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Illinois officials say the state's unemployment rate fell .5 percentage points to 4.9 percent in March.The Illinois Department of Employment Security…

NPR member stations and reporters in the path of the storm will offer their updates on what they see in their region.

A new survey from the U.S. Department of Agriculture says more than 3,200 Kentucky farms reported selling some of their products locally.Ag professionals…

NPR's Claudio Sanchez reports George W. Bush says he's making education his top priority when he takes office. He has an advantage. Congress just approved the single largest increase in educational funds. Now, Bush's plan is to give states a block sum in the form of grants and each state can deem best how to use it.

- Daniel speaks with investigative reporter Scott Armstrong about the nature of FBI background checks. The FBI has over 3 million files on a wide range of people from top presidential aides to low level workers who have access to certain government offices. Armstrong argues that the creation of these files is a waste of money and time, particularly considering that very little relevant information is uncovered by background checks.

Linda talks with Andy Kohut, director of the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. Kohut discusses the results of a new survey which shows a growth of politics in American religion. Kohut says there's a marked increase in the intermingling of politics and religion since the 1960s. The Pew survey shows white, evangelical Christians are the most important force in politics today - one third of all Republicans report they are white, evangelical Christians.

The nation's unemployment rate fell to the lowest point in six years this June, while the number of workers on the payroll jumped much higher than expected. Moreover, hourly earnings posted the largest gain on record. As NPR's Jim Zarroli reports, it was enough for a campaigning President Clinton to quickly claim credit, while Wall Street reacted out of fears that inflation...and rising interest rates...are around the corner.

The Senate approved a 90-cent-an-hour increase in the minimum wage today. The package includes a tax break for small business, to ease the impact of the higher wages. Proponents beat back Republican proposals including an exemption for workers in small businesses, and a delay of the increase for six months. President Clinton had threatened to veto the measure if it included those changes. NPR's Peter Kenyon reports.

NPR's Brooke Gladstone reports on how television is covering the made-for-TV Republican Convention in San Diego. The GOP's tight control of its message has virtually eliminated the possibility of news. But different perspectives are getting out anyway via a range of telecasters -- from the broadcast networks to cable's GOP-TV, MTV and the Comedy Channel.

NPR's Michael Goldfarb reports from London on European reaction to the new U.S. moves against Iran and Libya. European Union members are already angry over the trade law punishing countries who do business with Cuba. Some of the EU members have significant financial interests in Iran and Libya. Today, there were new warnings that the 15-member EU would strike back.