When banding falcons, beware the parents

Carlos and Clara, the peregrine falcon parents living atop San Jose City Hall, are expected to make quite a fuss when their three babies' legs are banded on May 16 so that scientists can identify them after they fly off.

Female inmates surveyed

Female convicts in Santa Clara County are mostly the walking wounded - survivors of sexual abuse and domestic violence, adults who drowned their untreated childhood trauma in methamphetamine and crack cocaine.

Artist has nothing to hide

After the FBI detained Hasan Elahi as a suspected terrorist, he started tracking himself so they didn't have to.

Solving puzzles is in sudoku superstar's genes

The speediest sudoku player on the planet is actually getting a little bored with the game. It's not that Thomas Snyder didn't get a huge rush after easily defending his World Sudoku Championship in India last month.

• Speedy Sudoku | Play Sudoku now

Ex-radio host pleads guilty in child porn case

Former Bay Area radio talk-show host Bernie Ward pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of distributing child pornography.

The California Report

Stem Cell Grants. State Low Income Loans.

The California Report

Campus Drug Bust.

The California Report

Formaldehyde in Cribs. Fighting Meth in the Central Valley. End Music.

The California Report

Initiative Reform.

The California Report Magazine

Surviving in a Tough Newspaper Market / Maker Faire — Newspapers across California are bleeding as advertising and profits drop off, but there's one segment of newspapers that's thriving thanks to California's growing immigrant population. The program reports on that development, and looks ahead to this weekend's Maker Faire in the Bay Area.

Utah, Ariz. Prosecutors Vow Not to Raid Polygamists

The attorneys general of Utah and Arizona say they won't do what Texas did. They won't raid polygamist groups in their states, even though the polygamists targeted in Texas last month are based on the Utah-Arizona border. The officials spoke at a town meeting on polygamy Thursday night in Utah.

China's Underground Submarine Base Scrutinized

An underground nuclear submarine base on China's Hainan Island is drawing scrutiny from the United States and India. According to satellite imagery on the Web sites of Jane's Intelligence Review and the Federation of American Scientists, the base has a sea entrance wide enough to allow submarines to enter the underground facilities. The photograph reveals what appears to be a ballistic missile submarine moored to one of the piers outside.

France Plans Lucrative Champagne Expansion

A century-old law restricted champagne production to 370 villages in northeastern France, but with demand now outstripping supply, the official body that determines wine laws is admitting 40 more communities — a lucrative move for those joining the exclusive club of champagne producers.

Parents Reject Venezuelan President's Curriculum

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is on a crusade to develop young people loyal to his leftist ideas by reforming the educational system. The government wants to install a new curriculum that celebrates socialism. But the plan has generated a formidable opposition made up of irate parents.

Water-Cooled Supercomputer Set to Study Climate

IBM has designed a supercomputer that is water-cooled. It's the first one in the United States, and it is destined for scientists working on models of how climate is likely to change regional weather patterns — one of the most demanding problems in the climate science world.

More top news (npr.org)

Aid Begins to Trickle Into Myanmar but Recovery Is Slow

The first relief shipments arrived in Myanmar Thursday after resistance from the country's reclusive military government to foreign assistance. Shari Villarosa, the top U.S. diplomat in Rangoon, and UNICEF's Richard Bridle discuss the aid response for the tens of thousands left homeless by the cyclone.

Legislative Bid to Buoy Slumping U.S. Housing Sector Meets Debate

Amid a continuing U.S. economic downturn, Capitol Hill lawmakers have been debating how to effectively provide relief for the housing crisis. Two members of Congress discuss their positions on the housing bill and how to best revive a slumping housing market.

Words in Conflict: Poetry from Israel and the Palestinian Territories

Poets in the Middle East are often held in high regard, and many achieve a level of celebrity and authority not common in the West. In recognition of Israel's 60th anniversary, Jeffrey Brown offers an encore report on the lives of Israeli and Palestinian poets.

Platypus Genome Reflects Animal's Unusual Exterior, Research Finds

With its webbed feet, fur-covered body and venom-shooting spurs, the platypus is one of nature's oddest-looking animals -- a motley mix of bird, mammal and reptile. Now, researchers have found that the genome driving these traits is as diverse as the platypus itself.

Democratic Contest Descends Into Never-ending Math Equation

After Sen. Barack Obama's Tuesday victory in North Carolina and his close finish behind rival Sen. Hillary Clinton in Indiana, he stands only 179 delegates from the long-elusive 2,025 figure that will secure the party's nomination, according to the Associated Press.

UN halts Burma aid after seizure

The UN's World Food Programme halts aid to Burma after its military government impounds food deliveries.

Hezbollah takes over west Beirut

Gunmen from militant group Hezbollah drive out government supporters from western Beirut, stoking fears of civil war.

Judge prolongs Fritzl's custody

The Austrian man accused of locking his daughter in a cellar for 24 years is to be held for another month.

Militias 'to rig Zimbabwe poll'

Zimbabwe's "war veterans" militia plan to intimidate voters inside polling stations, a policeman tells the BBC.

Israeli PM denies taking bribes

The Israeli PM denies taking bribes from a wealthy US-Jewish businessman and resists calls for his resignation.

A Tale of Five Cities - Silicon Valley

The NBR series A Tale of 5 Cities looks at impact the housing crisis is continuing to have on five different regions of the U.S. In this report, Oanh Ha of P BS station KTEH examines real estate in California's Silicon Valley.

A Tale of Five Cities - Detroit

The NBR series A Tale of 5 Cities looks at impact the housing crisis is continuing to have on five different regions of the U.S. In this report, NBR Midwest Bureau Chief Diane Eastabrook examines real estate in Detroit.

A Tale of Five Cities - New York City

The NBR series A Tale of 5 Cities looks at impact the housing crisis is continuing to have on five different regions of the U.S. In this report, NBR correspondent Suzanne Pratt examines real estate in New York City's Manhattan borough.

Extended Interview - Warren Buffett

NBR Anchor Susie Gharib spent the weekend in Omaha, Nebraska covering the 2008 Berkshire Hathaway Shareholders' Meeting. On tonight's program, she files a detailed report on the event and what Warren Buffett had to say about the state of his company. Susie's broadcast report includes excerpts of an interview she conducted with Buffett. You can watch the complete six minute interview here and explore other, related features.

A Tale of Five Cities - Washington, D.C.

The NBR series A Tale of 5 Cities looks at impact the housing crisis is continuing to have on five different regions of the U.S. In this first report, NBR correspondent Stephanie Dhue examines the Washington, D.C. region.