Lead Stories

The Two-Way
12:04 pm
Wed December 12, 2012

Census: We Continue To Get Older And More Diverse; Though More Slowly

Credit Stan Honda / AFP/Getty Images
The crowded scene on "Black Friday" at Macy's in Manhattan. The U.S. population is projected to hit 400 million in 2051, Census says, up from 321 million in 2015.

Originally published on Wed December 12, 2012 3:02 pm

The trends continue:

"The U.S. population will be considerably older and more racially and ethnically diverse by 2060, according to projections released today by the U.S. Census Bureau."

Based on data from the 2010 census, the bureau projects that:

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Education
11:43 am
Wed December 12, 2012

Bennett Named Florida Education Commissioner

From tonybennett2012.com

Indiana's recently ousted state school superintendent is Florida's new education commissioner.

The State Board of Education selected Tony Bennett, a Republican who lost a bid for re-election in Indiana last month, today in Tampa.

The board picked Bennett from a slate of three finalists.

The others were Murray State University President Randy Dunn, who once served as state superintendent in Illinois, and Arlington, Va., education consultant Charles Hokanson, a former deputy assistant U.S. secretary of education in President George W. Bush's administration.

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The Two-Way
9:30 am
Wed December 12, 2012

'Global Chorus Of Condemnation' After North Korea's Rocket Launch

Credit Kyodo / Reuters /Landov
A North Korean military band performed today in Pyongyang to celebrate the country's rocket launch. Other nations, though, condemned the launch.

Originally published on Wed December 12, 2012 2:52 pm

  • Louisa Lim on 'Morning Edition'

"The global chorus of condemnation has been loud and clear," after North Korea's successful launch of a long-range rocket that carried a satellite into space, NPR's Louisa Lim said today on Morning Edition.

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The Two-Way
6:37 am
Wed December 12, 2012

Sitar Virtuoso Ravi Shankar Dies At 92

Credit JIM WELLS / AP
Musician Ravi Shankar performs at the Concert For Bangladesh benefit at Madison Square Garden in New York on Aug. 1, 1971. Shankar died Tuesday. He was 92.

Originally published on Wed December 12, 2012 9:03 am

  • Susan Stamberg on 'Morning Edition'

Sitar maestro Ravi Shankar has died. He was 92.

A tweet from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's official Twitter account broke the news to the world: "Prime Minister condoles the passing away of Pandit Ravishankar — A national treasure and global ambassador of India's cultural heritage."

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Local News
6:35 am
Wed December 12, 2012

Kentucky's Ark Won't Be the First Replica Built to Biblical Specs

Credit Ceinturion/Creative Commons
Johan's Ark in the Netherlands.

A Dutch man has accomplished something that's been under planning for years in Kentucky -- the construction of a life-sized replica of Noah's Ark, using biblical specs.

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The Two-Way
5:01 pm
Tue December 11, 2012

Inscription On Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial To Be Removed

Credit Jacquelyn Martin / AP
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar endorsed a plan Tuesday to remove the disputed "drum major" inscription from the memorial and replace it with a fuller version of the quote.

Originally published on Tue December 11, 2012 5:13 pm

The controversial paraphrased quote on the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C., will be removed.

A plan to remove the "Drum Major" inscription was approved Tuesday by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. Here's more from the statement announcing the move:

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Arts and Humanities
4:35 pm
Tue December 11, 2012

Fund for the Arts Honors Arts Council Chair with Leadership Award

Credit Fund for the Arts
Todd Lowe with Fund for the Arts president and CEO Barbara Sexton Smith and Kendrick Riggs of Stoll Keenon Ogden.

Kentucky Arts Council chair Todd Lowe is the recipient of the 2012 James Welch, Sr. Arts Leadership Award. Lowe was honored by the Fund for the Arts Saturday night at the opening of Louisville Ballet’s “The Brown-Forman Nutcracker” for his commitment to volunteer arts leadership.

Praising the broad reach of his work and leadership in Louisville and across the Commonwealth, Fund for the Arts president and CEO Barbara Sexton Smith says Lowe is “the quintessential servant leader.”  

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Local News
4:20 pm
Tue December 11, 2012

Army Plans to Test Rocket Fuel at Bluegrass Depot

The Army says it’s time to test the stability of aging rocket fuel stored at the Bluegrass Army Depot inRichmond.

This winter, propellant from 44 rockets will be removed, with most of it trucked to New Jersey for safety tests. Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Grice, who commands the operation, says there will be numerous safeguards in place. The biggest risk is the accidental ignition of a rocket motor.

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Politics
4:03 pm
Tue December 11, 2012

Poll: McConnell Most Unpopular U.S. Senator

Credit File photo

Republican Leader Mitch McConnell is the most unpopular Senator in the country, according to a new survey conducted by Public Policy Polling released Tuesday.

The poll shows that among Kentucky voters, McConnell has just a 37 percent approval rating along with a 55 percent disapproval and has only one-third of independents. But the GOP leaders is still ahead of all Democratic threats in 2014, including actress Ashley Judd, Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Crimes and Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer.

From PPP:

The reason McConnell does decently well in the head to head match ups despite his poor approval numbers is that even though a lot of Republicans dislike him, most of them would still vote for him in a general election before they would support a Democrat.

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Planet Money
3:59 pm
Tue December 11, 2012

Americans Are Moving Less Than They Used To. Don't Blame The Recession.

Credit Ann Heisenfelt / AP
Leaving trunk.

Originally published on Tue December 11, 2012 3:40 pm

One out of eight Americans moved this year, according to a report out this week from U.S. Census Bureau. That's up from last year's record low, but still much lower than it used to be. In the early '80s, roughly one in five Americans moved each year.

It's tempting to see the decline in the percentage of Americans who move each year as the product of the housing bust. After all, it's hard to move when your house is underwater.

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