Search results for

County lawmakers in Washington state are considering tighter restrictions on whalewatching. Conservationists argue the noisy boatloads of tourists are contributing to the mysterious decline in numbers of the orca whale population. From member station KUOW in Seattle, Sam Eaton reports.

Michele Kelemen reports from Moscow that a fire raged for more than a day in the city's television tower, leaving at least two people dead. The blaze caused considerable damage to the structure -- the world's second tallest tower -- and nearly all television service to the capital has been cut. The fire -- coming just after a bomb blast in Moscow and the sinking of the submarine Kursk -- has prompted more talk about Russia's crumbling infrastructure.

Vice President Al Gore took a tour of a neighborhood pharmacy today in Tallahassee Florida, then met with about 150 senior citizens to talk about prescription drug costs. Gore told the seniors they ought to demand details from his presidential rival, Texas Gov. George W.Bush, who says he wants to help make prescription drugs affordable for all seniors. We hear excerpts from the campaign today.

NPR's Eric Weiner reports Australia is engaged in its largest peacetime security operation, in advance of the 2000 summer Olympics, in Sydney in two weeks. Australian security agencies are preparing for every possibility from hostage situations to biochemical warfare. Over the weekend, New Zealand police said they had uncovered a possible plot to target a nuclear plant near the Olympic site in Sydney. Australian officials are downplaying the incident as workers put finishing touches on the Olympic facilities. The government spent more than one-billion dollars on the construction. But Australians, known for their fierce enthusiasm for sports, are not complaining about footing the bill.

NPR's Special Correspondent Susan Stamberg concludes a month-long series on female vocalists with a profile of Rosemary Clooney, whose new album is titled, Brazil. (7:19) Stations: Rosemary Clooney's latest CD Brazil is on Concord Jazz label; ASIN: B00004TQYE

There are almost twice as many black women going to college as black men, and this is having both a social and economic impact on the black community. NPR's Byron Henderson reports on how a lack of higher education keeps black men from getting better paying jobs, and how that stress is affecting their relationships with black women.

NPR's Claudio Sanchez has this week's final Changing Face of America story on how technology is changing education. For six months out of every year, children of migrant workers travel the country with their families harvesting crops. This lifestyle makes it difficult for most of them to stay in school, but a handful of migrant kids have been given laptops to keep up with their classes...even when they're working thousands of miles away from home.

NPR's Peter Kenyon reports presidential candidates George W. Bush and Al Gore are trying to stay "on message" while getting in a few jabs at each other.

NPR's Pam Fessler reports on decision-making by state election officials across the country about which of the two Reform Party candidates to recognize on their presidential election ballots. Both Patrick Buchanan and John Hagelin claim to be the real Reform Party candidate. This dispute -- which has some 12-point-6 Million dollars in Federal funds ((ed: *NOT* "Federal matching funds")) riding alongside it -- will wind up in courts across the country before election day.

The FDA is set to rule on Pfizer boosters on Friday. Some scientists say they aren't needed for healthy people and the doses would more helpful for the unvaccinated in countries with limited supplies.