Around the Nation

Daniel Riscoe, Jenna Hart, Anthony Chau and Caroline Lloyd (all students from the Peddie School in Hightstown, N.J.) carry donated Christmas trees across Island Beach.

After Sandy, Not All Sand Dunes Are Created Equal

5:04pm February 15, 2013

by Adam Cole

In New Jersey, thousands of discarded Christmas trees have dodged the wood chipper and hit the beach instead. They're being used to jump-start new dunes, but scientists warn that these man-made dunes could be less sturdy than dunes that form naturally.

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Some sports supplements contain the ingredient DMAA. The FDA has warned that DMAA may not be safe.

Popular Workout Booster Draws Safety Scrutiny

4:18pm February 15, 2013

by Rob Stein

Exercise buffs who take dietary supplements with the ingredient know as DMAA say the stimulant gives them a boost of energy. But some researchers and the Food and Drug Administration are worried that these products could be dangerous.

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Checking In On Chicago Schools' 'Safe Passage' Program

4:18pm February 15, 2013

by David Schaper

In Chicago on Friday, President Obama explored his home city's gun violence problem at an appearance at a South Side high school — the same school NPR's David Schaper visited two years ago to report on its "safe passage" program to help students get to and from school safely. Schaper returns to see how the program and other anti-violence initiatives are working.

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Now 59, George Prendes works as a telemarketer in New York and struggles to make the rent on his small Bronx apartment.

National

Decades On, Stiff Drug Sentence Leaves A Life 'Dismantled'

1:11pm February 15, 2013

by Brian Mann

George Prendes was 23 when he was sentenced under New York's Rockefeller drug laws — tough mandatory sentencing guidelines for nonviolent drug crimes. The 15 years Prendes served for a drug transaction still reverberate for him and his family.

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In Kansas, A 'Glide Path' To No Income Taxes. Will It Work?

9:47am February 15, 2013

by Frank Morris

Gov. Sam Brownback plans to get rid of Kansas' income tax and cut the size of state government. Some lawmakers say it's a great experiment that will show that lower tax rates and streamlined bureaucracy can stimulate growth; others are concerned about overreaching.

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The Caplans. Louis, 76, and Harriet, 67, visited StoryCorps in Santa Fe, N.M.

National

A Husband And Wife Blessed Late In Life

8:39am February 15, 2013

by NPR Staff

He was in his late 50s. She was in her late 40s. Louis and Harriet Caplan talk about how they became a couple at a stage in life when most people give up on falling in love, and about making the most of their time together.

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Automatic Budget Cuts Near As Democrats, GOP Stand Firm

8:39am February 15, 2013

by Mara Liasson

It looks like the across the board spending cuts that were never supposed to happen are going to — at least for a while. It's another sign of Washington's dysfunction.

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Longest Known Married Couple Lives In Louisiana

8:39am February 15, 2013

Norma and Norman Burmah got married in 1931. This year they became the longest known married couple in the U.S. Norma is 99 years old. Norman is 102.

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How Will Proposed Merger Affect Airline Passengers?

8:39am February 15, 2013

by Dan Bobkoff

Conventional wisdom says fewer airlines mean higher fares and fewer flights. But experts say the American Airlines-U.S. Airways proposed merger is a mixed bag. Past mergers haven't led to significantly higher fares, but will this time be different?

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The Jan. 4, 1973, edition of the New York Daily News reports that Gov. Rockefeller's State of the State speech called for a life sentence for drug pushers.

National

The Drug Laws That Changed How We Punish

3:05am February 15, 2013

by Brian Mann

Forty years ago, New York enacted tough laws in response to a wave of drug-related crime. They became known as the Rockefeller drug laws, and they set the standard for states looking to get tough on crime. But a new debate is under way over the effectiveness of such strict sentencing laws.

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