Weekend America

A Missouri Town Braces for Floods

The National Weather Service lowered crest predictions for the Mississippi River -- good news for communities like Clarksville, Mo. (pop. 500). For a glimpse of the flood scene, we check in with Bud Garrison, who owns a pottery shop in Clarksville that's right next to the river.

Weekend Underground: Turncoat Narc

Congress is on the verge of approving a new round of grants to fund the nation's drug task forces, even though the actions of some of those task forces have sparked numerous civil rights scandals. Reporter Michael May brings us the story of one former drug task force cop who's staying on the front lines of the drug war -- but in his own peculiar way.

Weekend Pass

Wild Kabul Nights for Civilian Security

There are an estimated 30,000 private security contractors providing security in Afghanistan. Aid workers and even U.S. Embassy personnel depend on the private guards for their safety. With tensions escalating and the Taliban on the offensive, how do these private contractors chill out? We sent reporter Gregory Warner to find out.

Weekend Soundtrack

Cleaning to an "Icy Blue Heart"

Roxanne Cronin listens to "Icy Blue Heart" by John Hiatt while she cleans. And mends a broken heart.

Wacky Wedding Stories

Wedding season is upon us, and we asked listeners for their amusing and/or painful stories of weddings gone wrong. This weekend, we share some of your many responses -- including Brooke Williams' battle to have a picture-perfect Martha Stewart wedding, even if she had to battle the queen of domesticity herself.

Giving Your Cat a Bath

It's allegy season, and trees and weeds aren't the only culprits -- furry pets like dogs and cats really up the ante when they begin to shed their coats in warm weather. But cat owners Jonathan Mitchell and Peter Shankman think they've found a way to cope with allergies. Sally Herships stands well back while they try to give their cats a bath.

Life's Experiences and Entertainment

Summer movie season is in full swing and it's just a matter of picking out what you want to see -- or don't want to see. M. Night Shyamalan's thriller "The Happening" opened last weekend. This weekend features Mike Myers' comedy "The Love Guru." But Weekend America's John Moe won't be attending either one.

Economy, War and Military Recruiting

All branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, with the exception of the Army National Guard, have been either meeting or exceeding their monthly recruiting goals. That's a surprise, given American discontent over the war in Iraq. MIT professor Cindy Williams has studied military recruiting trends, and says there is more to the numbers than people think.

The Fall of Resurrection City

This weekend marks the 40th anniversary of the end of Resurrection City, the last campaign organized by the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., before his assassination. Dr. Maurice Isserman, now a history professor at Hamilton College, was a high school student at the time. He remembers being a part of the last stand.

Good News, Bad News, No News

Obama's Cash Campaign, TV Hurls

Our non-experts tackle the weighty issues of the past week -- Fashion maven Damali Ayo; Luke Burbank, host of the talk radio show "Too Beautiful to Live"; and "New Yorker" cartoonist Bob Mankoff.

Letters

Letters: Horse Commuter, Rhinoplasty Responses

We received a lot of letters regarding last week's feature on a man who took to commuting by horse to protest high gas prices. And we're still getting letters about Bill Radke's interview with a woman who had a nose job that changed her life.

Summer Travel: An Urban Park Stroll

Summer is the traditional time for most folks to "get back to nature." But for some, the idea of heading into the great outdoors is a nightmare. For example, Natalie Edwards. We're calling Natalie's summer trip a "nature intervention." For her, the biggest challenge was taking a evening stroll through Prospect Park, in Brooklyn, New York.

The Beauty and Wrath of Nature

The damage from floods in the Midwest could run into the billions of dollars. James Galvin teaches poetry at the Iowa Writers Workshop in Iowa City. And it turns out, he's also a part-time rancher in Wyoming. He's given weather -- its simultaneous power of beauty and destruction -- a lot of thought:

Overnight Walk Out of the Darkness

This weekend in Seattle, Wash., 1,100 people are walking 20 miles through the night -- starting at 7 p.m. and hopefully finishing by dawn -- to raise both money and awareness about the problem of suicide and depression. Two weeks ago, a similar event was held in New York City, and Weekend America contributor Amy O'Leary was there.