Iowa Public Radio

Search continues for missing Iowa teen Kathlynn Shepard

Durrie Bouscaren — Wed, 22 May 2013 13:04:07 +0000

The search for 15-year-old Kathlynn Shepard continues in the north-central Iowa town of Dayton. Investigators say a man abducted Shepard as she walked home from the bus stop yesterday. He was later found dead in a suspected suicide.

More than 200 volunteers continued to search for Shepard on Tuesday, and investigators say they are ‘optimistic’ she will be found alive. A 12-year-old girl also was abducted, but escaped soon after and alerted police.

Dayton is a town with a population of less than 1,000.

Anthony Weiner Jumps Into Race To Be NYC Mayor

Mark Memmott — Wed, 22 May 2013 11:57:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x92OWufIWcU

Book News: Newly Found Pearl Buck Novel To Be Published This Fall

Annalisa Quinn — Wed, 22 May 2013 11:35:00 +0000

The daily lowdown on books, publishing, and the occasional author behaving badly.

A never-before-seen novel by Nobel Prize-winning author Pearl Buck that was discovered in a Texas storage unit will be published in October.

In Oklahoma, Rescue Efforts Give Way To Recovery

Mark Memmott — Wed, 22 May 2013 11:10:00 +0000

The news Wednesday from Moore, Okla., much of which was destroyed by a massive tornado Monday, begins with word that officials doubt they will find any more survivors or bodies under the hundreds of homes, businesses and other buildings that were leveled.

Moore Fire Chief Gary Bird put it this way Tuesday: After searches of all damaged buildings, "I'm 98 percent sure we're good."

That means the official dea

Why Apple (And Lots Of Other Companies) Wound Up In Ireland

editor — Wed, 22 May 2013 07:07:00 +0000

Apple was criticized in a Senate committee hearing Tuesday for using complex accounting to minimize the corporate taxes it pays.

West Bank Businesses Seek Growth Amid Uncertainty

editor — Wed, 22 May 2013 07:04:00 +0000

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry heads back to Israel and the West Bank on Thursday for more talks on restarting peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. When he was there last month, he walked away with at least one agreement — to improve the West Bank economy.

Quantum Or Not, New Supercomputer Is Certainly Something Else

editor — Wed, 22 May 2013 07:03:00 +0000

It's exactly the sort of futuristic thinking you'd expect from Google and NASA: Late last week, the organizations announced a partnership to build a Quantum Artificial Intelligence Lab at NASA's Ames Research Center.

But questions surround the new type of computer at the lab's core. D-Wave systems, the company that makes the machine, says it is a quantum computer — a machine that runs on the strange laws of quantum mechanics.

Instead Of Snoozing In Savings, Let's Put $5,000 To Work

Uri Berliner — Wed, 22 May 2013 07:01:00 +0000

If you have a savings account you probably already know this: Your money there is losing value to inflation. Yields are so low that returns are not even keeping up with the cost of living.

I've been watching some of my own savings dwindle. And that prompted me to take up a challenge: I'm taking $5,000 from personal savings and putting it to work. I'm not a financial whiz, pundit or any kind of guru.

In the coming weeks, I'll be reporting on the various investments I decide to pursue.

Boomer Housemates Have More Fun

Julie Rovner — Wed, 22 May 2013 07:00:00 +0000

Today more than 1 in every 3 baby boomers — that huge glut of people born between 1948 and 1964 — is unmarried. And those unmarried boomers are disproportionately women.

Backing Becks: Don't Knock The Soccer Star's Talents

Frank Deford — Wed, 22 May 2013 02:04:00 +0000

The most unforgiving criticism in sport is directed at any athlete who fans believe is celebrated too excessively above his true talent level — especially those stars who are gloried because they're such pretty people.

To wit: As David Beckham retires, so much attention is being devoted not to how good he was but to how good he was not. I never saw that emphasized with a fine athlete before.

Why Oklahomans Don't Like Basements

Scott Neuman — Tue, 21 May 2013 23:20:00 +0000

When Randy Keller moved from Texas to the Oklahoma City area seven years ago, he couldn't find the house he was looking for.

"I was moving from Texas, where there are also a lot of tornadoes," says the professor of geology and geophysics at the University of Oklahoma who experienced the 1970 tornado in Lubbock, Texas.

Idaho Terrorism Suspect Waives Detention Hearing

Howard Berkes — Tue, 21 May 2013 23:19:00 +0000

The 30-year-old Uzbek national accused of a terrorist conspiracy in Idaho and Utah waived his right to a detention hearing in Boise on Tuesday, and apparently avoided public disclosure of details of his alleged crimes.

According to a federal court document, an attorney for Fazliddin Kurbanov withdrew his client's request for the hearing.

Two Key Candidates Barred From Seeking Iran's Presidency

Krishnadev Calamur — Tue, 21 May 2013 23:04:00 +0000

Iran's powerful Guardian Council has disqualified two key candidates — a former president and a top aide to the current president — from running in the June 14 presidential election.

The Guardian Council, which vets all candidates, approved eight names Tuesday but left out former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, who was handpicked by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Mashaei said he would appeal the decision to the country's supreme leader; Rafsanjani did not comment.

The Associated Press has controversial petition by the dairy industry to allow milk sweetened with aspartame or other alternative sweeteners to be labeled on the front of the carton simply as MILK is drawing criticism from the nation's leading group of nutritionists.

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is urging the FDA to reject the petition, which we first

Tornado Leaves Moore, Okla., Neighborhoods Unrecognizable

editor — Tue, 21 May 2013 21:43:00 +0000

Melissa Block and Robert Siegel have the latest on the tornado that caused major damage in Moore, Okla., on Monday.

WATCH: Moore Tornado As Seen From Space

editor — Tue, 21 May 2013 21:23:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNYO5n3aQp4

The Scramble At Moore Medical Center As The Tornado Hit

editor — Tue, 21 May 2013 21:14:00 +0000

A massive tornado swept through the Oklahoma City area Monday afternoon, leaving ruin in its path.

Moore Medical Center, which stood directly in the tornado's path, was devastated. But the workers, patients and their families in the hospital escaped.

Nick Stremble, a registered nurse and manager at the hospital, told Shots Tuesday what he saw.

"My ER is destroyed," he said. "My department was at the Moore Medical Center.

Okla. Tornado Survivors Try To Collect Lives After Storm

Wade Goodwyn — Tue, 21 May 2013 20:41:00 +0000

Transcript

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

In Moore, for the many people whose homes were destroyed, the top priorities are finding a place to stay, some clothes to wear, and food to eat. NPR's Wade Goodwyn has been talking with survivors in Moore and he sent this story.

WADE GOODWYN, BYLINE: Jamie Martinez(ph) is a retired police officer who still does security work, and that's where he was when the tornado slammed into his neighborhood yesterday.

JAMIE MARTINEZ: Our house is gone. It's leveled. Missing six pets, the least of our problems. I mean, we're alive. That's what counts.

'Arrested Development' Leads The Charge For Old Brands In New Media

Neda Ulaby — Tue, 21 May 2013 20:41:00 +0000

Arrested Development returning via Netflix? Just another old-media brand reviving itself on new media.

The TV show, which originally ran on Fox from 2003 to 2006 and unveils new episodes on Netflix next weekend, finds itself in splendid company. Radiohead, Louis C.K., Veronica Mars — all found their audiences with promotion and distribution from big studios and networks. Radiohead was signed to a major music label. Louis C.K. enjoyed HBO specials and TV shows.

Pat Metheny And John Zorn: A Vivid Sound World

Tom Moon — Tue, 21 May 2013 20:41:00 +0000

Guitarist Pat Metheny is revered for his bright, accessible modern jazz. Saxophonist and composer John Zorn is associated with much knottier, often dissonant experiments. Metheny's new Tap: John Zorn's Book of Angels, Vol.

Discovering A Family Member's Lost Time In Amsterdam

Margot Adler — Tue, 21 May 2013 20:41:00 +0000
When I found out that one of my cousins — now 88 — had hidden from the Nazis in Amsterdam, just like Anne Frank, it was a revelation. It made me want to know more about my cousin's life and story.
"I like to analyze what happens and to put it in writing; that gives you neatness in your head, and that is what I'm after," says my cousin, retired Judge Suzanne Hoogendijk. She was 87 at the time, and was talking about why she loved being a judge.

Lessons Learned: Parkersburg 2013

Pat Blank — Tue, 21 May 2013 20:40:46 +0000

Residents of Parkersburg and nearby towns that were hit by an EF5 tornado five years ago are remembering the events of that day as information pours in from Moore, Oklahoma. Parkersburg City Clerk, Chris Luhring says he believes part of the healing process involves helping others when you can, " I think our goal for Moore, Oklahoma is to feel our love and support and our prayers for them, people here don’t do it for the credit, they’re just leaving in the middle of the night to help and to raise some funds." Seven people were killed in Parkersburg and two died in near

African Cities Test The Limits Of Living With Livestock

Eliza Barclay — Tue, 21 May 2013 20:40:00 +0000
Raising chickens has become so fashionable among some urban Americans that there's now a market for chicken diapers, as we reported this month.
For a bit of a reality check, let's consider what it means to raise urban livestock in the developing world, where people are poorer and hungrier, and cities are much more densely populated.

A Catch For Insurers That Cut Deductibles For Healthy People

Michelle Andrews — Tue, 21 May 2013 20:38:00 +0000
Health insurance deductibles typically only go one direction: up.
It's not unusual for people these days to be responsible for paying thousands of dollars in medical claims before most plan benefits kick in.
Rewards to policyholders for claims that don't meet the annual deductible can be a boon for healthy people.

Microsoft Reveals New Xbox One Game System

Bill Chappell — Tue, 21 May 2013 20:32:00 +0000
Microsoft unveiled its new Xbox One Tuesday, displaying a device that takes new steps in game consoles' journey to becoming all-purpose entertainment and communication devices. The new console replaces the Xbox 360, which has been on the market for nearly eight years.
One of the new device's most striking features is the ability to run multiple apps at once — and to split a TV screen into different tasks.

Gandhi Artifacts Could Fetch Steep Prices At Auction

Scott Neuman — Tue, 21 May 2013 20:12:00 +0000
Artifacts that once belonged to Mohandas K. Gandhi, the Indian independence leader who took a vow of poverty, could fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars at auction.
A pair of sandals, a shawl, a drinking cup, Gandhi's will and various other documents associated with the leader are all up for auction. Guide prices range from £200 for "a rare British Parliament paper declaring Gandhi a terrorist" dating from 1932, to £40,000 for his will.

Vertical 'Pinkhouses:' The Future Of Urban Farming?

Michaeleen Doucleff — Tue, 21 May 2013 20:01:00 +0000
The idea of vertical farming is all the rage right now. Architects and engineers have come up with spectacular concepts for lofty buildings that could function as urban food centers of the future.
In Sweden, for example, they're planning a 177-foot skyscraper to farm leafy greens at the edge of each floor.

Paranormal Iowa

Charity Nebbe, Dennis Reese and Sarah Boden — Tue, 21 May 2013 19:07:07 +0000

Legend has it that in 1903, for several nights in a row the small town of Van Meter was terrorized by a giant bat-like creature. One-hundred ten years later, Talk of Iowa tries to uncover the truth with author Chad Lewis, a paranormal investigator and co-author of the new book "The Van Meter Visitor: A True and Mysterious Encounter with the Unknown."