Shots - Health News
3:42 am
Thu February 28, 2013

What Happened To The Aid Meant To Rebuild Haiti?

Originally published on Mon March 4, 2013 4:39 pm

After a devastating earthquake hit Haiti in 2010, governments and foundations from around the world pledged more than $9 billion to help get the country back on its feet.

Only a fraction of the money ever made it. And Haiti's President Michel Martelly says the funds aren't "showing results."

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Author Interviews
3:17 am
Thu February 28, 2013

Dictionary Of Idioms Gets Everybody On The Same Page

Credit iStockphoto.com
The "elephant in the room" is something obvious that can't be overlooked, even if no one is talking about it. The phrase was in use as early as 1935.

Originally published on Thu February 28, 2013 12:04 pm

If you've ever shot the breeze, had a heart-to-heart or bent somebody's ear — in fact, if you've ever talked at all — odds are you've used an idiom. These sometimes bizarre phrases are a staple of conversation, and more than 10,000 of them are collected in the latest edition of The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms, which came out this week.

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The Salt
8:15 pm
Wed February 27, 2013

Budweiser May Seem Watery, But It Tests At Full Strength, Lab Says

Originally published on Thu February 28, 2013 3:14 pm

Update at 7:35 p.m. ET: Beer Is At Full Strength, Tests Say

Samples of Budweiser and other Anheuser-Busch InBev beers were found to be in line with their advertised alcohol content, according to lab tests conducted at NPR's request. We've rewritten portions of this post to reflect that new information.

Anheuser-Busch is accused of misleading beer drinkers about the alcohol content of Budweiser and other products, in a series of class-action lawsuits filed in federal court.

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8:10 pm
Wed February 27, 2013

Macomb County Judge selected to fill vacancy on Michigan Supreme Court

Lead in text: 
David Viviano's seat on the state's highest court will be up for election in 2014.
LANSING - Macomb County Circuit Court Judge David Viviano will become the next state Supreme Court justice, replacing ex-Justice Diane Hathaway who resigned in January amidst a scandal over a short sale of her Grosse Pointe Park home. Viviano, 41, was elected to the Macomb County Circuit Court in 2006 and serves as its chief judge.
7:54 pm
Wed February 27, 2013

Ingham County Judge extends grand jury investigation into party-switching scheme

Lead in text: 
Former State Representative Roy Schmidt switched parties last year. House Speaker Jase Bolger assisted Schmidt and suggested he find a straw Democratic candidate for the ballot.
LANSING, MI - A one-judge grand jury looking into the political party switch scheme involving then-Rep. Roy Schmidt and Michigan House Speaker Jase Bolger is going to continue its investigation. Ingham County Circuit Judge Rosemarie Aquilina is handling the inquiry into the scheme hatched by Schmidt - then a Grand Rapids state lawmaker - and the Republican House speaker last year.
All Tech Considered
5:57 pm
Wed February 27, 2013

As States Embrace Online Gambling, Questions Arise

Credit Jim Mone / AP
Internet gambling has become legal in New Jersey and Nevada, but experts say enforcement and regulations still need to be straightened out.

Originally published on Wed February 27, 2013 6:35 pm

Several states are rushing to establish a foothold in online gambling — an activity that federal officials were only recently trying to ban.

Just a while ago, the federal government actually viewed online gambling as a crime. Lately, the Obama administration has taken a more permissive stance. It now allows states to sell lottery tickets online.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie had expressed reservations about online gambling a month ago and had vetoed an earlier version of the bill. But in the end, the pressure to sign the legislation was just too great.

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Middle East
5:12 pm
Wed February 27, 2013

U.S. Plans To Offer More Direct Aid To Syrian Rebels

Originally published on Wed February 27, 2013 5:57 pm

Secretary of State Kerry is in Rome for a meeting on Thursday with the leaders of Syria's opposition coalition. Ahead of the session, there are indications the U.S. is prepared to provide some direct aid to the coalition, including military hardware such as body armor and armored vehicles. The European Union is discussing similar aid.

The Sequester: Cuts And Consequences
5:12 pm
Wed February 27, 2013

Sequester Spells Uncertainty For Many Public Schools

Credit John Moore / Getty Images
Children eat breakfast at a federally funded Head Start program. Many Head Start administrators are concerned they may have to cut back on the number of enrolled children if the sequester moves ahead.

Originally published on Wed February 27, 2013 5:57 pm

If Congress and the Obama administration can't agree on a budget deal by Friday, the federal government will be forced to cut $85 billion from just about every federally funded program. Every state could lose federal aid, and a myriad of government programs could shut down or curtail services — and that includes the nation's public schools.

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WMUK News
4:50 pm
Wed February 27, 2013

WMU union protests "political bullying"

Credit WMUK
WMU PIO member at WMU Board meeting

The union that represents part-time Western Michigan University instructors says university trustees should stand up to what it calls political "bullying" in Lansing. Union members packed Wednesday's meeting of Western's Board of Trustees to drive the point home.  

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Bill Zeeble has been a full-time reporter at KERA since 1992, covering everything from medicine to the Mavericks and education to environmental issues. He’s won numerous awards over the years, with top honors from the Dallas Press Club, Texas Medical Association, the Dallas and Texas Bar Associations, the American Diabetes Association and a national health reporting grant from the Kaiser Family Foundation. Zeeble was born in Philadelphia, Pa. and grew up in the nearby suburb of Cherry Hill, NJ, where he became an accomplished timpanist and drummer. Heading to college near Chicago on a scholarship, he fell in love with public radio, working at the college classical/NPR station, and he has pursued public radio ever since.

His first real radio gig was with a classical station in Corpus Christi, where the new Texan was dubbed “Billy Ted”; he was also a manager at WWNO-FM in New Orleans. Several stories he covered on television for KERA 13 helped homeowners avoid losing their homes. Zeeble remains dedicated to radio, however, and spends time working with NPR to teach students how to do radio journalism. His radio pieces have aired on nearly every national news show carried on KERA, from NPR and American Public Media to the BBC. He and his wife have 2 dogs and 2 cats, adopted and rescued. His home desk is messy with vintage fountain pens and parts to aid his passion to make them work again.

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