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NPR's John Ydstie reports California utilities managed to avoid "rolling blackouts" today, but for the 11th day in a row the state spent the day under a Stage 3 alert. On one level, California's power crisis is simple: too much demand, not enough supply. The full explanation is much more complicated, though, and involves a lot of bad luck, a shortage of rainfall and a botched de-regulation plan.

Rock critic Ken Tucker offers up his top 10 lists of the best albums and singles of 2008.music. Here's his look at some of his own favorites.

At Penn State, authorities missed chances to stop alleged abuse of young boys. In Europe, new leaders in Italy and Greece rush to tackle financial crises. In the Mideast, Jordan's King Abdullah calls on Syria's Assad to step down.

The fire was moving fast, so firefighters haven't been able to control it. Authorities closed down a 9-mile stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway.

But results were boosted by several one-time-only factors, including cost-cutting efforts and asset sales.

Also: Obama, Romney campaigns continue to spar over tax returns; U.K. and Sweden criticize Ecuador for giving asylum to Assange.

Ke$ha's debut album has sold more than 150,000 copies in its first week. Here, the pop star talks about her success and tells the stories behind her songs.

Not to be outdone by its fellow Top 10 listmakers, KEXP presents its Top 11 debut albums of the year. Seattle's Fleet Foxes headlines a deep class of great rock, pop, disco, hip-hop, folk and electro-dance records.

Over the past decade, the government has been paying farmers to keep their land covered with native grasses instead of crops. But as grain prices have risen, the conservation reserve has shrunk by more than 25 percent. This decline in native grasslands means more soil erosion and less habitat for wildlife.

Crews collected 4.6 million pounds of oily material from the Gulf Coast shoreline this year. Coastal residents are asking how long they'll be living with the effects of BP's 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Greece's prime minster is under pressure to resign. Occupy Oakland demonstrations turned chaotic overnight. The Wall Street Journal says administration planners are exploring a "faster Afghan handover."

For the first time, the U.S. government has officially named China as the world's leading source of economic espionage, largely using cybertools — followed by Russia. Intelligence officials say the new candor reflects their heightened level of concern over the growing espionage threat.