Around the Nation

Mexican Roots Bind Families Who Settled Early In Texas

5:19pm July 05, 2013

by Shelley Kofler

Unlike many places in America where Latinos are a relatively new minority group, Texas Hispanics were there before white Anglos. In some ways, having once been part of Mexico has lessened the tensions between whites and Latinos. But that's not always the case.

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Advocates for Common Core standards say it will be harder for states to hide their failing schools.

Education Reform Movement Learns Lesson From Old Standards

10:08am July 05, 2013

by Cory Turner

Under the No Child Left Behind law, states saw low test scores and the lowering of score standards. Advocates for the more rigorous Common Core standards say it will be harder for states to hide their failing schools.

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Boy Saved From Drowning By Woman Posing For Engagement Photo

7:06am July 05, 2013

Becki Salmon and her fiancé were posing on the banks of a fast-moving creek in a Philadelphia park. That is until a five-year-old boy started drowning right behind them, reports WPVI TV. Salmon, who's a trained lifeguard, jumped into the water and saved the boy.

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Louisville TV Station Promises Not To Hype Breaking News

5:42am July 05, 2013

by David Folkenflik

Sick of the hype that desperate local TV news programs use to try to draw viewers, a station in Louisville, Kentucky, is making a bold promise: If news isn't breaking at that moment, the station won't call it breaking news. It is part of a new compact with viewers and advertisers not to hype the news.

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The Bizzaro brothers — James, 81 (left) and Paul, 82 — spent their childhoods living in a house right behind the Statue of Liberty.

Two Brothers Remember Lives Spent With Liberty

4:51am July 05, 2013

by NPR Staff

Paul and James Bizzaro spent their childhoods living in a house right behind the Statue of Liberty. Their family moved to Liberty Island 75 years ago, not long after their father became a guard at the statue. Lady Liberty was their playground. And their father kept her torch lit for 36 years.

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Mary Ann Rollings (from left), Gloria Kelley and Linda Lee Stacy were bursting in red, white and blue as they turned out to hear their beloved Boston Pops.

National

Stars, Spangles And Lots Of Security At Boston's July 4 Events

1:43pm July 04, 2013

by Tovia Smith

This year has been anything but routine in Boston, after the deadly marathon bombings and the chaotic manhunt. But tonight, the traditional July Fourth show will go on as the Boston Pops performs amid bursts of fireworks. While the music and pyrotechnics will be familiar, the scene and mood are different.

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Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas delivers remarks during a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting to work on the immigration legislation in May.

Immigration Debate In Congress Riles Up Texas Republicans

9:48am July 04, 2013

by David Welna

In a state with a fast-growing Latino population, the fight over immigration is especially relevant. There's scant backing for the Senate's immigration bill among Texas Republicans in Washington, but some Texans say those lawmakers are "behind the curve."

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History Buffs Commemorate 150 Years Since Gettysburg Battle

9:48am July 04, 2013

by Marie Cusick

This week marks the 150th anniversary of the battle of Gettysburg. While it's widely known as the critical turning point of the Civil War, the small Pennsylvania town has seen many other battles since then — over how the historic site should be preserved and remembered.

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Zimmerman Trial Takes July 4 Off, Case Resumes Friday

9:48am July 04, 2013

by Greg Allen

The jury in the George Zimmerman trial will be off for the holiday but they will remain sequestered during the break. Zimmerman is the neighborhood watch volunteer in Florida accused of killing unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin. On Wednesday, a judge ruled that testimony on Zimmerman's criminal justice studies should be allowed.

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Row 1: Maryam Saif, Austin, Texas; Michael Dubberly, Savannah, Ga.; Nadine Pourier-Blumenshine, Fresno, Calif. Row 2: Timothy Jon Eaton, Kingsport, Tenn.; Kara Milton, Greensboro, N.C.; Thomas Horsley, Boston.

National

The Declaration: What Does Independence Mean To You?

9:48am July 04, 2013

by NPR Staff

We ask visitors on the National Mall about independence and they tell us about the freedoms that are the most important to them.

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