Story of the Day

From Lab To Lectern, Scientists Learn To Turn On the Charm

6:15pm November 30, 2013

by Claire Trageser

Science isn't known as a career field that attracts showboats. But academics must give seminars, pharmaceutical researchers present results, and graduate students defend their work. In San Diego, one of the country's science hubs, a group aims to teach scientists the art of small talk and public speaking.

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Colo. Fracking Votes Put Pressure On Energy Companies

8:45pm November 26, 2013

by Grace Hood

Voters in three Colorado communities passed measures this month limiting the practice of hydraulic fracturing. A close vote in a fourth community means a recount next week. Companies say the measures are creating an uncertain business environment.

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The recent cuts in federal food benefits may be felt most in rural areas and the grocery stores that serve them.

National

Food Stamp Cuts Leave Rural Areas, And Their Grocers, Reeling

6:23pm November 26, 2013

by Mike Moen

In communities grappling with high unemployment, grocery stores serve many customers who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to get by. Some stores are estimating that their sales might fall between 5 and 10 percent now that the government has reduced the benefits.

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The play is staged in a celebratory atmosphere, with drumming, dancing and singing. The lyrics of one song include the line, "Force your daughters to go to school, not to get married."

Can Child Marriages Be Stopped?

6:05pm November 25, 2013

by Jennifer Ludden

Across the developing world, 1 in 3 girls marries before age 18. Some are wed and become mothers by the time they reach their teens. In Malawi, some villages have started to punish parents who marry off their young daughters.

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Economy

Reviving Las Vegas With Less Sin, More City

7:38am November 25, 2013

by NPR Staff

Indeed, the gaming industry is not recession-proof. The financial collapse hit Las Vegas hard, and casino revenues dropped for 22 straight months. The city is now taking steps to claw its way back. In doing so, it may emerge as more than a one-economy town.

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BYD's North American headquarters is located in Los Angeles. Next year, the Chinese-based auto manufacturer will roll out electric buses in LA and Long Beach.

Electric Bus Fleet Brings Chinese Manufacturing To America

7:15pm November 23, 2013

by Daniel Hajek

The Shenzhen-based company BYD started producing cellphone batteries and then moved to electric cars. Now, it's rolling out a fleet of electric buses in the U.S., a first for a Chinese auto manufacturer.

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National

Moved By Kennedy's Death, The Boston Symphony Played On

9:08pm November 21, 2013

by Theo Balcomb

The orchestra was mid-performance when news of the president's assassination reached the symphony hall in 1963. The musicians had to decide: suspend the concert or continue? Their decision transformed a moment of shock into a moment of shared consolation.

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Formerly known as the Alexandria Slave Pen, this ashen gray row house in Alexandria, Va., once housed one of the country's largest slave-dealing firms.

National

A New Life For An Old Slave Jail

7:31pm November 19, 2013

by Hansi Lo Wang

Lewis Henry Bailey was freed from slavery in Texas and began his journey back to Virginia by foot 150 years ago. The jail where he was sold to slave dealers as a child is now a museum and the offices of a local Urban League chapter just outside of the nation's capital.

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A lineman grounds a line on a replacement pole in McNeill, Miss., after 2012 Christmas day storms downed both telephone and electric power lines and poles throughout the state. Upkeep on traditional landlines is expensive, and some are pushing for relaxin

National

Is It The End Of The Line For The Landline?

2:35pm November 19, 2013

by Martin Kaste

The U.S. landline network was once the best in the world. But these days, phone companies see them as a burden, an old technology too expensive to maintain. AT&T wants to start replacing the system with cheaper options. Some call it a hasty abandonment of the tried-and-true traditional network.

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Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, ICANN, president and chief executive Rod Beckstrom, speaks on expanding the number of domain name suffixes during a press conference in London in 2012.

Is The Internet Domain Land Rush A Land Rush At All?

7:07pm November 17, 2013

by NPR Staff

Domain names are the real estate of the Internet, and they are bought and sold every day. But until recently, space in the cyber real estate market has been cramped. But soon there's going to be a lot more than .coms out there, and a lot of companies are bidding huge amounts to get the new Internet addresses.

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