Weekend America

Shall We Dance?

When it comes to New Year's Eve a lot of people go to great lengths to plan for what they hope is the best time ever. But sometimes the most memorable experiences are the ones that just kind of happen. Ballroom dance instructor Christopher Ruppert tells us one such story.But first we'll hear some of your most memorable New Year's Eve stories.

That Time of Year

There's a widely held belief that suicides are more prevalent this time of year because of all the stress that comes with the holidays. But it turns out suicide rates actually drop at the end of the year. Spring and fall are the seasons when numbers spike. And yet the holiday suicide myth survives. Weekend America's Sean Cole tries to figure out why.

Toss that Microwave!

For our New Year's show, we asked our listeners to share their stories. And we received a lot of thoughtful e-mails and calls. There were New Years spent in Europe and dignified evenings at home. And then there was the one about the friends who throw broken appliances at an old car for the occasion. Mhari Saito reports.

New Year, New Country

This hour on the show, we are hearing from our listeners. This story dates back 50 years and it includes a revolution in another country and a move to the United States--on New Year's Eve. Listener Yvette Kaplan shares her story.

Bowl Crazy

There are a lot of college bowl games on New Year's Day. And the oldest of all is the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. This year the Rose Bowl renews one of the great old rivalries--Michigan and Southern California. And you may not want to take the time to watch, so we settle the rivalry for you.

Babies and Weddings! (Not Necessarily in That Order)

Not surprisingly, New Year's Eve is one of the most popular times for marriage proposals. It's often a romantic, momentous kind of night. When we asked you to share your New Year's stories, we found that love, marriage and, births were a common theme. We end this hour with some of those memories.

A Return to 29 Palms

In this hour of Weekend America, we will be revisiting some of our favorite stories that we had on the show this past year. We start with one of the first stories we brought to you in 2006. Weekend America's Pat Loeb reported from Twenty Nine Palms, Calif., the largest marine base in the world. Alex Cohen catches up with Felicia Erikson, one of the women she met there. Erikson's husband Jay is deployed in Iraq and is expected home in January.

Still Clinging to Clutter

In October, we introduced you to Melodie. She was suffering from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Attention Deficit Disorder and a brain injury, all of which aggravate a problem she has with hoarding. Her apartment was beyond cluttered and everyone had a suggestion on how to fix it. Independent producer Elizabeth Chur spent some time with her at her apartment in San Francisco, Calif.

Song & Memory

Remembering a Song and Memory

We've asked you over the year to tell us about a song that brings back a strong memory from your childhood. And we've heard from all sorts of people--listeners, musicians, a reverend, office workers, writers--anyone with a story about a song. We return now to the first person who shared his song and memory with us.

Life with Pablo

This past Father's Day we met Dan Gorenstein of Concord, N.H. All last year he and his wife Erica waited for an adoption agency to find them a child. And finally in March they got the call. They had two weeks to go pick up Pablo. We revisit their path towards parenthood.

Revisiting the End

Finally this hour, we spend some time with the band Gas Huffer. Since college, Weekend America's John Moe has had a relationship with the Seattle-area band. Now after years of touring, the group has called it quits. And as Moe tells us, it marked the end of an era for the band... and for him.