U.S.

Cautious Optimism For Behind-The-Scenes Fiscal Dealing

5:28pm December 29, 2012

The deadline for the so-called "fiscal cliff" is fast-approaching. The combination of automatic spending cuts and tax hikes go into effect in just three days. NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with host Jacki Lyden about where congressional leaders are on a deal.

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Kathy Del Tonto (far right) participates in a class that teaches school cafeteria workers how to prepare meals from scratch.

One Lunch Lady's Cafeteria Conversion

6:02pm December 28, 2012

by Eric Whitney

"If it's not me, who's it going to be?" asks Colorado school cafeteria manager Kathy Del Tonto. After serving processed foods in her cafeterias for years, she realized that reducing childhood obesity can begin with her. She now has the lunch ladies making 95 percent of meals from scratch.

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David Easterling, manager of the Suicide Prevention Program at Fort Riley in Kansas spray-paints Army boots white in 2009 as part of an on-base display to commemorate the six Fort Riley soldiers who committed suicide in 2008.

Suicide Hotline Fights To Keep Vets And Troops Alive

5:06pm December 28, 2012

by Quil Lawrence

For the first time in a decade of war, more active-duty troops took their own lives this year than died fighting in Afghanistan. The national suicide hotline is one way the Department of Veterans Affairs is trying to help troops and vets.

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National

Major Port Strike Averted — For Now

5:06pm December 28, 2012

by Jim Zarroli

A threatened strike by the International Longshoremen's Association at 14 ports along the East and Gulf Coasts has been called off. Federal negotiators say the union has reached an agreement with the United States Maritime Alliance and will extend contract talks.

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Russia's Putin Signs Controversial Adoption Bill

1:42pm December 28, 2012

by Corey Flintoff

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday signed a measure that would ban Americans from adopting Russian children. The ban is designed as retaliation for a new U.S. law that sanctions Russian officials accused of human rights violations.

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Making Resolutions That Stick

1:03pm December 28, 2012

Vowing to stop smoking, curb spending or exercise more this January 1? Nearly half of U.S. adults will make year-end resolutions to change for the better in the coming year. Clinical psychologist John Norcross talks about how to increase the odds of success.

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Assessing Hillary Clinton's Legacy

12:04pm December 28, 2012

by Michele Kelemen

She is about to step aside as secretary of state and "step off this incredibly high wire." She generally gets high praise, though some critics say her role was limited on the major foreign policy questions of the past four years.

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Templeton, Iowa, is a tiny farming community mostly unchanged since the days of Prohibition.

The Rebirth Of Rye Whiskey And Nostalgia For 'The Good Stuff'

11:04am December 28, 2012

by Noah Adams

Rye was all but pushed off the market by sweeter, corn-based bourbon after Prohibition, but it might be coming back, no illegal still required. Bartenders from coast to coast seem to prefer its intense flavor for their cocktail creations.

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John Cruitt reunited with his third-grade teacher, Cecile Doyle, to tell her about the impact she had on him as he coped with his mother's death.

National

Decades Later, Student Finds Teacher To Say 'Thank You'

7:45am December 28, 2012

When John Cruitt's mother died, his teacher was there to help him cope. More than 50 years later, Cruitt sought to find the woman who, he says, changed his life.

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People visit a memorial outside Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., on Dec. 15.

Shootings Leave Sandy Hook Survivors Rethinking The Odds

11:02pm December 27, 2012

by Alix Spiegel

The probability that an individual will experience a school shooting may be low. But when the improbable happens to you, where do you find comfort?

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