Support for Rick Santorum's presidential campaign has been driven by his conservative stances on social issues. He has taken unyielding stands against abortion and same-sex marriage.

But on economic matters, his record is more mixed. And some conservatives say that on issues like government spending and trade, he has at times betrayed free-market principles.

For example, when Congress voted to approve the North American Free Trade Agreement — a cause dear to the hearts of conservatives — Santorum, then a Pennsylvania representative, was among those voting against it.

Good news for those of us who see a glass of wine at the end of the day as Mom's reward: Light to moderate drinking may reduce the risk of stroke in women.

Women who drink a glass of wine, beer or a mixed drink daily were less likely to have strokes compared to women who don't drink at all, according to a findings from an ongoing study that has followed the health of more than 80,000 women for 26 years.

The music you’re hearing is by Rumbaché [Room Bah SHAY]. This Bay Area band combines many styles, from timba and bomba to funk and salsa – with some Stevie Wonder thrown in.

They’re performing on Sunday (03.11) at The Sausalito Seahorse. We think they’ll want you to get off your seat and dance, because there’s a free dance lesson at 3pm. The music is scheduled from 4 to 8pm.

Clowns remind us not to take ourselves too seriously. But it takes a professionally trained clown to lighten the mood in a hospital while being therapeutic. In a quiet hospital wing, some unlikely sounds float down the hallway: an accordion, a ukelele, and laughter. Luz Gaxiola and Molly Shannon make their daily rounds at the California Pacific Medical Center. They’re part of the Alameda based Medical Clown Project.

One post earlier this week mapped the top 10 states with the biggest foreign-born population growth since 1990; another post took a look at the states that since 2010 have enacted anti-illegal immigration laws. Among these are five states that since then have enacted strict laws similar to Arizona’s SB 1070, which the U.S. Supreme Court is set to weigh in on next month.

On Voicebox this week, Chloe talks with Carola Zertuche, artistic director of San Francisco’s Theatre Flamenco, who examines the impact of vocal music on Spain’s flamenco tradition.  Friday at 10pm.

It turns out Americans facing death want something they also want in life: choice.

The city of Detroit is running out of cash. Next month, it might not make payroll, and the state of Michigan is considering taking control of the city's finances.

In his State of the City address on Wednesday, Detroit Mayor Dave Bing said financial catastrophe can be avoided by making sharp cuts, particularly in public transit.

"There will be a short-term pain for a long-term gain and there's no way around it," Bing said.

A gunman opened fire inside a psychiatric clinic at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, this afternoon.

Quoting police, the AP reports two people are dead and at least seven others were shot. A spokesman for the medical center said the gunman is among the dead. The AP adds:

"The gunfire at a psychiatric clinic at the University of Pittsburgh erupted Thursday afternoon.

A Democratic Congressman has introduced legislation that would impose tough new penalties on people who lie when they buy guns.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Ca.) says the bill, the Straw Purchaser Penalty Enhancement Act, would give federal agents new tools to crack down on the flow of weapons across the Southwest border into Mexico.

Nowadays, many episodes where people lie about the true identity of the purchaser of guns, or engage in straw purchases, never get prosecuted at all, Schiff says in an interview with NPR.