KUNM

Turning Up The Heat On Civil Rights-Era Cold Cases

Joseph Shapiro — Sat, 18 May 2013 09:17:00 +0000

Six years ago, the FBI took on a challenge: To review what it called cold case killings from the civil rights era. The investigation into 112 cases from the 1950s and 1960s is winding down, and civil rights activists are weighing the FBI's efforts.

The review comes with word this week of the death of a man who'd been named, by a newspaper investigation, as a possible suspect in one notorious case.

The Case

The investigation was of the death of Frank Morris, in Ferriday, La., in 1964.

What A Week: White House Rattled By Controversy

Ari Shapiro — Sat, 18 May 2013 09:13:00 +0000

NPR's Ari Shapiro joins host Scott Simon to talk about the Obama administration's week. The president was buffeted by revelations that the IRS had targeted Tea Party groups seeking tax-exempt status and that the Justice Department had subpoenaed reporter phone records. On top of that, Republicans continue to allege that the White House engaged in a cover-up of talking points about the attack in Benghazi, Libya.

Sports: Playoffs, Hard Hits, Soccer Kicks

Roman Garcia — Sat, 18 May 2013 09:13:00 +0000

Host Scott Simon talks to ESPN's Howard Bryant about the NBA playoffs, Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper's collision with a wall, and David Beckham's retirement from soccer.

When Alcohol Takes The Wheel: What's Your Limit?

Roman Garcia — Sat, 18 May 2013 09:13:00 +0000

This week, the National Transportation Safety Board recommended lowering the legal limit of blood alcohol content for drivers to .05 or even lower. Currently, it's illegal to drive in all states with a BAC of .08 or higher. Host Scott Simon speaks with Dr. Anthony Liguori of Wake Forest School of Medicine about alcohol's impact on driving ability.

Not Your Grandpa's RV: This Roving Lab Tracks Air Pollution

Richard Harris — Sat, 18 May 2013 09:13:00 +0000

If you're driving down the road someday and you come across a camper with a 50-foot periscope sticking up into the sky, you just might have crossed paths with Ira Leifer. His quirky vehicle is on a serious mission. It's sniffing the air for methane, a gas that contributes to global warming.

Leifer is an atmospheric scientist at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Afghan Mineral Treasures Stay Buried, Hostages To Uncertainty

Sean Carberry — Sat, 18 May 2013 09:13:00 +0000

For years, reports have suggested that Afghanistan is sitting on massive deposits of copper, gold, iron and rare earth minerals valued up to $3 trillion. This provides hope for a future economy that would not have to rely so heavily on foreign donations.

But with an uncertain political, regulatory and security environment, international investors are hesitant. And it could be many years before Afghanistan begins extracting its mineral wealth.

The Afghan Geological Survey office in Kabul is one of the few agencies in the country that measure up to international standards. Here, a U.S.

Immigration Bill Chugs Along, But Some See Deal-Breakers

David Welna — Sat, 18 May 2013 09:13:00 +0000

It's been a long slog already for the bipartisan immigration overhaul proposed by the Senate's Gang of Eight.

The legislation has been the target of more than 300 amendments during days of debate and votes by the Senate Judiciary Committee. But while the bill has largely held its own so far, its prospects for getting through Congress remain uncertain.

In Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy's view, the immigration overhaul is "moving very well."

"It's moving a lot faster than people said it would," says Leahy, a Vermont Democrat.

Sen.

Audra McDonald, A Broadway Star Gone Roaming, Comes Home

Jeff Lunden — Sat, 18 May 2013 06:03:00 +0000

In the seven years since her last album, Audra McDonald has kept busy. She spent several years in Hollywood, filming the television series Private Practice. She's gotten divorced and remarried, absorbed the shock of losing her father in a plane crash and watched her daughter, Zoe, grow up from a kindergartener to a middle-schooler.

Last year, McDonald returned to New York, starred in Porgy and Bess and won a fifth Tony Award.

French President Signs Same-Sex Marriage Into Law

Dana Farrington — Sat, 18 May 2013 05:59:00 +0000

France is officially the 14th country to legalize gay marriage. Saturday, President Francois Hollande signed a bill that Parliament had passed in April, which gives same-sex couples the right to marry and adopt.

Opposition had stalled Hollande's action.

Injuries Reported In 'Major' Train Derailment In Connecticut

Scott Neuman — Fri, 17 May 2013 23:43:00 +0000

Two Metro-North Railroad trains have collided on a stretch of track near Fairfield, Conn., causing a "major derailment" and "preliminary reports of injuries," according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

[Update at 8:55 p.m.

New Mexico Will Get Hybrid Health Exchange

Deborah Martinez — Fri, 17 May 2013 23:40:01 +0000

New Mexicans will be able to purchase insurance through a portal that combines state and federal access to plans in a hybrid healthcare insurance exchange. Members of the exchange board took steps to get the program up and running by this fall.

Back To The Basics: An American Graduate Special

Elaine Baumgartel — Fri, 17 May 2013 23:37:19 +0000

State of the RE:Union Thu. 5/30 8a: In this American Graduate special, State of the Re:Union takes a closer look at school, community, and the drop out crisis in this country.
With reporting from both urban and rural schools, and interviews with education experts, State of the RE:Union goes “ back to the basics”, looking at strategies that get to the heart of what makes students want to learn.

Why the IRS Scandal Is Built To Last

Frank James — Fri, 17 May 2013 23:31:00 +0000
Of all the controversies swirling around the Obama White House, the Internal Revenue Service scandal seems likeliest to have the longest shelf life.
While the Benghazi affair has long been in the news, it's never really taken off as an issue beyond the Republican base.
Meanwhile, the Obama administration's position that national security considerations justified the Justice Department's gathering of journalists' phone records in a leak investigation may be enough to remove fuel from the outrage.

Coming Home: Stories Of Veterans Returning From War

Elaine Baumgartel — Fri, 17 May 2013 23:27:30 +0000

State of the RE:Union Thu. 5/23 8a: More than two million veterans have come home so far from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. For returning veterans, reintegrating into society can be a challenge.
How do you find your place, when you’ve changed and the people you love don’t recognize you? When that old life is gone and you have to start a new one from scratch.

Need A Tattoo Translated? Forget The British Foreign Office

Scott Neuman — Fri, 17 May 2013 22:16:00 +0000
The British Foreign Office is happy to assist its citizens, but officials want to make clear that there are some requests they won't fulfill.
Such as supplying Olympic tickets or doing a background check on that Swedish woman you met online.
Those are just a few of the "often good natured" but distracting requests that the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) says it received over the past year, according to a press release issued Thursday.
Some others that no doubt provided stodgy Briti

Navajo Nation Explores Future Of Coal

Tristan Ahtone — Fri, 17 May 2013 22:01:12 +0000

The Navajo Nation says the only financially viable future for its coal supply may be in clean coal technologies, and overseas exports.
KUNM's Tristan Ahtone reports the Nation is taking preliminary steps to find a future for its coal resources in light of tough, domestic regulations.

'Venus And Serena': An Extraordinary Story, Told On Film

Elizabeth Blair — Fri, 17 May 2013 21:58:00 +0000
It's Cinderella plus Jackie Robinson times two. When Venus and Serena Williams burst onto the lily-white world of tennis, they changed the game and made history: They were sisters. From a poor neighborhood. Who brought unprecedented power to the game. And both reached No. 1.
Their journey is the subject of a new documentary called Venus and Serena, showing in select theaters around the country.
"It's not just about sports," says co-director Maiken Baird. "I think of it as the great American story. It's rich with family, sisterhood, race, hard work and tenaciousness."

America's Cup Death Raises Concerns Over High-Tech Race Boats

Scott Neuman — Fri, 17 May 2013 21:21:00 +0000
America's Cup, the oldest and most prestigious sailing competition, has hit some choppy water.
The death last week of British sailor and gold medal Olympian Andrew "Bart" Simpson when the boat he was crewing capsized and broke up during a practice run off San Francisco, has prompted tough questions about safety.
Simpson reportedly drowned after being trapped for 10 minutes underneath the stricken boat belonging to Sweden'

Alford Buyout Agreement To Net UNM $625K

The Associated Press — Fri, 17 May 2013 21:08:01 +0000

The University of New Mexico says it has reached an agreement in principal with former men's basketball coach Steve Alford over his buyout.
Alford said in April he was willing to pay a $200,000 buyout for leaving the Albuquerque school to take a job at UCLA, but he wouldn't pay the $1 million payment that New Mexico wanted.
The dispute stemmed from the timing of his announcement and a term sheet he had signed just weeks before agreeing to a new 10-year contract with New Mexico that included a $1 million buyout.

Experts Agree: 'Psychiatry's Bible' Is No Bible

Jon Hamilton — Fri, 17 May 2013 21:07:00 +0000
When the American Psychiatric Association releases its new Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders -- DSM-5 -- this weekend, lots of journalists and commentators will refer to it as "psychiatry's bible."

That's a term that makes the manual's authors and other mental experts cringe.

Michigan LGBT Youth Center Does Outreach With A Dance 'Hook'

Kyle Norris — Fri, 17 May 2013 21:03:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4M8Av-SnPA

Boston Bombings Prompt Fresh Look At Unsolved Murders

Joel Rose — Fri, 17 May 2013 21:02:00 +0000
An unsolved triple murder in the Boston suburbs is getting a closer look in the wake of the marathon bombings. One of the victims may have been a friend of bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev. That's prompting authorities to revisit the 2011 case.
The murders took place in Waltham, Mass. On Sept. 12, 2011, police responded to a house in the leafy suburb a few miles west of Boston.
"They went to the second floor and saw a very graphic crime scene — three dead bodies in the apartment," said Gerry Leone, who was then district attorney for Middlesex County.

Obama U: What Graduation Speeches Say About The President

Ari Shapiro — Fri, 17 May 2013 20:56:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzC135ql_wA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPHJnHXEDq8

Albuquerque Police Investigate Drive-by Shooting

The Albuquerque Journal — Fri, 17 May 2013 20:49:39 +0000

Albuquerque police are searching for leads in a drive-by shooting that landed a UNM Cancer Center executive in the hospital.
Police say Justin Schroer was jogging through a neighborhood near Constitution and Girard around 6 a.m. when he was shot once in the left side of his abdomen. The bullet passed through his right side. He's expected to survive.
The Albuquerque Journal reports that Schroer is the director of development for the cancer center.

A Field Guide To Democratic Responses To Scandals

Alan Greenblatt — Fri, 17 May 2013 20:28:00 +0000
President Obama's first term was free from the kind of scandal that consumes every ounce of political oxygen in Washington. Now, in light of a trio of controversies, his supporters find themselves in the uncomfortable and unaccustomed position of having to defend some hard-to-defend events.
Democrats have offered up a range of responses.

Bobby McFerrin: Spirituals As Sung Prayers

Roman Garcia — Fri, 17 May 2013 20:22:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOwp98jQGH8

Week In Politics: IRS, Benghazi Emails, AP Phone Logs

Roman Garcia — Fri, 17 May 2013 20:20:00 +0000
Audie Cornish speaks with political commentators E.J. Dionne of The Washington Post and Brookings Institution and David Brooks of The New York Times. They discuss controversial IRS audits, the release of White House emails on Benghazi talking points and the Justice Department's seizure of AP phone logs.

'Mother's instincts': NM Woman Chased Abductor

The Associated Press — Fri, 17 May 2013 20:12:54 +0000

A mother who chased down a man and ran into his car after he grabbed her 4-year-old says her "mother's instincts" kicked in when she launched her pursuit.
Melissa Torrez told The Associated Press on Friday she began her chase "without any feeling" and was focused only on getting her daughter back as the abductor led her on a high-speed chase throughout Albuquerque on Wednesday.
The 27-year-old mother of three says as soon as others in the apartment complex told her a man took her daughter she jumped in the car.

Illinois Lawmakers Send Medical Marijuana Bill To Governor

Scott Neuman — Fri, 17 May 2013 19:35:00 +0000
The Illinois Senate has approved a measure to legalize the use of marijuana for medical purposes, sending the bill to the governor for his signature.
The bill would be the strictest in the nation. According to The Chicago Tribune:
"The proposal would create a four-year trial program in which doctors could prescribe patients no more than 2.5 ounces of marijuana every two weeks.

After Deadly Chemical Plant Disasters, There's Little Action

Daniel Zwerdling — Fri, 17 May 2013 19:11:00 +0000
You might think that everything would have changed for the chemicals industry on April 16, 1947. That was the day of the Texas City Disaster, the worst industrial accident in U.S. history. A ship loaded with ammonium nitrate — the same chemical that appears to have caused the disaster last month in West, Texas — exploded. The ship sparked a chain reaction of blasts at chemical facilities onshore, creating what a newsreel at the time called "a holocaust that baffles description."
Or you might think everything would have changed on Dec. 3, 1984.