News

A makeshift memorial sits on a downtown street a block away from Canada's National War Memorial in Ottawa to remember Canadian soldier Nathan Cirillo, who was shot and killed by an assailant Wednesday.

World News

Ottawa Gunman's Actions Were 'Linked To His Radicalization,' Authorities Say

7:08pm October 23, 2014

by Scott Neuman

A man identified as 32-year-old Michael Zehaf-Bibeau was killed by police in a Parliament building in Ottawa. He's being described as a recent convert to Islam.

The Fairfax County 911 Center in Virginia takes calls during Hurricane Sandy in 2012. It was relatively easy to locate callers when most people used landlines. But most 911 calls now come from cellphones, which can pinpoint a callers' location only within

National

Calling 911 On Your Cell? It's Harder To Find You Than You Think

6:57pm October 23, 2014

by Lucy Perkins

If you call 911 from inside a tall building, emergency responders may have difficulty finding you. Cellphone GPS technology currently doesn't work well indoors — but the FCC hopes to change that.

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The headquarters of Reynolds American in downtown Winston-Salem, N.C.. Starting in January, workers there will no longer be allowed to smoke at their desks.

Cigarette-Maker Reynolds American To Ban Smoking At Work

6:35pm October 23, 2014

by Yuki Noguchi

Until now, Reynolds employees have been able to light up at their desks. But come January, workers will have to either go outside or use specially equipped smoking rooms.

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U.S.-Led Strikes In Syria Have Killed 553, Activists Say

6:23pm October 23, 2014

by Eyder Peralta

Most of those killed — 464 — were fighters with the Islamic State. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also counted 32 civilians among the dead.

A Haitian woman holds cherries from a coffee tree. Haiti's coffee trade was once a flourishing industry, but it has been crippled by decades of deforestation, political chaos and now, climate change.

World News

Climate Change Has Coffee Growers In Haiti Seeking Higher Ground

5:54pm October 23, 2014

by Peter Granitz

Haiti's once-flourishing coffee trade has been badly battered. The latest threat: climate change. Locals who still rely on coffee for their livelihood must learn to grow it in changing climes.

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The homeless and others in need enjoy lunch at the Los Angeles Mission on Nov. 23, 2011, in celebration of Thanksgiving. Legislation to ban organizations from serving food to homeless people in public places has been proposed in Los Angeles.

National

More Cities Are Making It Illegal To Hand Out Food To The Homeless

5:54pm October 23, 2014

by Eliza Barclay

Lots of groups and individuals try to help the homeless in their communities by offering them food. But a report finds that cities are increasingly passing measures to restrict these efforts.

Direct Relief has been shipping medical supplies to West Africa.

This May Be The Largest Private Donation To Fight Ebola

5:05pm October 23, 2014

by Linda Poon

Philanthropist Paul Allen is giving at least $100 million to support health care workers battling Ebola. Here's a look at his goals — and at contributions from other charitable groups.

University of North Carolina system President Tom Ross and UNC Chapel Hill Chancellor Carol L. Folt talk during a special joint meeting of the UNC Board of Governors and the UNC Chapel Hill Board of Trustees on Wednesday.

Report Says UNC Grade-Boosting Scandal Involved Fake Classes

4:51pm October 23, 2014

by Sam Sanders

An independent investigation found that the school's African and Afro-American Studies Department used the "paper classes" to inflate grades for more than 3,000 students, nearly half of them athletes.

The National Zoo's carousel is among dozens that Carousel Works has installed around the U.S., each made to fit in with its surroundings.

No Mere Merry-Go-Round: Ohio Carousel Maker Carves From Scratch

4:33pm October 23, 2014

by NPR Staff

Wooden carousels, with hand-carved and painted horses, seem like a relic of the past. But Carousel Works in Mansfield, Ohio, is one of a few companies still making them to order.

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National

A New Understanding Of Arson Spurs A Retrial In A Fatal Texas Fire

4:24pm October 23, 2014

by Michael May

Much of the evidence used against Ed Graf, in prison since 1986 for setting a fire that killed his stepsons, is now considered junk science. His is one of many old arson cases Texas is re-examining.

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