Weekend America

In Dallas, a Fight Over the Land Between the Levees

On November 6th, voters in Dallas have a ballot question before them: Should the city build a toll-road along its river? Opponents of the toll-road say it puts the city more at risk of a catastrophic flood, and it will ruin a planned park. Supporters say that without the road, Dallas will strangle itself on traffic jams. Weekend America's Julia Barton navigates Dallas' wild river, portaging over log jams, clambering the muddy banks, whacking through head-high grass to find whether Big D is ready to embrace its soggy center.

An Announcer for the Record Books

In the final seconds of a Division III college football game last weekend, the Trinity University Tigers pulled off a 62-second, 61-yard, 15-lateral play to win the game. Fifteen lateral passes is a pretty tough feat, and calling a game like that might be just as challenging. Jonathan Wiener, the play-by-play announcer for Trinity, kept his cool while he called every single pass, naming each player as he touched the ball. His announcing has since been heard by 300,000 people on YouTube. Wiener talks with Weekend America guest host John Moe about the amazing game.

Weekend Pass

'Coon Hunting Back Home

When U.S. Army Sergeant Matt Blakemore isn't in Iraq or Afghanistan, he likes to relax by hunting raccoons, aka 'coons. While on leave, Sergeant Blakemore goes hunting five times a week, often with fellow soldiers. Independent producer Michael May joined them in Killeen, Texas, before they headed back to Iraq.

Weekend Soundtrack

Weekend Soundtrack: Nina Simone

Every weekend, Teri Echtenkamp is out shopping for vintage purses in Omaha. And while she's purse-hunting, Echtenkamp listens to Nina Simone's rendition of "Sinnerman." She says Simone's voice helps energize her search and even helps her find purses of the 1950s and 1960s. Echtenkamp loves finding the story behind each purse: "My favorite thing is when I find something in it. I get a little glimpse of who it was carrying it."

Sustainability

Baby's First Mastercard?

Babies now have the choice of Barney clothing, Elmo diapers and fruit chews shaped like Teletubbies. Weekend America's John Moe wants to know if this is a cynical marketing ploy or a harmless way of enhancing a child's experience. He hears from Dr. Susan Linn of the Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood, Dr. Rosemarie Truglio of the Sesame Workshop and some plain old parents.

Sustainability

Forget Ads, What's Your Brand?

Almost every Saturday, 15-year-old Emily Erickson is at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn. Most of its 500 stores don't interest her, except Hollister, a clothing store for teens. Hollister is odd. It's dark, with music so loud you can't hear yourself shop. The air is filled with a deep citrus scent that stays on your clothes for hours. But Emily loves it and keeps coming back. Hollister's "brand" invites her to become part of a particular tribe, and to show her allegiance by wearing its clothes. It's part of the way that branding has taken over from traditional advertising. We hear from brand designer Joe Duffy about the concept of "brand" for clothes, kids and even countries.

Kurt Cobain's Mix Tape

"Kurt Cobain About a Son," a film portrait of Kurt Cobain by filmmaker AJ Schnack, features the words of Cobain pieced together from about 25 hours of audio taped interviews. The interviews were conducted by music journalist Michael Azerrad for his book, "Come As You Are: the Story of Nirvana." Azerrad's questions aren't in the film, though, so what's left is an intimate story about and by Cobain. Other than Cobain's voice, the only sounds you hear come from the soundtrack, which doesn't actually include any Nirvana songs, only the songs that influenced Cobain. Like any good mix tape, the songs are all over the map. We ask Azerrad to tell us how these songs shaped Cobain and the music of Nirvana.

Also Running for President: Chris Dodd

Apart from Hillary, Obama and Rudy, there are many, many presidential candidates who aren't among those who will ever be covered by the media. No one is giving these candidates any chance of winning, so we want to know: why do they keep running? Weekend America's John Moe goes on the Iowa campaign trail with Senator Chris Dodd, Democrat from Connecticut.

Obituary for a Chimp

This weekend, Deborah Fouts is mourning the loss of a long-time friend. On Tuesday, Oct. 30, a 42-year-old female chimpanzee named Washoe (WAH-shoh) died in eastern Washington state. Washoe became a celebrity back in 1969, when her guardians, cognitive researchers R. Allen and Beatrix Gardner, reported that the chimp had learned rudimentary sign language.

Good News, Bad News, No News

Good News, Bad News, No News

Our panel of non-experts reviews the week's events in a parlor game to gauge what kind of a week America had. This week, we hear from New Yorker cartoon editor Bob Mankoff; Yale literature professor Amy Hungerford; and Linda Chavez, the chairman of the Center for Equal Opportunity, based in Sterling, Va.

The Homeless Running Club

This weekend is the Dash for Democracy 5K run in Philadelphia. Some runners dress up like the Statue of Liberty and Ben Franklin, but among them will be a group of homeless men wearing matching yellow t-shirts. They're part of a group called "Back on my Feet." Producer Peter Crimmins recently went training with the group and sends this story.

Sustainability

Your Ad Here: Adventures in Assvertising, and Other Pursuits

Ads are everywhere. They're on cars, buses and planes. They're on people's bodies: stomachs, foreheads and rear-ends. Marketers are constantly scouring for unexpected advertising real estate. Weekend America reporter Sean Cole has a look at where they're headed next.

Sustainability

Winning the Lottery Didn't Change His Life

As part of our coverage of the consumer economy, we're asking listeners what single purchase changed their lives. In Florida, Pete had started a new job. One day, a colleague asked him if he wanted to join the office pool to buy a lottery ticket. He said yes, and they won $14 million dollars. Pete tells us his story of a truly life-changing purchase.

A Sound Artist Goes Live

When Chicago-based musician Dave Fischoff first released his album, "The Crawl," last November, he wasn't thinking about how he would perform the music in public. He spent five years composing the music, writing the lyrics and recording everything -- a true solo project.