Search results for

The lower part of Michigan is shaped like a mitten, which helps people recognize the state on a map. But now nearby Wisconsin has an official website featuring a picture of a mitten, saying Wisconsin is mitten-shaped. That might be true, if the thumb is smashed. Michiganders are furious, and officials accuse Wisconsin of "mitten envy."

Policymakers are expected to follow up that action with some other steps aimed at giving banks easier access to cash. It's hoped the moves will ease the continent's credit crunch.

A test of a nasal vaccine against norovirus suggests it may be possible to immunize people against the virus, a common cause of foodborne illness.

Republicans joined together to stop a vote on the nomination of former Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray to run the new federal consumer protection agency.

The Black Keys just released a new album called El Camino. Rock critic Ken Tucker says that, while the album retains the band's roots in blues and R&B, it's also reaching out to a wider audience with its pop and rock touches.

Calling for his resignation, critics said the controversial sheriff was too busy fighting illegal immigration to investigate sexual abuse crimes. The sheriff defended his record.

As the Euro crisis continues, Germany and France have proposed giving European Union leaders more power to demand fiscal discipline from member states. The crisis has raised difficult questions about national sovereignty for many E.U. member states.

NPR's Debbie Elliott and Richard Gonzales spent a month on the road across the nation, reporting stories of economic struggle for the NPR series "Hard Times." They heard stories of people and places grappling with economic hardship, and also found a few bright spots along the way.

The campus of Virginia Tech in Roanoke, Va. was on lockdown Thursday after a gunman killed a police officer during a traffic stop, and one other person. Campus officials instructed everyone to stay in a secure place indoors and barred visitors while police continued their search for the shooter. Virginia Tech established a number of security and emergency response measures after the 2007 mass shooting that killed 33 people. Mallory Noe-Payne, intern with NPR member station WVTF in Roanoke provides an update.

The plan, developed after the 2007 shooting spree that left 33 people dead on campus, used phone alerts, text messages, classroom message boards, computer desktop alerts and outdoor sirens.