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Well to the east of Hollywood and the Golden Gate Bridge, there is another California -- the Central Valley, where farmers grow one-quarter of the food America eats. In the third of a four-part series on the future of the valley, NPR's John McChesney reports on how some organic farmers struggle while others thrive.

U.S. Rep. John Thune (R-SD) will not contest his narrow loss in a bid to unseat incumbent Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson. Thune says a recount would be "painful for the state." The margin of Johnson's victory was just over 500 votes. Curt Nickisch of South Dakota Public Radio reports.

Host Bob Edwards talks to Commentator John Feinstein about the tip-off of the college basketball season, which begins tonight. John makes his annual prognostications about the top teams and tells his yearly "feel-good" human interest story about a college athlete.

Commentator Ruben Navarrette is a Texan who says his state's African-American and Hispanic politicians should pay less attention to wooing white voters, and more attention to demographics that predict a Hispanic majority in coming years.

The Republican-controlled House approves the creation of a Homeland Security Department in a 299-121 vote. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) predicts the bill will pass in the Senate by next week. NPR's David Welna reports.

A new blood test that checks for a certain protein proves just as good at predicting the risk of a heart attack as conventional cholesterol tests, according to a new study. The results leave heart experts at odds over whether the test should become a part of routine checkups. NPR's Richard Knox reports.

The American Civil Liberties Union demands in court that the Justice Department reveal how many patron reading lists it has requested from libraries and book stores. Last year's U.S.A. Patriot Act allows the collection, but critics say it violates patron privacy. NPR's Jason DeRose reports.

"We're not being revisionist. We're not waging a war on history," council member Inez Barron said. "We're saying that we want to make sure that the total story is told."

The Federal Communications Commission clears the way for the creation of the nation's largest cable TV company. The marriage of Comcast and AT&T's broadband unit will have 27 million subscribers and control roughly 40 percent of the cable market. NPR's Jack Speer reports.

Congress passes a stop-gap spending measure to take the nation past the lame-duck legislative session and fund government agencies through Jan. 11. The new Congress will take up much-delayed budget bills. NPR's Bob Edwards discusses the move with economist Robert Reischauer.