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McLean County government is looking at a budget increase of about 25% next year as the county uses federal American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds, and additional revenue from retail and cannabis sales and other sources to fuel more pandemic relief and a major boost in highway work.

Although Congress has never finished work on its juvenile justice bill because of its gun restricting provisions, that issue lives on in this year's presidential campaign. NPR's Eric Westervelt files this story on rival gun policies in the presidential race.

NPR's Phillip Davis reports on the Miami-Dade county mayoral race. The front-runner is Alex Penelas, who made the famous vow that his police force would not help the federal government return Elian Gonzalez to his father, as well as threatening to hold Janet Reno responsible if violence broke out in Miami. The remarks cost him a lot of support in the non-Hispanic community, but apparently have not hurt him in his Cuban base, and he's favored to win in tomorrow's primary.

Commentator Bob Mondello looks ahead to the Fall movie season -- a season that he says is full of remakes, sequels and revivals. Among the few original films: a vampire movie for little kids (Little Vampires); a comedy in which Richard Gere plays a flattering gynecologist (Dr. T. and the Women); and a drama in which Cuba Gooding Junior stars as the Navy's first black deep-sea diver (Men of Honor).

Host Bob Edwards talks with NPR's Cokie Roberts about the final weeks in this year's presidential election.

NPR's Martin Kaste reports from Cartagena, Colombia on the international convention of Narcotics Anonymous, a 12-Step Program for recovering drug addicts. About 15-hundred members of NA, mostly from the Americas, gathered in the Caribbean port city to celebrate their ongoing recovery from drug addiction. Ironically, the host country, Colombia, is the world's largest supplier of cocaine, and the second largest supplier of heroin and marijuana.

An Italian musical group performs songs about exploited workers and issues focusing on the working classes. The band is Spaccanapoli and their CD is called Lost Souls. (7:10) Lost Souls is on the Emd/Real World label. ASIN: B0000

With polls showing that the presidential race extremely close, Republican candidate George W. Bush sharpened his attack on Democrat Al Gore today. As NPR's Steve Inskeep reports, Bush questioned Gore's truthfulness as he started a swing through several key states.

As many as 25,000 people from around the world have joined in the fight to put out the wildfires in the western United States. Even with the abundance of manpower, the problem remains — there is a lack of skilled workers on the front line. Kathy Witkowsky reports from Montana's Bitteroot Valley on the what kind of skill and training are needed to fight the fires raging in the West.

Chicago Public Radio's Edie Rubinowitz reports on Aaron Patterson, a Illinois Death Row inmate who claims he was tortured by police into confessing to a murder years ago. The Illinois Supreme Court recently agreed to allow an evidentiary hearing in the case and he could be the latest on Death Row in that state to be granted a new trial.