Burned Artifacts
The wildfires in San Bernardino County, California are now almost fully contained. The cluster of blazes have burned for 10 days, and blackened about 90 thousand acres. The fires destroyed almost 60 homes but fire crews managed to save scores of others. The main objective of the fire fighting effort was to protect communities. But there was also another line of defense put in place by a small team of archaeologists with the California Department of Forestry. Their job is to protect sensitive archaeological sites. With the fires still burning, KPCC's Steven Cuevas accompanied one archaeologistst to some of the locations.

Holding a Fire Fighter's Feet to the Fire
How much should we hold fire fighters accountable for the snap decisions their job requires? In the midst of this year's deadly wild fire season, we talk to Fire Investigator Richard Mangan about the tough decisions fire fighters face, and what happens when they make the wrong one.

3-D in the Movie House
The animated film "Monster House" opens this weekend. In the movie, three teens discover that their neighbor's house is a living, breathing, scary monster. In more than 200 theatres across the country the monster house will literally be jumping off of the screen. The movie is being screened in 3-D. To learn more about 3-D technology, Barbara pays a visit to Joshua Greer, the co-founder and CEO of REAL D, a company that develops the technology in Los Angeles.

Maiden Voyage, Part 3
It's summertime and people are taking to the highways for vacation. Bill Radke checks in with a family who have never been outside of Michigan as they hit the road. This week they're taking the Miami Vice tour of Miami, Florida.

No Such Thing as a Stem Cell Compromise
Dr. William Hurlbut, a Stanford professor and a member of the President's Council on Bioethics, thought he had a solution to calm the controversy surrounding stem cell research. He has been working on a method, called altered nuclear transfer, that would have allowed scientists to create the equivalent of embryonic stem cells without actually destroying embryos. This week what he thought was a compromise became a huge source of controversy. Bill and Barbara talk with him about the culmination of years of work, and about what's to come.

Meet the Pawnbrokers
Members of the National Pawnbrokers Association gathered in Las Vegas this past week to talk shop about getting things in and out of hock. Bill and Barbara meet two pawn shop owners: Steve Krupnik, who owns Red's Pawn Shop in South Bend, Indiana, and Elliott Salter, who owns Elliott Salter Gives Instant Loans, in West Hollywood, California. They compare notes and tell us what they've learned about human nature from people hard up for cash.

Weekend Weather
Weekend America's John Moe takes a look at the weather and Saturday happenings all across the country.

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Weekends with the Boys
For separated families, weekends are often when one parent gets time with the kids. This is how it works for Phillip Babich, a Weekend America producer. The tricky part is that Phillip lives in Los Angeles and his kids live with their mom in San Francisco. Phillip came to Southern California two years ago. Over that time and across the 400-mile span, he has managed to maintain a strong bond with his kids—especially on the weekends.

40 Years of NOW
This weekend is the annual NOW Conference in Albany, New York. Women there are commemorating the 40th anniversary of the organization and participating in the "Young Feminist Summit." This summit is billed as an opportunity for feminist leaders to engage in a dialogue across generations. We held a dialogue of our own. Barbara talks about feminism today with Zoe Nicholson, a member of the Veteran Feminists of America, and Gwynn Cassidy, who started "Girls in Government" to mobilize young women around issues of government.

Leaving a Dream Job
For 37 years, Bob Hilburn has had a dream job. He's been a rock music critic for the Los Angeles Times. But even people with dream jobs have unfulfilled dreams. Hilburn's was to write a book. So he's retiring from the paper and in a story today in column one, he reflects back on the most interesting moments of his career. He sat down with Bill to talk about some of the highlights of covering rock music as it has evolved over the last four decades.

Indie Music Pick: The New York Dolls
Bill talks with music critic Alan Light about the new release from the punk and glam band, The New York Dolls. Their new album is called, "One Day it Will Please us to Remember Even This," and Alan says the music is infectious.

Solomon Squad
What would you do if you found out that your beloved housekeeper was illegally here in the U.S.? Would you fire her, offer to help her find legal aid, or would you ignore the whole thing and keep her employed? This is the issue our guest is facing, and we turn to the Solomon Squad for advice. The Solomon Squad sits down once a month with Bill Radke to weigh in on a stranger's moral quandary. This time, the panel of sage experts includes former Paramount Pictures head Sherry Lansing and political advertising expert Lionel Sosa.

Weekend Weather
Weekend America's John Moe takes a look at the weather and Saturday happenings all across the country.

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Surfing in NYC?
Don't the refrigerators and bodies floating around the East River get in the way? We wondered that too, but it turns out there is a thriving surfing culture on the beaches of Long Island. Surfer and radio producer Ada Lee Halofsky is our guide in the world of big city surfing. Just don't forget your MetroCard.