WQCS Site Search

People wait in line outside the Supreme Court in February. In a landmark decision half a century ago, the justices guaranteed a lawyer for criminal defendants who are too poor to afford one.

Justice Department Tackles Quality Of Defense For The Poor

An unprecedented recent court filing from the Justice Department could have dramatic implications for the representation of indigent defendants. The department argues that the fix for broken public defender systems could include a court-appointed monitor.

Grove Park, a tranquil inn located in Asheville, N.C., opened in 1913 and hosted well-known guests who came to the mountain town for rest and relaxation. F. Scott Fitzgerald stayed there in the summers of 1935 and 1936. His wife Zelda lived across the valley at Highland Hospital, a psychiatric facility.

For F. Scott And Zelda Fitzgerald, A Dark Chapter In Asheville, N.C.

The Golden 1920s couple didn't fare as well in the 1930s, and the North Carolina mountain town was host to a particularly sad time. NPR's Susan Stamberg discovered a little-known story of the Jazz Age darlings and their devastating connections to Asheville.

Nyad Finishes Swimming Goal 35 Years After She First Tried

Diana Nyad finally conquered the Straits of Florida by swimming without a shark cage from Cuba to Key West. It was a distance of more than 100 miles. It was her fifth attempt.

Iran Weighs Heavily In Debate Over Syria

A lot of the debate over Syria is actually a debate about Syria's ally Iran. If the U.S. does strike, could Iran retaliate against the U.S. or its ally Israel? For more, Steve Inskeep talks to Scott Peterson, of The Christian Science Monitor, who is in Istanbul, Turkey.

U.S. forces transfer a missile for a fighter plane as the military prepared for war in Iraq, in Saudi Arabia in 1990. American presidents have been calling on the military frequently since the end of the Cold War more than two decades ago.

Why Are U.S. Presidents Calling On The Military So Often?

Despite the end of the Cold War, U.S. presidents are sending the U.S. military into battle with great frequency. The military has carried out more than a dozen separate operations since the first Gulf War in Iraq in 1991.

Woman Waits 8 Years To Get Diamond After Chicken Ate It

After her pet chicken ate a diamond earring, a woman in England decided to wait until the bird died to get her jewelry back. The earring could have been removed surgically but she was afraid the chicken wouldn't survive.

Irish poet Seamus Heaney is pictured in 2010.

Book News: Seamus Heaney's Last Words Were 'Don't Be Afraid'

Also: The Hugo Awards; a push to ban a Toni Morrison book from Alabama school reading lists, the best book coming out this week.

That's a Nokia Lumia 820 smartphone snapping an image of a Windows icon.

For Microsoft, Nokia's Phones Are 'Key To Everything'

Microsoft is spending $7.2 billion for Nokia's mobile phones business. The thinking, analysts say, is that to succeed in other areas — tablets and PCs — Microsoft needs to build its Windows Phone business.

Former basketball star Dennis Rodman at Beijing Capital International Airport on Tuesday, before his flight to Pyongyang, North Korea.

'The Worm' Returns To North Korea; Rodman Visits Again

Retired basketball star Dennis Rodman called Kim Jong Un an "aweseome" man after a visit earlier this year. His trip there this week follows a prediction by Rodman that he would persuade Kim to release Korean-American missionary Kenneth Bae. But Rodman says that's not the purpose of his visit.

What about those health insurance exchanges?

With Health Exchanges Opening Soon, Consumers Start To Focus

People are looking for answers to complex health insurance problems. The navigators whose job it is to help are going to have their work cut out for them now that that the Affordable Care Act is moving into high gear.

Search results for