National

National

Making Sense Of Cleveland's Good And Bad News

11:29am July 25, 2013

by Nick Castele

As Cleveland embraces national attention for its booming arts and culinary scene, its new convention center and its world-class medical facilities, it struggles with recent grisly crimes and the message they send.

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The Los Angeles Police Department helped launch the Watts Bears, a team of the Pee Wee division of Pop Warner football, in 2012. The players come from the neighborhood and practice at a park that's considered a neutral site between local gangs.

National

After Years Of Violence, L.A.'s Watts Sees Crime Subside

10:48am July 25, 2013

by Kirk Siegler

For decades, the Watts neighborhood has been notorious for gang violence and strained relations between residents and police. But violent crime and homicide have fallen dramatically in recent years, and a community policing effort is helping to ease tensions between cops and the community.

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Senate Passes Student Loan Legislation To Lower Interest Rates

9:31am July 25, 2013

by Ailsa Chang

After much drama, the Senate finally voted on a student loan bill that would tie the borrower's rate to the 10-year Treasury note on Wednesday. The proposal is a bipartisan compromise and similar both to a House plan and one offered by President Obama.

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National

Collecting Taxes Among Detroit's Financial Troubles

7:58am July 25, 2013

by Quinn Klinefelter

As Detroit grapples with the largest municipal bankruptcy in the nation's history, city officials are dealing with a long-standing financial problem — collecting taxes. In recent years, only about half of the property taxes in Detroit have been paid in full. But some officials say the city's government has grown so dysfunctional, people who want to pay taxes sometimes have no place to do it.

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House Rejects Measure That Would Have Curbed NSA Program

7:58pm July 24, 2013

The House rejected a measure that would have ended funding for a National Security Agency program that collects the phone records of Americans. The amendment to the defense spending bill had the support of liberal Democrats and libertarian Republicans, but was opposed by the Obama administration.

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Homer Bell's family: sister Laura Bell (from left), sister Regina Bell, mother Rosalind Scott and stepfather Jack Wilcox.

How A Family Copes With Schizophrenia And Suicide

7:21pm July 24, 2013

by Jeff Cohen

Serious mental illness can take a toll — not only on the person experiencing the symptoms but on family members, too. The Bell family still struggles with the loss of Homer, their son and brother, who recently killed himself after living with schizophrenia for 30 years.

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National

'Bat Cave' Road In Chicago Accessible To Only A Few

7:21pm July 24, 2013

by Cheryl Corley

In Chicago, there's a 2.5 mile roadway that the city's mayor calls the "Bat Cave." It's been around for more than a decade but it's more secret than public. The mini-highway was designed to ferry conventioneers to Chicago's massive McCormick Place convention hall. It's also a favorite of politicians with just the right amount of clout. Now, some want taxis to have access too.

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The California Tortilla chain is one company still deciding how to react to the new health care requirements for business, set to take effect next year.

Full-Time Vs. Part-Time Workers: Restaurants Weigh Obamacare

7:21pm July 24, 2013

by John Ydstie

With the new health care law on the horizon, the restaurant industry is looking carefully at the looming health insurance requirements. Some national chains are looking at ways of limiting the new law's impact on the bottom line, while other restaurant owners say the new law won't change much for them.

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Casual man sitting on a table reading a book, with a stack of video games and a basketball nearby.

NCAA Should 'Bolster And Reinforce' African-American Players

11:59am July 24, 2013

by Frank Deford

Commentator Frank Deford says our educational system should care more about encouraging good black students instead of using good black athletes.

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Being In The Minority Can Cost You And Your Company

11:59am July 24, 2013

by Shankar Vedantam

Social scientists recently made an interesting discovery: The wage gap between blacks and whites (working identical jobs) varies greatly by location.

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