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A new book by critic Olivia Laing explores the link between alcohol and writing through the commentaries of famous writers who were themselves alcoholics. Fresh Air's Maureen Corrigan calls Laing's readings "exquisite," and says she wisely avoids "any one-size-fits-all conclusions about the bond between the pen and the bottle."

Participation in the school lunch program suffered after USDA restricted the amount of grains and protein that could be served to kids at lunchtime. Now school food directors are applauding the decision to allow more of them back on lunch menus.

Federal agencies are proposing new rules for handling gun buyers' background checks, in changes the White House says will "keep guns out of potentially dangerous hands." The changes include a clarification of rules barring firearm possession due to mental health problems.

Cities across the country saw sharp drops in violent crime rates in 2013. For some big cities, murder rates reached historic lows. The numbers reflect a decades-long decline, which shows that plenty of neighborhoods in urban areas are safe while some remain troubled by violent crime.

An Alameda County ordinance puts the responsibility for drug disposal squarely on the companies that made the medicines. States and the federal government have considered similar measures, but none has passed.

Alice McKennis has a metal plate and 11 screws in her leg after breaking it in 30 places in March. She's had other injuries before that, but she says it gives her an edge over the competition. "To make the Olympics is extremely hard," she says, "so it takes a certain kind of toughness."

When the North American Free Trade Agreement was being negotiated, supporters promised it would increase the income of Mexicans. And the middle class did grow over the past two decades. But it's clear that the country's ultrarich are its big winners.

Ezra Klein, founder of The Washington Post's Wonkblog policy website, is planning to leave the Post, according to a report in Friday's The New York Times. The Times says the Post's new owner, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, and the Post's publisher turned down Klein's request for a dollar amount in "eight figures" to launch a new explanatory journalism venture. It's a boom time for so-called "content verticals" among news operations, with new projects being launched by the Times, The Wall Street Journal and ESPN, among others.

The term "Rube Goldberg machine" has become shorthand for a convoluted contraption made up of a series of chain reactions. But Goldberg was also a real person, whose ideas for whimsical devices have captivated imaginations for decades.

The tight harmonies in the Everly Brothers' string of hits in the '50s and '60s were huge influences on others such as Simon & Garfunkel, The Hollies, and The Beach Boys. Among their biggest songs: "Bye Bye Love," "Wake Up Little Susie" and "All I Have To Do Is Dream." Everly was 74. Brother Don is 76.