Around the Nation

Politics & Government

South Carolina's Jim DeMint To Leave U.S. Senate

5:19am December 07, 2012

by Brian Naylor

Republican Senator Jim DeMint announced Thursday that he is resigning his seat from South Carolina to become president of the right-leaning Heritage Foundation, a Washington think tank. What will his departure mean for the Senate and for South Carolina?

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Camden City Police Chief Scott Thomson says he has shooting investigations "backlogging like burglary cases." Half of his force was laid off last year, and the city says expensive benefits in the police union contract are preventing them from hiring more

Crime-Ridden Camden To Dump City Police Force

7:54pm December 06, 2012

by Ailsa Chang

Already this year, the New Jersey city has surpassed its previous record for murders. But despite the high crime rate, the city is laying off its police force. City officials, who say the unionized police force has too many perks, are now turning to the county to provide a larger and cheaper force. Critics say the move is a strategy to bust the union.

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Spelman College has dropped NCAA athletics in favor of a comprehensive fitness program. The school now offers classes like Zumba to help encourage all students to exercise more.

To Trim Down, Spelman Trades Sports For Fitness

6:40pm December 06, 2012

by Kathy Lohr

Officials at Spelman College, a historically black women's college in Atlanta, have decided to scrap the school's NCAA program. With few students participating in organized sports, the college has decided to devote those funds to a fitness program designed to reach the entire student body.

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National

Mich. Approves 'Right To Work' Bill As Dems Walk Out

6:40pm December 06, 2012

Michigan's state house has voted to approve a "right-to-work" bill that would weaken the power of labor unions. Democrats walked out in protest. Audie Cornish talks to Rick Pluta of Michigan Public Radio.

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Atlantic City's boardwalk, with its shops, restaurants, casinos and hotels, was mostly protected during Hurricane Sandy by a dune restoration project. But TV images of one small section that was damaged gave the impression that the whole thing was destroy

National

Post-Sandy: Atlantic City Wants Its Tourists Back

4:24pm December 06, 2012

by David Schaper

A month after Hurricane Sandy pounded the New Jersey Shore, Atlantic City is back in business. Even though most of the casinos, restaurants and the famous boardwalk sustained very little damage in the storm, they're now suffering from a lack of visitors.

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Washington Legalizes Pot: What's Changed?

2:05pm December 06, 2012

Washington is the first state to legalize marijuana for recreational use. Many questions remain about what will change for users, growers and law enforcement. Keith Seinfeld, assistant news director at Seattle's KPLU, explains what's changed so far in Washington.

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Why Some Homeless Choose The Streets Over Shelters

2:04pm December 06, 2012

Hypothermia kills an estimated 700 people experiencing, or at-risk of homelessness each year, according to the National Coalition for the Homeless. Every day, street outreach workers in cities across the nation go out into communities to encourage people on the street to take shelter, but many homeless people refuse.

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Documenting Tragedy: The Ethics Of Photojournalism

1:52pm December 06, 2012

When the New York Post published a freelancer's photograph of a man trapped in the path of an oncoming subway train, many photojournalists, editors and consumers decried the decision as unethical. Others argue that the photo was essential to the story.

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'Star Wars' Fan Builds Life-Size Millennium Falcon

7:14am December 06, 2012

Chris Lee bought 88-acres of land for the project in Tennessee. The BBC says a college student in Alabama has already built the spaceship's console.

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Education

Satellite Colleges Setting Up Shop In Phoenix Suburbs

5:41am December 06, 2012

by Peter O'Dowd

Phoenix suburbs are becoming a magnet for small universities. Five schools — Benedictine, Albright, Wilkes, Upper Iowa and Westminster — have announced plans for satellite campuses in downtown Mesa. And at least three more are coming to Peoria.

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