Educators say the middle grades are a key time time to get kids jazzed about science, but many teachers say they lack the tools they need. In Chicago, a science museum is helping to fill the the gap.

The Cannabis Cup festival's date is no coincidence – it's a conversion of the pot smoker's favorite time of 4:20 into a date. Denver is hosting it for the first time since state pot laws were relaxed.

Newlyweds Jessica Kensky and Patrick Downes each lost a leg in the Boston Marathon bombing. Rescue the assistance dog helps fetch keys and push buttons, bringing warmth and joy as the couple recovers.

The Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe has no permanent members, but it's hosting tens of thousands of worshipers today –- it's across the street from Walt Disney World.

Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, the former boxing champion who served nearly 20 years in prison, has died of prostate cancer. Carter's story inspired a Bob Dylan protest song; he was 76.

Ten years after sneaking into a church slated for closing, parishioners at Saint Frances Cabrini Catholic Church maintain a 24-hour vigil in attempt to keep their house of worship open.

Aniakchak National Monument in Alaska is one of the wildest parks in the U.S. NPR's Rachel Martin speaks with Chris Solomon, who traveled there for Outside magazine.

Denver is playing host to the annual Cannabis Cup this weekend. Editor Ricardo Baca of The Denver Post's The Cannabist blog gives NPR's Rachel Martin the high scores.

Monday is the 2014 Boston Marathon. Security will be tight, and this year's race will be an emotional event that will be about more than who wins.

The military's training center at Fort Irwin in California is complete with mock Middle Eastern villages. But as the U.S. combat mission in Afghanistan winds down, how will this facility change?

Officials in Columbus, Ohio, are scrambling to contain a burst of mumps cases. There's a new clinic open for vaccinations, and Ohio State University is teaching students how to protect themselves.

Since the disastrous BP spill in 2010, environmentalists have kept watch over Louisiana's coastline. One consortium says there's far more oil leaking into the Gulf than companies are reporting.

A year ago, a fertilizer plant explosion in the town of West, Texas, killed 15 people and wounded 160. NPR's Wade Goodwyn reflects on how to avoid a future catastrophe.