Alabama Public Radio

Amid Nails and Mud, Oklahoma Neighborhood Pulls Together

editor — Thu, 23 May 2013 14:48:00 +0000

Brian Hock was standing Wednesday evening in what used to be his home but is now 2,000 square feet of nothing. The cup he uses to scoop out kibble was still resting in the bag, emblazoned with the slogan, "Fear not: God's love shines bright."

Hock was at work Monday when the tornado smashed his house in the Heather Wood subdivision of Moore, Okla.

Explore The Oklahoma Tornado Damage

editor — Thu, 23 May 2013 14:48:00 +0000

Use this map of before-and-after aerial imagery to explore damage from the recent Oklahoma tornado — one of the most destructive storms ever recorded.

As Myanmar Reforms, Indonesia Offers Some Lessons

Anthony Kuhn — Thu, 23 May 2013 14:39:00 +0000

As Myanmar's leaders push a series of political and economic changes, they are also having to deal with recent strife between the majority Buddhists and minority Muslims, or Rohingya.

Many countries making the transition from authoritarian rule to democracy have faced similar ethnic and sectarian conflicts, from Iraq to the former Yugoslavia.

But for Myanmar, perhaps the most compelling case study is also the closest.

Fifteen years ago this week, a deepen

Jobless Claims Drop, But Stay In Recent Range

Mark Memmott — Thu, 23 May 2013 14:20:00 +0000

There were 340,000 first-time claims for unemployment insurance last week, down 23,000 from the week before, the Employment and Training Administration reports.

The decline follows something of a spike. But in reality, the drop just means that claims continue to run at the pace they've been setting since late 2011.

Cannes Film Festival Keeps Kenneth Turan Coming Back

editor — Thu, 23 May 2013 14:15:00 +0000

David Greene talks with Morning Edition film critic Kenneth Turan about some of the movies at this year's Cannes Film Festival in France. They include a standout from American director Alexander Payne called Nebraska. Turan first covered the movie festival 42 years ago.

Triple Murder May Link Tsarnaev And Man Killed In Florida

Mark Memmott — Thu, 23 May 2013 14:06:00 +0000

Ibragim Todashev, the 27-year-old man shot and killed after he allegedly attacked an FBI agent Wednesday in Orlando, may have been involved with Boston bombings suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev in a 2011 triple murder.

As NPR's Dina Temple-Raston reported on All Things Considered, "it's still under investigation, but law enforcement authorities told us tha

'On Top Of The World' At 80: Japanese Climber Summits Everest

Bill Chappell — Thu, 23 May 2013 14:06:00 +0000

A Japanese mountaineer has become the oldest person to climb to the summit of Mount Everest, as Yuichiro Miura, 80, reached the 29,035-foot peak Thursday morning. The feat marks Miura's third time atop Mount Everest; he previously climbed the mountain at ages 70 and 75.

As in 2008, Miura's accomplishment is in danger of being surpassed by his main rival, Nepalese climber Min Bahadur Sherchan, 81.

Cleveland Hero Charles Ramsey Rewarded With Burgers For Life

Mark Memmott — Thu, 23 May 2013 14:01:00 +0000

Charles Ramsey, the neighbor who helped rescue three young women from a Cleveland home where authorities say they had been held captive and brutalized for about a decade, "will enjoy free burgers for life" in honor of his actions, The Plain Dealer reports.

Ramsey myocardial ischemia, a condition in which the heart gets less blood.

'Before Midnight': Jesse And Celine Are Older Now, And So Are We

Linda Holmes — Thu, 23 May 2013 12:42:00 +0000

[Note: Before Midnight is an especially difficult movie to write about, simply because for some people, even what has become of Jesse and Celine since Before Sunset is information that they don't want. But it's impossible — absolutely impossible — to write about the movie without talking about where they stand and what the premise is. I did my absolute best to spoil as little beyond that as possible.

Auburn Among Fastest-Growing US Cities

The Associated Press — Thu, 23 May 2013 12:37:00 +0000

A new estimate shows Auburn is among the fastest growing in the country.

   The estimate released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau shows Auburn was among the top 15 fastest-growing cities with populations of at least 50,000 people.

   AL.com reports (http://bit.ly/11cP9j0 ) the city had an estimated population growth rate of 3.71 percent during the one-year period starting July 1, 2011.

   Eight Texas cities made the ranking of 15 with San Marcos, located between San Antonio and Austin, topping the list with a 4.91 percent increase.

Alabama Governor Signs Bill on Carrying Guns

The Associated Press — Thu, 23 May 2013 12:16:44 +0000

Alabama's governor has signed legislation that expands where people can carry guns in Alabama.
   The bill by Republican Sen. Scott Beason of Gardendale passed the Legislature Monday, and Bentley's office announced he signed it into law Wednesday.

   House Speaker Mike Hubbard said the governor's signature makes Second Amendment rights more secure.

   The new law says employees can have firearms in their cars at work, and businesses can't be sued for any harm resulting from the use of those weapons.

Obama to Sign Bill for Birmingham Bombing Victims

The Associated Press — Thu, 23 May 2013 11:47:51 +0000

President Barrack Obama plans to sign a bill Friday that awards the Congressional Gold Medal posthumously to the four girls killed in the 1963 bombing of a Birmingham church.

   Alabama Reps. Terri Sewell and Spencer Bachus sponsored the bill, which received final approval May 9. Sewell told al.com (http://bit.ly/Z0FxeP ) that some members of Alabama's congressional delegation will attend the signing ceremony at 12:15 p.m. Friday.

   Also planning to attend are some family members of the four girls killed in the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing.

'We Will Never Give In To Terror,' Britain's Cameron Vows

Mark Memmott — Thu, 23 May 2013 11:45:00 +0000
One day after a British soldier was hacked to death on a busy southeast London street by two men who were heard claiming that they wanted to avenge the deaths of Muslims killed during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Prime Minister David Cameron declared Thursday that "we will never give in to terror or terrorism in any of its forms."
Reuters adds that Cameron also said, "this country will be absolutely resolute in its stand against violent extremism and terror."
We'

Book News: Lydia Davis Wins Man Booker International Prize

Annalisa Quinn — Thu, 23 May 2013 11:39:00 +0000
The daily lowdown on books, publishing, and the occasional author behaving badly.
American author Lydia Davis was awarded the Man Booker International Prize, worth about $90,000, at a ceremony Wednesday in London. Davis is renowned for her works of (very) short fiction.