NPR

npr.org — The rise of curbside recycling programs in the last few decades has meant more glass recycling. But for a long time, many recycling centers didn't have the technology to turn recycled glass into the raw material for new bottles. Instead, recycled glass often wound up being used as a cheap construction material, or even to cover landfills.

npr.org — TGPRN Art Institute of California, OC/PR Newswire When Dave Nezzie met his future wife, Amanda, they quickly fell in love over a galaxy far, far away. "I think that was one of the first things that bonded Dave and I together, was our love for Star Wars," says Amanda Nezzie.

npr.org — At around 10 a.m. ET, the Supreme Court will begin handing down some of the final opinions of their 2012 term. The court usually sets out for its summer recess at the end of June, which means we're quickly running out of time for the justices to issue their opinion on four major cases argued earlier in the term.

npr.org — Actor James Gandolfini, 51, has reportedly died. Variety magazine reports that he suffered a "sudden stroke." The star of the HBO series The Sopranos was reportedly in Italy.

npr.org — As the Senate debates a massive overhaul of the nation's immigration laws, one of its newest members has emerged as a leading opponent of the bill's most controversial feature: a path to citizenship for millions living in the country unlawfully.

npr.org — The Federal Bureau of Investigation is using drones on United States soil for surveillance purposes, the agency's director Robert Mueller told a senate committee today. "Our footprint is very small and we have very few and of limited use and we're exploring not only the use but also the necessary guidelines for that use," Mueller said answering a question from Sen.

npr.org — A growing number of cities are using surveillance cameras in the hope of fighting crime, but all that video is almost useless without powerful search tools to sort the material. The municipal camera trend is proving to be big business for companies that design video analytics software.

npr.org — Charles Dharapak/Associated Press Another interview with a key IRS employee, another oblique connection to Washington, D.C. and yet still no explosive revelations in the scandal surrounding the agency's targeting of Tea Party groups. That, it seems, was precisely the point of Rep. Elijah Cummings' (D-Md.)

npr.org — Supplies of oil have been surging this year, and U.S. drivers, who have been switching to more fuel-efficient cars, are using less gasoline.That would seem to be the right economic combination to push down prices at the pump, but gasoline prices have remained stubbornly high this summer.

npr.org — The daily lowdown on books, publishing, and the occasional author behaving badly. Canadian author Alice Munro says her writing days may be over. In an interview after winning the Trillium Book Award, Munro told the National Post that she was glad to get the award because she's "probably not going to write anymore.

npr.org — Textile workers in some poor countries like Bangladesh can make less than $100 a month. One factory in the Dominican Republic is trying something different: It's paying workers $500 a month. The company has yet to break even after three years, but the CEO says the business is growing rapidly and he believes it will be profitable.

npr.org — Last year, more U.S. service members took their own lives than died in combat. And despite the drawdown of troops from Afghanistan, the pullout in Iraq, and hundreds of new programs designed to help troubled servicemen and women, the number of suicides continues to rise.

npr.org — About an hour outside Washington, near Chancellorsville, Va., lies one of Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson's graves. A major Civil War battle was fought here in 1863. That's when Jackson was accidentally shot by his own Confederate troops. As Park Ranger Chuck Young tells a group of visitors, Jackson didn't die here - but his left arm was amputated.

npr.org — Christine Porter is hooked on the MyFitnessPal app. In October, after deciding to lose 50 pounds, Porter started typing in everything she eats, drinks and any exercise she gets. "This is my main page here," says Porter. "It's telling me I have about 1,200 calories remaining for the day.

npr.org — Country singer Slim Whitman, whose yodel helped sell millions of albums in the United States, died overnight on Wednesday in a Florida hospital, his family tells the BBC. He was 90. While Whitman was at some point known as "America's Favorite Folksinger," he was actually far more popular overseas.