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NPR'S MICHAEL GOLDFARB REPORTS ON HARMONICA LEGEND LARRY ADLER, NOW 80 YEARS OLD AND LIVING IN ENGLAND. HE WAS A WELL-KNOWN MUSICIAN IN AMERICA, THEN WAS CALLED TO TESTIFY BEFORE THE HOUSE UNAMERICAN ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE, WHERE HE REFUSED TO COOPERATE. HE MOVED TO ENGLAND AND CONTINUED TO PERFORM, AND NOW HE'S RELEASED A NEW CD.

For the past 350 years, the people of New England have held town meetings as a forum to thrash out local issues and vote on them. Some consider these meetings the oldest and purest form of democracy in the United States. But Leda Hartman reports that in New Hampshire, this venerable institution may come to an end if the state legislature passes a law that allows local issues to be resolved by secret ballot.

Maria Hinojosa reports that law enforcement is increasingly relying on the use of informants to catch people suspected of crimes. The problem is that often those informants have criminal records themselves and have been known to lie to law enforcement about what they've discovered, which, in some instances has meant that innocent people have been dragged through criminal proceedings.

NOW THAT EXCAVATION IS OVER AT THE FEDERAL BUILDING IN DOWNTOWN OKLAHOMA, TWO AND A HALF WEEK AFTER A BOMB BLAST KILLED 167 PEOPLE, MEMORIAL SERVICES ARE BEING HELD AT THE SITE TO HONOR THE DEAD. NPR'S KATHY LOHR REPORTS THAT PEOPLE ARE WONDERING WHAT TO DO WITH THE SITE.

Jazz saxophonist, composer and band-leader Henry Threadgill as just released his first recording for a major record label (Columbia ecords). In the past, Threadgill gained notoriety for his unusual instrumention nd free improvisation. Tom Vitale reports that this guardian of avant-garde azz now hopes to enter the mainstream with a CD that may be more palatable to a eneral audience.

FROM PARIS, WHERE THE FRENCH PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IS TO BE HELD SUNDAY, NPR'S ANDY BOWERS REPORTS THAT LIKE AMERICANS, THE FRENCH PICK THEIR LEADERS BASED ON WHAT THEY LEARN ABOUT THEM IN NEWSPAPERS AND ON TELEVISION. BUT WHAT THE FRENCH SEE IN THE MEDIA IS NOT AT ALL LIKE WHAT WE SEE IN AMERICAN ELECTIONS.

Liane Hansen speaks with NPR sports reporter ark Schramm (SHHRAM) about today's game between the San Diego Chargers nd the San Francisco 49er's. The two discuss underdog San Diego's hances; the pressure on San Francisco quarterback Steve Young; and the ifference between veterans with Superbowl experience and first timers o the big game.

Wisconsin Governor Thommy Thompson is trying an xperiment in state-controlled welfare reform. Marge Pitrof (PIH-troff) of ember station W-U-W-M in Milwaukee reports on the state's new "work not elfare" pilot program. The new system will give welfare recipients two years to ind and maintain employment or risk the loss of all state assistance.

NPR's Isabel Alegria reports that a Republican lawmaker in the state of California has proposed legislation that would cancel affirmative action programs in the public sector. Two California academics have written what they call the California Civil Rights Initiative, that would also bar the state from granting preferences based on race, sex, ethnicity or national origin, if voters were to pass the initiative.

NPR's Howard Berkes reports from Phoenix, Arizona, where the National Rifle Association is continuing its annual meeting. Today, NRA executive vice-president Wayne LaPierre sought to distance his organization from the militias and paramilitary groups we've been hearing so much about since the Oklahoma City bombing.