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In the 1940's operatic soprano Kyra (KEER-uh) Vane's pure toned beautiful voice garnered her leading roles in operas like Mussorgsky's "Sorochintsy Fair" and a coveted spot in Europe's opera houses. But then Vane stopped singing, got rid of her beloved piano, and became a typist. Now in her 80's, Kyra Vane has lived to see recordings of her performances on CD and critics are asking how could she have ever stopped singing. Vera Frankl reports.

In the final segment of the series, NPR's Howard Berkes reports on one of the most unusual and hazardous professions--diving for sea cucumbers. An exotic delicacy in Asia, sea cucumbers cling to the bottom of Puget Sound, where divers brave frigid waters, strong currents and gradual bone necrosis to bring them up. No one knows much about these creatures, and measures to protect them have limited the fishery to a few determined divers.

Two Florida newspapers mysteriously received a confidential list of 4-thousand people with AIDS. Copies of computer disk with names of AIDS patients in the Tampa area were shipped anonymously to the Tampa and St. Petersburg papers. The shipper said a state worker was distributing the list outside a gay bar. The papers did not publish the lists, but AIDS groups are worried that the breach in confidentiality will discourage people from getting tested. Sally Watt of member station WUSF reports.

President Clinton highlighted education today on his train journey to renomination at the Democratic Convention. He called for money for literacy programs, including those using his pet project, the volunteer agency "Americorps." But the president also had to face a less pleasant stop along the way. At a Jeep plant, Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur of Ohio called Mr Clinton to task for supporting NAFTA, the free trade bill she blamed for driving manufacturing jobs overseas. NPR's Mara Liasson reports.

NPR's Anne Garrels reports on the continuing mystery about who's running the war in Chechnya. Russian soldiers are bombarding the Chechen capital of Grozny, but it isn't known if the Kremlin has signed off on the plan to take the city. Russian President Boris Yeltsin's security chief, Alexander Lebed, has flown to Chechnya from Moscow to talk with commanders from both the Russian and Chechen forces.

NPR's Eric Weiner reports from Jerusalem that after nearly disappearing as a factor in Israeli politics because of the three-year old Middle East peace process, the Peace Now movement is beginning to stir and flex its muscles again in the wake of the systematic erosion in the peace process since last May's election of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Demonstrations are being organized and the Israeli left is joining in to keep Israel from straying from the negotiating table. (4:30

NPR's Ted Clark reports that the US is frantically trying to get both Palestinians and Israelis to stop the violence that has seemingly shattered the peace process. Secretary of State Warren Christopher held a series of non-stop talks with Arab and Israeli Foreign Ministers at the United Nations. Despite that, the US was coming under criticism for allowing the peace process it had brokered drift after the election of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last May.

The United Auto Workers union broke with tradition in its on-going contract negotiations with Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler. The union has declined to formally announce a strike target, as is typically done by Labor Day of the contract year. However NPR's Don Gonyea reports that there are indications that the union is focusing its attention on one company, Ford, in hopes of reaching a settlement that can serve as a pattern for the other two companies.

Laura Carlson reports from member station KJZZ in Phoenix on "karnal bunt," a rare fungus that has infected some wheat crops in Arizona. The karnal bunt fungus is not harmful to humans, but the United States Department of Agriculture is concerned that the presence of karnal bunt in Arizona wheat will have a negative effect on the otherwise strong reputation of American wheat throughout the world. In attempting to control the spread of karnal bunt, the USDA is testing wheat samples from the more than four-thousand wheat fields in Arizona and is requiring Arizona farmers to sanitize their wheat harvesting equipment.

More than 3,000 species of animals and plants are picked up daily and carried around the world in the ballast water of ships and, when the ballast water is discharged, these unintended and unwelcomed organisms are released into new environments. Those that survive and breed often cause disastrous results as they spread unchecked. NPR's David Baron says that a report issued today from the National Academy of Sciences' National Research Council recommends that the government require ships to take steps to stop the release of these organisms. They recommend filtering ballast water and treating it with chemicals or heat before it is discharged.