Religion
3:29 pm
Sun February 10, 2013

As Islam Grows, U.S. Imams In Short Supply

Credit Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images
Muslims pray during a special Eid ul-Fitr morning prayer at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Aug. 30, 2011, in Los Angeles.

Originally published on Sun February 10, 2013 4:58 pm

Islam in America is growing exponentially. From 2000 to 2010, the number of mosques in the United States jumped 74 percent.

Today, there are more than 2,100 American mosques but they have a challenge: There aren't enough imams, or spiritual leaders, to go around.

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Education
3:29 pm
Sun February 10, 2013

Rise Early And Shine: Teachers And Students Try Out Longer School Days

Credit Hans Pennink / AP
Students walk in the hallway as they enter the lunch line of the cafeteria at Draper Middle School in Rotterdam, N.Y. Five states announced in December that they will add at least 300 hours of learning time to the calendar in some schools starting in 2013.

Originally published on Sun February 10, 2013 4:58 pm

It's 7:30 a.m. on a recent weekday, the sun is still rising and the kids at Pulaski Elementary School in Meriden, Conn., are already dancing.

They are stomping, hopping, clapping and generally "getting the shakies out," as fifth-grader Jaelinne Davis puts it.

"If we're like hyper, if we do this, then we can get better at, like, staying mellow and stuff like that," she says.

By 9 a.m., Jaelinne will be back at her normal school day with its core curriculum that is graded by a state test at the end of the year.

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U.S.
5:36 pm
Sat February 9, 2013

Amid Daily Struggles, Gay Rights Movement Embraces Watershed Moments

Credit Emmanuel Dunand / AFP/Getty Images
Chris (right) and Renee Wiley pose for a wedding photo on Times Square in New York in December. Same-sex marriage in New York state became legal in July 2011.

Originally published on Sat February 9, 2013 10:22 pm

From the sparks lit at the Stonewall Inn in 1969 to the whirl of same-sex marriage laws, the gay rights movement has made a lot of advances. But has it now reached a plateau?

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NPR Story
5:05 pm
Sat February 9, 2013

Countdown Nears to 3MF Deadline

Originally published on Sat February 9, 2013 6:51 pm

A reminder that our Three-Minute Fiction writing contest ends tomorrow night at 11:59PM EST. The challenge this time around, chosen by novelist and judge Mona Simpson, is to write a story in the form of a voicemail message.

NPR Story
5:05 pm
Sat February 9, 2013

Virginia Town Fights Vultures

Credit Holly Kuchera / iStockphoto.com
Turkey vulture droppings can strip paint, kill grass and sicken pets. The droppings also smell really bad.

Originally published on Mon February 11, 2013 7:34 am

It sounds like a horror story: Every few years, usually in the winter months, residents of the town of Leesburg, Va., come home from work to find their backyards overrun with turkey vultures. Not just a few birds, but hundreds of them. Everywhere.

Lt. Jeff Dube is with the town's police department. For a whole week, he spent every evening driving around town, looking for the latest vulture hotspots.

"They like Leesburg. There's really no rhyme or reason. Every three to five years they come back en mass, like this year, 2- to 300," Dube says.

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Author Interviews
5:04 pm
Sat February 9, 2013

Manufactured On YouTube, Teen Pop Star Searches For His True Voice

Originally published on Sat February 9, 2013 6:51 pm

In Teddy Wayne's new novel, YouTube sensation Jonny Valentine has the sugar-sweet pipes of a teen heartthrob. But he also has a controlling manager-mom, a missing father, a retinue of people who work for him and a record label that's leaning on him to move the merchandise — fast.

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Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!
9:29 am
Sat February 9, 2013

Prediction

Originally published on Sat February 9, 2013 10:49 am

After the corpse of Richard III turned up in under a parking lot, our panelists predict where the next historical figure will be found.

Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!
9:29 am
Sat February 9, 2013

Panel Round Two

Originally published on Sat February 9, 2013 10:49 am

More questions for the panel: House of Terrors, and We're Not Just Kidding.

Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!
9:29 am
Sat February 9, 2013

Bluff The Listener

Originally published on Sat February 9, 2013 10:49 am

Our panelists tell us three stories of someone getting in the mood for love, only one of which is true.

Fresh Air Weekend
9:03 am
Sat February 9, 2013

Fresh Air Weekend: Bradley Cooper, Michael Apted

Credit Jojo Whilden / The Weinstein Company
Bradley Cooper has been nominated for an Academy Award for his role in the film Silver Linings Playbook.

Originally published on Sat February 9, 2013 10:49 am

Fresh Air Weekend highlights some of the best interviews and reviews from past weeks, and new program elements specially paced for weekends. Our weekend show emphasizes interviews with writers, filmmakers, actors and musicians, and often includes excerpts from live in-studio concerts. This week:

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