A man was being mugged in New York's Central Park when the thief asked for the victim's phone. According to the New York Post, when he saw it was an old phone, he gave it back to the victim.

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Giant Peach, Cheese Wedge To Ring In New Year

7:44am December 31, 2013

In Georgia, an 800 pound peach is Atlanta's version of the Times Square crystal ball. Among the other huge items being dropped New Year's Eve: A giant ruby slipper in Key West, Fla. In Plymouth, Wis., an 80 pound cheese wedge is decorated for the occasion.

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The Cost To Keep The Home Team At Home May Not Be Worth It

7:52pm December 30, 2013

by NPR Staff

Increasingly, privately owned sports teams aren't just asking for newer, fancier digs. They're also asking the public to pay half — or more — of the bill.

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Twitter made its debut on the New York Stock Exchange in November. Both the social media giant and the relative newcomer Snapchat are valued in the billions, but neither company has yet turned a profit.

$0 Profits Couldn't Hold Back This Year's Tech Darlings

6:30pm December 30, 2013

by Steve Henn

In Silicon Valley, zero profit and even zero revenue don't make a company a loser. Tech companies like Snapchat and Twitter, which have not yet turned any profit, can be worth billions of dollars based on future potential alone.

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A diving whale off the coast of Southern California near the Los Angeles suburb of Palos Verdes in 2010.

Whale Traffic Jam Delights Visitors And Baffles Scientists

6:13pm December 30, 2013

by Kirk Siegler

Now is a good time to spot gray whales off the coast of Southern California, but scientists have been seeing an unusually high number of other whales. "The fact that we're getting a chance to see at this time of year fin whales, blue whales, is really a mystery," says a marine biologist.

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National

Priest Released After Court Overturns Child Endangerment Charge

4:38pm December 30, 2013

by Jeff Brady

A Catholic Church official convicted of child endangerment as part of a priest abuse scandal will be released from prison soon. An appeals court overturned his conviction and a Philadelphia judge ordered Monsignor William Lynn released on $250,000 bail. Prosecutors vow to restore the conviction.

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New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg speaks at the opening of the New York Genome Center on Sept. 19 in New York City.

Assessing Bloomberg's Legacy Is A Complex Task

11:16am December 30, 2013

by Margot Adler

On Tuesday, Michael Bloomberg ends his three terms as mayor of New York City. His 12 years in office were groundbreaking, locally and globally.

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