Boise State Public Radio

British Soldier Hacked To Death Was 'Our Hero,' Family Says

Mark Memmott — Fri, 24 May 2013 13:16:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrxcAADT56E

Community Surprised Okla. Tornado Death Toll Wasn't Higher

Hansi Lo Wang — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:49:00 +0000

Monday's tornado in Moore, Okla., killed 24 people and caused an estimated $2.2 billion worth of damage. As the community reflects on what happened, one question is: How did so many manage to survive such devastating destruction?

Lifelong Oklahoman Kristi Freeman has seen her share of tornadoes, but she says the twister that tore through her neighborhood Monday was something else.

"This tornado was like a monster. It was like something that was alive. It destroyed your peace, your comfort," she says.

Developing: Explosion, Gunfire In Kabul

Mark Memmott — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:34:00 +0000
There's been an explosion followed by the sound of gunfire in Kabul, NPR's Sean Carberry and other journalists report from the Afghan capital.
Reuters reports that the explosion occurred "at about 4 p.m. local time in a downtown district. ...

Assad Regime Agrees To Attend Peace Conference, Russia Says

Mark Memmott — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:13:00 +0000
Representatives of President Bashar Assad's regime have agreed "in principle" to attend an international peace conference aimed at ending more than two years of brutal warfare in Syria, Russia's foreign ministry said Friday.
But NPR's Corey Flintoff reports from Moscow that Russian diplomats also said it's not known just when such talks might start because it's unclear who would speak for the groups who have been fighting to overthrow the regime.

Tornado In Moore, Okla.: Friday's Developments

Mark Memmott — Fri, 24 May 2013 11:39:00 +0000
As the residents of Moore, Okla., and surrounding communities continue to recover from Monday's devastating tornado that killed at least 24 people and injured more than 375, we're keeping an eye on the news from there:
-- Oklahoma City's KOCO-TV reports that "Moore Police will be removing checkpoints into affected areas in the city

Book News: Judge's Comments Bruising To Apple's Price-Fixing Case

Annalisa Quinn — Fri, 24 May 2013 11:32:00 +0000
The daily lowdown on books, publishing, and the occasional author behaving badly.
U.S.

'White Flash And Cold Water' After Bridge Collapse In Wash.

Mark Memmott — Fri, 24 May 2013 11:03:00 +0000
Miracle is the word that comes to Dan Sligh's mind after he and his wife, Sally, survived a plunge off a highway bridge in Washington State on Thursday evening.
Sligh tells The Seattle Times that they were driving on Interstate 5 near Mount Vernon, Wash., around 7 p.m. local time when he saw a truck carrying a heavy load strike the southbound side of a bridge over the Skagit River.

NYC Mayoral Candidate Uses Wrong Skyline On His Homepage

editor — Fri, 24 May 2013 11:01:00 +0000
Some photos on Twitter ended Anthony Weiner's congressional career. The latest online image was not quite as damaging. Weiner has launched his campaign to be mayor of New York City. A gorgeous city skyline showed up on his homepage. But it wasn't of New York. It was Pittsburgh's skyline.

Germany's Beer Makers Come Against Fracking

editor — Fri, 24 May 2013 10:56:00 +0000
Fracking is a way of bringing up natural gas by pumping water and chemicals into the ground. Germany's powerful beer industry is worried that fracking would pollute groundwater.

Viewers To Decide If Amazon's Sample Shows Make The Cut

editor — Fri, 24 May 2013 10:08:00 +0000
Amazon is piloting 14 possible shows for its streaming video service. The audience will vote on which shows it likes best. TV critic Eric Deggans says the process and the shows would like to be breaking ground for a new media — but they aren't.

Documentary Introduces Us To The Man Behind WikiLeaks

editor — Fri, 24 May 2013 10:00:00 +0000
David Greene talks to filmmaker Alex Gibney about the new documentary We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks. In 2006, Julian Assange launched WikiLeaks and encouraged anyone in the world to pass on information that might expose government secrets.

Insurers Picked For Calif. Health Exchange

editor — Fri, 24 May 2013 09:34:00 +0000
In a key test of the federal health law's ability to draw competitive bids from health insurance companies, California has unveiled plans and prices that will be available next year to millions of residents shopping for individual coverage on its new insurance marketplace.

Business News

editor — Fri, 24 May 2013 09:34:00 +0000
A.G. Lafley will replace Bob McDonald immediately. Procter & Gamble is behind names like Crest toothpaste and Tide laundry detergent. The 175-year-old company has been struggling to grow in emerging markets.

China's Air Pollution: Is The Government Willing To Act?

Frank Langfitt — Fri, 24 May 2013 08:03:00 +0000
Denise Mauzerall arrived in Beijing this year at a time that was both horrifying and illuminating.

Can This Man Bring Silicon Valley To Yangon?

Robert Smith — Fri, 24 May 2013 06:54:00 +0000
Like a proud father, Nay Aung opens up his MacBook Air to show me the Myanmar travel website he has built. But we wait 30 seconds for the site to load, and nothing happens.
"Today is a particularly bad day for Internet," he says. This is life in Myanmar today: Even an Internet entrepreneur can't always get online.

Guava Paste And Tamarind? What To Do With Weird Food Gifts

editor — Fri, 24 May 2013 06:49:00 +0000
This is an installment of NPR's ongoing Cook Your Cupboard, a food series about improvising with what you have on hand. Have a food that has you stumped? Submit a photo and we'll ask chefs about our favorites.
Harrison Gowdy of Dayton, Ohio, has developed a reputation among friends and family of liking everything and wasting nothing.
"Sometimes I'll even find things like Swiss chard dropped off on my doorstep," she says.

Military Moms: A Bond Borne From Shared Loss

NPR Staff — Fri, 24 May 2013 06:46:00 +0000
In 1991, Kentucky residents Sally Edwards and Lue Hutchinson had sons serving in the Gulf War. Sally's son, Jack, was a Marine captain. Lue's son, Tom Butts, was a staff sergeant in the Army. The two men never knew each other, but today, their mothers are best friends.
Both soldiers were killed in February of 1991. Jack was 34. "They were the cover for a medical mission.

Igor Stravinsky's 'Rite Of Spring' Counterrevolution

NPR Staff — Fri, 24 May 2013 06:03:00 +0000
As the 100th anniversary of Igor Stravinsky's ballet The Rite of Spring approaches, commentator Miles Hoffman reminds us that — as earthshaking as that infamous debut was — the composer soon branched out into a variety of musical styles that would surprise his fans and critics.
Hoffman says that, up until the infamous (and riotous) Rite of Spring debut — on May 29, 1913 — the public had never heard anything like it

Why One Idaho Parent Supports Lifting The Ban On Gay Boy Scouts

Adam Cotterell — Fri, 24 May 2013 04:14:37 +0000

The Boy Scouts of America voted Thursday to lift its ban on gay scouts. It left in place its ban on scout leaders who are gay. But in the Boy Scout’s Western Region a majority of councils recommended not changing either policy. A study of the issue done by the Boy Scouts of America cites fears among scout groups in the west of losing members, especially those who belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Boy Scots Vote To Allow Gay Members, But Not Leaders

Kathy Lohr — Fri, 24 May 2013 00:09:00 +0000
Transcript
MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:
The Boy Scouts ban on openly gay scouts is coming to an end. That's the result of a vote held today by the leadership of the Boys Scouts of America.
WAYNE PERRY: Our vision is to serve every kid. We want every kid to have a place where they belong, to learn and grow and feel protected.
BLOCK: Today's historic vote is being celebrated by gay rights advocates as a hard-fought victory and criticized by opponents as a moral capitulation. NPR's Kathy Lohr is in Grapevine, Texas, where the vote took place, and she joins us now.