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NPR's Mandelit del Barco reports from Los Angeles that organizers of a school voucher ballot measure in California, called Proposition 38, are offering free computers and free vacations to attract potential voters.

Charlotte Renner reports from the home of L.L. Bean and outlet shopping, Freeport, Maine. It seems that with more and more outlet malls creeping across the country, towns like Freepost can no longer survive on bargains alone.

NPR's Michele Kelemen reports that although Russian forces continue to lose men in Chechnya nearly every day, the war rarely grabs headlines any more. Soldiers who have fought there complain the war is bogging down, but few Russians are demanding publicly that their government revise its strategy, seek a political settlement, or pull out of Chechnya.

NPR's Eric Weiner reports that the issue of drugs continues to overshadow the Summer Olympic games. Today, sixteen-year old Romanian Andreea Raducan was stripped of her all-round gold medal after she took a banned stimulant contained in two cold medicine pills that was given to her by the team doctor.

NPR's Peter Kenyon has a roundup of the legislative activity in Congress, as members try to conclude business, so they can return home and campaign for the election.

Commentator David Fleischaker says we're facing high prices and a shortage of natural gas, with fewer rigs drilling, new fields less productive than old ones, and an explosion of demand. Natural gas has become the clean fuel of choice for consumers, industry, and the electric utility industry. The solution, he says, lies in balancing fuel development and the environment -- and learning to consume less.

The US women's softball team won a gold medal at the Sydney Olympics Tuesday in the hardest possible fashion. As NPR's Tom Goldman reports, the team was considered unbeatable after a two-year winning streak of 112 games. But it lost three straight games in the early round of competition, nearly putting it out of medal contention. The US then fought back and swept the three teams -- China, Australia and Japan -- it lost to earlier in the tournament.

NPR's Kathleen Schalch reports that lawmakers on Capitol Hill are holding another hearing today on violence in TV and video games. Earlier this month the Federal Trade Commission, issued a report stating that the entertainment industry was peddling inappropriate materials to children. The FTC also said it was encouraged to see the industry was paying attention to the call for improved self-regulation.

Noah talks to Witold Rybczynski, the author of One Good Turn: A Natural History of the Screwdriver and the Screw. His book traces the screwdriver to medieval times, and highlights the contributions of inventors who have improved upon the tool, and the tools for making screws.

Attorney General Janet Reno and FBI Director Louis Freeh laid out their case against Wen Ho Lee before two Senate committees today. Reno said Lee is a felon, not a victim of government persecution. Freeh described Lee's alleged duplicating and deleting of restricted nuclear weapons information, and the FBI director said Lee's actions showed criminal intent. NPR's Barbara Bradley reports on the hearing, and talks with a spokesman for a scientists' group about whether the testimony shows Lee was, or intended to be, a spy.

With the growing acceptance in academia of different kinds of slang as legitimate forms of expression, it should come as no surprise that Amherst College is offering the first university-level course in Spanglish, a combination of Spanish and English. Ilan Stavans, the Amherst professor who's teaching the course, is also preparing a Spanglish dictionary. Pippin Ross reports.

When bees infested her house, Commentator Elissa Ely called apon an exterminator with a philosophical bent.

NPR's Larry Abramson reports the Supreme Court will NOT hear a direct appeal of the Microsoft case. Instead, the landmark anti-trust suit will go the a federal appeals court first. The decision is a setback for the Justice Department, which wanted the Supreme Court to hear the case without first going through the Court of Appeals.

NPR's John Burnett reports that as the bottom falls out of the Texas ranch economy, ranchers are turning to economic diversification -- such as ranch tourism -- to preserve their holdings. Tourism includes hosting mountain bike events or charging for admission to the bat cave. Some put a twist on the Tom Sawyer story by charging visitors to help with the ranch work.

David Greenberger reviews a new CD by Dave Alvin, titled Public Domain: Songs from the Wild Land. The tracks are all traditional folk songs, like "Shenandoah,' and "Don't Let Your Deal Go Down."

A note on the life of Lee Erwin, a silent film organist who composed music for Charlie Chaplin, and classic films like "The Hunchback of Notre Dame." Erwin died last week at the age of 92.

NPR's Julie McCarthy reports from Prague that demonstrators rioted in the streets of the Czech capital today as the International Monetary Fund and World Bank formally opened their annual summit. The protesters -- who see the IMF and World Bank as evil forces of "globalization" -- threw gasoline bombs, rocks and bottles at police. Inside the convention center, the meetings got under way without interruption.

Two stories on the Presidential campaign: NPR's Anthony Brooks reports on Democratic nominee Al Gore's appearance last night on MTV's Choose or Lose program, where he answered questions from college students. NPR's Andy Bowers reports on Republican nominee George W. Bush's appearance on CNN with Larry King. Host Larry King interviewed Governor Bush and his wife, Laura.

Safety measures like proof of vaccination will make customers feel more protected, the store's co-owner and legal counsel said.

The Dow Jones slumped over 600 points as financial troubles at property developer China Evergrande Group became the latest in a growing list of concerns for Wall Street.

The name change comes after years of activism from the Butchulla Aboriginal people, who inhabited the island before colonization. K'gari means "paradise" in the Butchulla language.

Osnos' new book focuses on coal country in West Virginia; hedge fund culture in Greenwich, Conn.; institutional racism in Chicago and why Democrat Joe Manchin holds remarkable sway in the Senate.

Jacki Lyden interviews NPR's Ken Rudin about what may be at stake should the Senate elections result in a power shift or what could happen if the balance of power remains the same. (3:30)

The sequoias are "wrapped with house-wrapping material, kind of an aluminum-foil fabric that goes around the base of the trees," says Jon Wallace, who is helping to lead the firefighting effort.

The Colombian indie rock band performs a colorful and funky four-song set from their home country's capital, Bogotá.