The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said today that the chance for a more active than normal hurricane season has increased since it issued its first prediction in May.

NOAA is now predicting 12 to 17 named storms and five to eight hurricanes. Two or three of those could become major hurricanes. In May, NOAA had predicted 9 to 15 storms.

Zoe Chace and Robert Smith are reporting from European borders this week. This is the second story in a four-part series.

Maastricht, a town in the Netherlands, is known largely for two things.

1. The treaty that created the euro was signed there.
2. Marijuana is legal there, and it's sold at "coffee shops" around town.

This is the story of the troubled relationship between those two claims to fame.

As several news outlets had predicted last month would happen, Google is going to pay $22.5 million — the largest civil penalty the Federal Trade Commission has ever levied — to settle charges that it wasn't straight with users of Apple's Safari browser about how it would track their Web surfing.

Clean is a relative term, says Eveline Bravo, programs manager for Heal the Bay, a nonprofit pro-environment organization hellbent on restoring Santa Monica Bay.

"There's so much Styrofoam and plastic and it's hard to feel like you're not just making small dents."

Yet every third Saturday, Bravo — along with hundreds of other volunteers — shows up at designated beaches with buckets in hand.

Every morning, thousands of Cajun French music lovers tune in to KRVS to start their day with Pete Bergeron and "Bonjour Louisiane." Like morning coffee, "Bonjour Louisiane" gets you up and going with traditional Cajun French favorites and the latest releases from talented newcomers. Brush up on your French, find out about the fairs and festivals, and share the "joie de vivre" of French Louisiana. 

Transcript

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

I'm Michel Martin, and this is TELL ME MORE, from NPR News. Coming up, you know those kids who always have their fingers on a keyboard texting? You might think they are wasting time and money, but in a few minutes, we'll talk with a texting champion who has turned his habit into a $50,000 prize. We'll have that conversation in just a few minutes.

The U.S. government is not officially aiding rebels in the increasingly bloody civil war in Syria. But the treasury recently allowed a Washington-based group to raise money on behalf of the Free Syrian Army, a coalition of armed rebel groups. Host Michel Martin talks with Brian Sayers of Syrian Support Group about where the donations will go.

The Sikh temple shooting in Wisconsin shook up the American Sikh community, but it also shocked people in India. The Indian Ambassador to the U.S., Nirupama Rao just returned from Wisconsin, and she's been discussing the tragedy with U.S. officials. Rao talks with host Michel Martin about what role she can play in the aftermath of the shooting.

It may not be an Olympic sport, but Wisconsin teen Austin Wierschke was just named the fastest texter in America. The texting champion was awarded $50,000. Wierschke speaks with host Michel Martin about how he keeps his thumbs in shape.

Transcript

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Now we're going to talk about an important struggle in this country. We often talk about everyday heroes, people who, with no special credentials and no recognition, do remarkable things. Our next guest found someone like that and decided to make a film about him.