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Economy
4:07 pm
Mon October 21, 2013

Volkswagen Union Opposed By Tennessee Republican Officials

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Credit Volkswagen
Volkswagen's car plant in Chattanooga, Tenn., is the company's only one in the U.S. It's also the only VW plant around the world without a workers union.
Credit Blake Farmer / Nashville Public Radio
Lauren Feinauer works at the Chattanooga plant. She props UAW signs in the windshield and rear window while she's parked at work.
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Originally published on Tue October 22, 2013 9:10 am

When it comes to union organizing at an auto plant, the tension is typically between the workers and the management. But not at Volkswagen in Tennessee. There, the United Auto Workers is attempting to finally unionize the automaker's first foreign-owned plant in the South. And so far, Republican officials are the ones trying to stand in the way.

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Music News
2:28 pm
Mon July 8, 2013

Modern Hymn Writers Aim To Take Back Sunday

Credit Courtesy of Stephen Jerkins
Modern hymn writers Kristyn and Keith Getty run through their song "In Christ Alone" at their home near Nashville's Music Row.
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Originally published on Tue July 9, 2013 11:36 am

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National Security
5:42 am
Thu January 24, 2013

Women In Combat Ban To Be Lifted

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Originally published on Thu January 24, 2013 12:19 pm

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

On a momentous Thursday, it's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Steve Inskeep.

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

And I'm Renee Montagne.

We're expecting Defense Secretary Leon Panetta to make an announcement today. From now on, women will formally be allowed to serve in ground combat.

INSKEEP: To sense just how dramatic this change is, consider how many other milestones the military passed before reaching this one. The move for women comes 65 years after the Armed Forces ended racial segregation.

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U.S.
5:26 pm
Mon September 10, 2012

Army Aims To Use Words, Not Weapons, With Afghans

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Credit Blake Farmer for NPR
U.S. Army soldiers learn to play khosai, Afghanistan's full-contact national pastime, at Fort Campbell.
Credit Blake Farmer for NPR
Afghan instructors demonstrate how to play a game called "egg jousting" for U.S. soldiers at Fort Campbell, Ky.
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Originally published on Mon September 10, 2012 5:53 pm

The U.S. Army has been ramping up instruction in the languages of Afghanistan, even as troop levels in the country decrease in preparation for the U.S. troop withdrawal in 2014.

This year, key installations have added several hundred speakers of Pashto and Dari to their ranks, more than doubling the number of soldiers trained in the Afghan languages.

But it's not just the country's languages that are foreign to U.S. soldiers — it's the culture, as well.

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The Salt
4:05 pm
Sat June 2, 2012

Tired Of Mowing Your Lawn? Try Foodscaping It Instead

Credit Blake Farmer / Nashville Public Radio
The lawn of Nashville yoga instructor James Alvarez is being taken over by buckwheat.
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Originally published on Sat June 2, 2012 9:14 pm

When the economy began its steep decline in 2008, almost everything related to housing hit the skids, including the lawn and garden industry. But one sector escaped the pinch: food gardening.

In fact, food gardening sales nationwide have spiked 20 percent since then, and they've stayed there. While many households started growing food to be more budget-conscious, some are deciding vegetables and fruits can be beautiful, too.

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