KCBX - Site Search

8 things to know about Groundhog Day and its big star, Punxsutawney Phil

The weather-predicting groundhog celebrity has met two presidents and drinks a life-extending elixir: "Our Phil is like, probably 139 years old," Groundhog Club Inner Circle President Tom Dunkel says.

Blinken tells China it's in their interest to stop helping Russia

NPR's Steve Inskeep speaks with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken following his talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and top Chinese officials in Beijing.

As NATO summit kicks off in D.C., Nordic-Baltic states point to Ukraine

The NATO summit in Washington kicked off Tuesday morning. NPR's Mary Louise Kelly sat down with the top diplomats from eight Nordic and Baltic nations for a discussion hosted by the Atlantic Council.

Perhaps no presidential candidate has leaned more into talking about schools than Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

How schools (but not necessarily education) became central to the Republican primary

GOP candidates talk about schools a lot on the campaign trail. But that doesn't mean they are talking a lot about education, instead focusing on culture war issues on the battleground of K-12 schools.

From left to right: Former Vice President Mike Pence, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley during the first Republican presidential primary debate in Milwaukee on Wednesday.

Climate change made it in the GOP debate. Some young Republicans say that's a win

Climate change is a top issue for young voters across political parties, but most of the Republican presidential candidates avoided the question.

Demonstrators wave flags at a rally in support of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at the State House in Augusta, Maine, on July 15.

Republican campaigns see immigration as a winning issue for midterms

Republicans are spending more money and running more ads on immigration than Democrats are ahead of the November midterm elections, according to an NPR analysis of advertisement data.

The rich pine forest surrounding Pine Lake Forest Road in Hubbard County, Minnesota. Hubbard County is located in the Heartland Lakes region of northern Minnesota. There were once nearly 150 fire towers standing guard over the state's forests as protection against unwanted fires. Today, only a handful of towers exist.

See how Minnesota fire towers help preserve a 5,000-year-old bog

Two of the top three deadliest fires in U.S. history were in Minnesota. In response to the fires, the Minnesota forestry service was established in the early 1900s, creating the system of fire towers.

Military police walk near Abrams tanks on a flatcar in a Washington, D.C., rail yard on Monday, ahead of the July 4 celebration that President Trump says will include military hardware.

Tanks, Flyovers And Heightened Security: Trump's 4th Of July Ups Taxpayer Cost

Lawmakers are still waiting to hear the price tag on this year's event. Thursday's celebration is expected to feature military hardware and a speech by President Trump at the Lincoln Memorial.

Tony Johnson sits on his bed with his dog, Dash, in the one-room home he shares with his wife, Karen Johnson, in a care facility in Burlington, Wash. on April 13, 2022. Johnson was one of the first people to get COVID-19 in Washington state in April of 2020. His left leg had to be amputated due to lack of wound care after he developed blood clots in his feet while on a ventilator.

For two years, this Washington island has grappled with the long reach of COVID

The virus hit Whidbey Island early in 2020, and photojournalist Lynn Johnson was there. A million deaths later, we return to see how the pandemic has subtly but indelibly altered life there forever.

Marisa Peñaloza

Marisa Peñaloza is a senior producer on NPR's National Desk. Peñaloza's productions are among the signature pieces heard on NPR's award-winning newsmagazines Morning Edition and All Things Considered, as well as weekend shows. Her work has covered a wide array of topics — from breaking news to feature stories, as well as investigative reports.

Search results for