If all goes as planned, NPR will provide extended coverage of the final mission of the space shuttle program, with shuttle Atlantis currently scheduled to lift off tomorrow morning at 10:26 CT (NASA's target time, subject to change). In addition to live coverage of the launch, several stories will air on NPR newsmagazines during the shuttle's 10-day mission.

  

Launch coverage will be anchored by Neal Conan with Judith Smelser of WMFE-Orlando reporting from the Kennedy Space Center, NPR science desk correspondent Richard Harris in the studio, National Desk Correspondent Wade Goodwyn at the Johnson Space Center in Houston and correspondent Greg Allen among the crowds outside the Kennedy Space Center.

  

For the fifth year in a row, KGOU won the sweepstakes award for overall reporting excellence from the Oklahoma Associated Press Broadcasters, in a ceremony June 25 in Tulsa. KGOU was awarded first place plaques in the Spot News, Feature Reporting and Use of Sound categories, and placed second in Spot News, Election Coverage, Enterprise/Investigative Reporting, and Weather Coverage.

  

KGOU won two first-place awards from the Public Radio News Directors Incorporated. Brian Hardzinski was the first-place winner in the Breaking News category for his report on the aftermath of an earthquake that rattled Norman. In the student division, Logan Layden took first-place honors in the News Feature category. The awards were announced June 25 in Arlington, Virginia.

  

See all the details on our Awards page. Congratulations to News Director Kurt Gwartney, Brian Hardzinski and Logan Layden!

  

Sometimes the best part of an extended road trip is the unexpected monument that you just happen upon, a permanent place-marker of an interesting tidbit of local folklore or a long-forgotten historical event. NPR News is looking at a few of the more obscure monuments this summer with a series called "Honey, stop the car!"

  

The stories profile monuments that honor local heroes, statues on the square of favorite sons and daughters, and roadside signs that pay tribute to a town's history. The series begins Wednesday, July 13, and airs through August on Morning Edition and Weekend Edition.

  

Nothing says summertime fare better than anything cooked on an outdoor grill -- from the main course to veggies to dessert. NPR.org has grilling recipes ranging from all-American to global, sure to light your fire and whet your appetite. See Kitchen Window's "melting pot" smorgasbord and Morning Edition's "expert grilling" for recipes.

  

We all have holes in our knowledge -- stuff we probably should know, but somehow missed learning. NPR's Linton Weeks struck a chord with listeners July 4 when he asked for personal examples of embarrassing displays of ignorance, making this NPR.org's most-commented upon story. Did you know...?