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One of the fathers of rock 'n' roll, Bo Diddley was born Ellas Bates in Mississippi and grew up in Chicago, where he played guitar on street corners before being discovered by Chess Records. Diddley leaves behind a sound that helped build a musical movement.

Wyoming has the highest suicide rate in the U.S., and two-thirds of the state's suicides are by firearm. Like much of the West, Wyoming's gun ownership rates are high, and gun culture is strong. The state's relationship with guns has made suicide prevention efforts tough, but that may be changing.

Israel is demanding the release of a soldier captured during a raid by Palestinian gunmen Sunday at a Gaza border crossing. The attack killed two Israeli soldiers and was the first such ground assault since Israel pulled out of Gaza last summer.

The new GI Bill has helped send a large number of veterans to college in a short span of time. But many face special challenges, and there's no real data yet on how they are performing in school.

The protagonist of Naomi Hirahara's novels isn't a seasoned police detective or a private investigator — he's a gruff, 72-year-old gardener who lives in the hills above Pasadena, Calif. The Mas Arai character was inspired by Hirahara's father and guides readers into the hidden corners of L.A.'s Japanese-American communities.

In a much needed sign of hope for the U.S. economy, the Labor Department reported Friday that the country gained 163,000 jobs in July, which was better than expected. Still, unemployment rose a bit to 8.3 percent. NPR's Chris Arnold reports from an annual economics retreat in Maine with reaction from some of the country's top economists and analysts there.

The celebrated Irish folksinger speaks with Folk Alley's Jim Blum about her decision to leave Celtic headliner Solas, the disintegrating record industry and her children's love for Lady Gaga. Hear the interview and a riveting in-studio performance.

Ohio Republican Sen. Rob Portman's endorsement of same-sex marriage, coming less than two weeks before the U.S. Supreme Court hears a pair of challenges to same-sex marriage bans, is being characterized by gay rights activists and others as historic.

NPR's Richard Harris talks with host Scott Simon about the Fukushima Dai-ichi reactors, one year after multiple meltdowns there spread radioactive materials across a swath of northern Japan. Huge technical challenges remain and prospects for resettling the area are uncertain.

Back in 2008, Zimbabwe's inflation rate was estimated at 79 billion percent. To cure hyperinflation, Zimbabwe ditched its own currency in favor of U.S. dollars. There's only one problem: Those constantly circulating dollars are now filthy and falling apart.

Seven others were shot when a gunman opened fire at a psychiatric clinic at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Tony Lithgow and Andrea Mayer live under a highway overpass in Baltimore. They're among a growing number of the nation's homeless who are reaching what's called "premature old age." They're in their late 40s and 50s, but suffer from ailments more common for those in their 70s.