National

Alaska's Pot Cafes Will Give Patrons A Taste Of Cannabis

7:39am December 24, 2015

by Elizabeth Jenkins

Alaska is about to become the first state to have pot cafes where people can buy and consume marijuana. The state's marijuana control board recently approved on-site consumption at retail stores.

Queue Listen Now

'Tranquility' Is A Way Station On Iowa's Campaign Trail

7:15am December 24, 2015

by Tamara Keith

Presidential campaigns involve hundreds of paid staff and thousands of volunteers. A critical element is supporter housing. Kurt Meyer opens his home to campaign employees, volunteers and candidates.

Queue Listen Now

Evan Bonham is a senior studying music production at New York University's Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music.

2 Students Hope Their Investment In Arts Education Will Pay Off

8:09pm December 23, 2015

by Robert Siegel

Follow your dreams — that's what so many parents tell their kids. But at what cost? We caught up with two students who chose very different paths to study the arts in New York City.

Queue Listen Now

Hector Black at his home in rural Tennessee.

National

90-Year-Old Gay Man Recalls Long Struggle With His Sexuality

6:35pm December 23, 2015

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks to 90-year-old Hector Black about his life as a closeted gay man who didn't come out until he was 70 years old.

Queue Listen Now

A snow gun sits idle at the Mount Sunapee Ski resort in Newbury, N.H., on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015. Unusually warm weather has forced many ski resorts to delay their seasons â or get creative.

Snowless Ski Resorts Offer Hiking, Mini Golf — Or Pleas For Donations

6:23pm December 23, 2015

by Camila Domonoske

For mountains in the Midwest and Northeast, this is the winter that just won't start. That means resorts are re-opening summer activities — or, in some cases, asking the public for good ideas.

Low Gas Prices Expected To Continue In 2016

5:43pm December 23, 2015

by Jeff Brady

U.S. drivers are becoming accustomed to lower prices at the pump, and sales of bigger cars are rising. But if people start driving more because they can afford it, will it hurt environmental efforts?

Raiye Seyoum, 16, a junior at Northwood, doesn't think quotas are fair.

What Is Fair? High School Students Talk About Affirmative Action

5:06pm December 23, 2015

However the Supreme Court rules on affirmative action, it will affect the lives of college-bound teens. So we asked them: Should college admissions decisions take race into consideration?

Queue Listen Now

National

Despite Grim Media Reports, Crime Rates Are Actually Down In The U.S.

5:05pm December 23, 2015

Media reports this past year have gestured toward an incoming crime wave. But according to a study from the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, crime rates are actually down from last year and half what they were in 1990. NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Matthew Friedman, an economist at the Brennan Center and co-author of this report, about why crime is down and why murder rates are slightly up.

Queue Listen Now

You might be able to get fungus-free toenails, but it could cost you.

It's Costing A Lot Of Money To Make Those Toenails Fungus-Free

5:02pm December 23, 2015

by Angus Chen

The health care system could save millions of dollars on treating toenail fungus by cutting out one test, researchers say. But that means that some people might take medication they didn't need.

Young student raps in front of a chalkboard in class

Hip-Hop Vocab: The Lexicon Is In The Lyrics

4:34pm December 23, 2015

by Joe Palca

College student Austin Martin has created a website that uses rap lyrics to teach vocabulary to middle and high school students.