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People Of WFIT

Todd Kennedy

Program Director / Sound Waves Host

Rose Mantle

Public Service Announcement Director, Membership Support

Terri Wright

General Manager

Michelle Z Walker

Media Specialist

Barbara Bingnear

Director of Gifts and Outreach

George Wilson

Underwriting Executive

Pam Pedersen

Project Coordinator

Author Interviews

4:57 pm

Sat July 21, 2012

From Juvie To J.D.: The Story Of A 'Runaway Girl'

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By editor

Originally published on Sat July 21, 2012 5:24 pm

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When Carissa Phelps was 12, she dropped out of seventh grade in the small town of Coalinga, Calif. Her homelife was dysfunctional and soon, she ran away.

Her life on the streets took its toll, and before long the unthinkable happened: she was kidnapped by a pimp and forced into prostitution.

4:32 pm

Sat July 21, 2012

Say 'Ahhh': A Simpler Way To Detect Parkinson's

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Credit Courtesy of Max Little

Mathematician Max Little has come up with an algorithm that can detect Parkinson's just using a person's voice.

Credit iStockphoto.com

Getting a diagnosis for Parkinson's disease might be as easy as placing a phone call.

By editor

Originally published on Sat July 21, 2012 8:45 pm

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Voice 1
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There's currently no cure for Parkinson's, a debilitating neurological disease. There's also no blood test that can detect it, meaning early intervention is almost impossible.

But soon there might be a shockingly easy way to screen for Parkinson's disease. It would be as simple as picking up the telephone and saying "ahhh."

"There's some evidence, admittedly weak, that voice disturbances may well be one of the first or early indicator of the disease," mathematician Max Little tells weekends on All Things Considered host Guy Raz.

4:24 pm

Sat July 21, 2012

Immigration, The Gold Mountain And A Wedding Photo

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Credit U.S. National Archives and Records

Wedding photograph of Wong Lan Fong and Yee Shew Ning, 1926.

Credit National Archives, Records of the Public Health Service

Immigrants arriving at Angel Island in 1931.

Credit National Archives

A Raumo Egyptian cigarettes package from 1914-15 contained an accompanying "coaching note" in Chinese. Hopeful immigrants would memorize answers to make sure they were responding to questions from immigration officials correctly. A note was found hidden in this pack and reads, "Grandmother bound feet. Chun Seak with me not recognize. Sure remember."

Credit U.S. National Archives and Records

The wedding photograph of Wong Lan Fong and Yee Shew Ning, in front of the Mei Yi Mei Church, a Chinese Methodist Church, at the island of Honam, across the Pearl River from Canton (now Guangzhou) in 1926.

Credit U.S. National Archives and Records

Wong Lan Fong only spent one to two nights at Angel Island at a time when most were detained for up to two weeks. This is Fong's "Declaration of Non-immigrant Alien about to Depart for the United States" document from April 27, 1927.

Credit U.S. National Archives and Records

Michael Pupa at age 13 in 1951. Pupa, who is now 73, is the only living individual featured in the National Archives exhibit.

Credit U.S. National Archives and Records

In the first page of Michael Pupa's pre-hearing summary from 1951, under "additional comments", it says "Parents taken to ghetto in 1942 supposed to be shot." Pupa, who is now 73, is the only living individual featured in the exhibit.

Credit U.S. National Archives and Records

Wong Lan Fong, like many Chinese immigrants, came through Angel Island in California. Here, immigrant children pose for a photo at Ellis Island.

Credit National Archives

This coaching note reads, "Grandmother bound feet. Chun Seak with me not recognize. Sure remember."

By editor

Originally published on Mon July 23, 2012 7:50 pm

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Deep inside the National Archives in Washington, D.C., old case files tell the stories of hundreds of thousands of hopeful immigrants to the U.S. between 1880 and the end of World War II.

These stories are in the form of original documents and photographs that were often attached to immigrant case files. Many of them are part of a new exhibit at the Archives, called "Attachments."

For University of Minnesota history professor Erika Lee, one of these attachments turned out to be very special.

3:02 pm

Sat July 21, 2012

A Musician And The Audition Of His Life

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Credit Sean Hagwell / Mike Tetreault

To audition for the BSO, percussionist Mike Tetreault was required to prepare musical excerpts from 50 pieces on nine different instruments, including timpani.

Credit iStockphoto.com

One audition, two open percussion chairs at the Boston Symphony Orchestra: "lightning in a bottle."

By editor

Originally published on Tue September 18, 2012 4:18 pm

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Earlier this year, classical percussionist Mike Tetreault walked onstage at Symphony Hall in Boston for the audition of a lifetime: The Boston Symphony Orchestra was looking for not just one but two new percussionists.

11:04 am

Sat July 21, 2012

Aurora Rampage Joins Grim List Of Worst Mass Shootings

Credit Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images

A memorial outside the movie theater in Aurora, Co., where 12 people died and about 58 were wounded by a gunman early Friday.

By Mark Memmott

When tragedies happen, comparisons are always made to past events. It's become part of the news coverage of the Aurora, Colo., theater rampage to refer to it as "one of the deadliest mass shootings in recent U.S. history," as The Associated Press says.

The wire service has a list — "Some of the world's worst mass shootings" — that includes many that happened in the U.S.:

8:18 am

Sat July 21, 2012

Aurora Suspect: A 'Smart And Quiet Man' Who Allegedly Hid A 'Deadly Plan'

Credit University of Colorado Denver

A photo of James Holmes released by the University of Colorado Denver.

By Mark Memmott

Originally published on Sat July 21, 2012 1:35 pm

The Denver Post continues to dig into the life of James Eagan Holmes, the 24-year-old suspect in the shooting rampage Friday in Aurora, Colo., that left at least 12 people dead and about 58 wounded.

Friday, as Eyder wrote, an image emerged of Holmes as something of a recluse.

7:35 am

Sat July 21, 2012

Aurora Businesses Pull Resources To Help Victims

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Businesses in Aurora, Colo., sprang into action Friday to assist victims and their families. Kevin Hougen, president of the Aurora Chamber of Commerce, worked with businesses to help provide necessities to victims of the shooting. Host Scott Simon spoke with Hougen Friday from his office, which overlooks the movie theater.

Sports

7:35 am

Sat July 21, 2012

What's Coming Over The Olympic Horizon

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Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon. And it's time now for sports.

(SOUNDBITE OF SPORTS THEME MUSIC)

SIMON: OK, maybe that should be the (hums Olympic theme) because in just a few days, all the pomp and patriotism, the grit and athleticism, the sweat and pomposity of the 2010 Olympic Summer Games begins. Here with a preview NPR's Tom Goldman joins us. Tom, thanks so much for being with us.

TOM GOLDMAN, BYLINE: Did I just hear doves released in the studio there, Scott?

(LAUGHTER)

7:35 am

Sat July 21, 2012

Tragedy In Colo. Hits Movie Audiences Nationwide

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The phrase "theater number 9" may soon be one of those added to our collective memory. That is where the shootings in Aurora, Colo., took place. It has some movie goers wondering about their safety in cities across the country.

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