As the candidates ramp up their campaigns for the November 6 presidential election, 'swing' states may determine the outcome. Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep has begun a new series, First and Main, reporting from communities in battleground states across the country to find out what's foremost on people's minds in this election season.

The first reports were from Florida; they're archived at NPR.org. Listen for the next installments from Wisconsin later this month and more profiles from Colorado and other battleground states in the coming months.

 

Congress is gearing up for another round of appropriations bills to fund the federal government's operations, and it appears funding for public broadcasting will once again be targeted for elimination. Federal funding accounts for approximately 10 percent of KGOU's annual budget.

Congress directed the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to investigate and report on funding alternatives that could replace the federal monies that public television and radio stations receive. CPB's report examined the prospects of several new or potential funding streams, but concluded that they are not viable alternatives that could sustain the current level of service. The report is online, if you want to read it.

For KGOU listeners who have asked what they can do to encourage Congress to continue funding public broadcasting, there is an advocacy organization, 170 Million Americans for Public Broadcasting, that can help you contact your Congressman with that message. But whatever your viewpoint, feel free to let your Congressman know.

 

Over the next several months, NPR will launch a major journalism initiative to deepen coverage of race, ethnicity and culture, and to capture the issues that define an increasingly diverse America. NPR is currently assembling a new six-person team whose task will be to produce compelling stories and present new voices and conversations online and on-air.

"This new team and defined area of coverage will empower NPR to cover news and issues across the U.S. more fully, delivering on our promise for NPR to look and sound like America," said NPR CEO Gary Knell. The initiative is funded by a two-year, $1.5 million grant from CPB. For more on Knell's vision for NPR, check out his conversation with Thomas Friedman at last month's Aspen Ideas Festival.

 

Here's a chance to report good news: A new blog at NPR.org, Participation Nation, is collecting stories about the things Americans are doing to make their communities better.

Hosted by NPR's Linton Weeks, the blog spotlights good deeds from across the country, and will culminate with a story on Labor Day that Weeks calls "a story OF Americans BY Americans FOR Americans." To share who's making a difference in your community, email particpationnation@npr.org.

 

For proof that teen fiction isn't just for teens anymore, look to NPR Books' listener poll on the all-time favorite Young Adult novels. A whopping 75,220 fans voted, with more than 1200 books submitted for consideration. And the results are in, but it wasn't easy to cull the list of nominations down to the top 100. Is your favorite on the list?

 

Nothing says summer like an icy popsicle at the end of a hot day. Food writer Rina Rapuano makes this childhood treat appealing with grown-up flavors like Sangria, Sweet-Corn and Blueberry, Goat Cheese and Honey, and Lime-Jalapeno ice pops. Recipes are at NPR.org's Kitchen Window.