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2:00 pm
Tue July 3, 2012

Illinois Services Threatened As Pension Hole Grows

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Credit Seth Perlman / AP
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn says the pension system is putting a grip on the state's budget. As a result, other services may lose funding.
Credit Seth Perlman / AP
Illinois pensions have amounted to billions that the state can't readily afford. American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees rally against proposed pension legislation on May 23.
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Originally published on Thu July 5, 2012 1:16 pm

Fallout from the recession continues to hobble state finances, particularly in states crippled by pensions they can't afford to pay.

Chief among them is Illinois, which has racked up the largest unfunded liability in the nation. Politicians there pledge to fix it.

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A Blog Supreme
1:58 pm
Tue July 3, 2012

Heavy Rotation: George Benson, 'Naima'

Credit Concord Jazz
George Benson.
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Originally published on Tue September 18, 2012 4:28 pm

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NPR Cities: Urban Life In The 21st Century
1:55 pm
Tue July 3, 2012

Oakland Turns A Corner As Calif. Faces Budget Woes

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Credit Laura Morton for NPR
Ryan Curtis leans in for a kiss from Love Kovtun on Telegraph Avenue in Oakland's Uptown neighborhood in April. New businesses and investment have helped revitalize the city's downtown over the past decade.
Credit Laura Morton for NPR
A performance artist dances on 23rd Street in Oakland as First Friday Art Walk attendees pass by.
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Originally published on Thu July 5, 2012 1:17 pm

The city of Oakland, Calif. has long been associated with crime, poverty, urban decay and, more recently, violent protests tied to the Occupy movement.

So it may have been a surprise to New York Times readers when the newspaper listed Oakland as No. 5 among its top "places to go" in 2012.

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Favorite Sessions
1:52 pm
Tue July 3, 2012

Daniel Freedman: Lessons From Bamako Buses

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Credit Melanie Burford for NPR
Jazz musician Daniel Freedman on drums performing at WBGO studio sessions in Newark, NJ on June 22, 2012.
Credit Melanie Burford for NPR
Drummer Daniel Freedman led a session featuring music from his new album Bamako By Bus at WBGO in Newark, N.J. June 22, 2012.
Credit Melanie Burford for NPR
Trumpeter Avishai Cohen changed his flight itinerary to make the session.
Credit Melanie Burford for NPR
Jason Lindner listens intently as he plays the Steinway.
Credit Melanie Burford for NPR
What time is it? It's Avishai (foreground) and Anat Cohen (background) time.
Credit Melanie Burford for NPR
Omer Avital plays the bass. Jason Lindner gets colossal on the Rhodes.
Credit Melanie Burford for NPR
Percussionist Gilmar Gomes concentrates on the congas.
Credit Melanie Burford for NPR
Anat Cohen came directly to WBGO after a performance in Canada.
Credit Melanie Burford for NPR
Lionel Loueke puts his special sauce on "Elegba Wa."
Credit Melanie Burford for NPR
Bassist Omer Avital is the truth.
Credit Melanie Burford for NPR
Daniel Freedman enjoys the ride.
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Originally published on Thu August 9, 2012 2:30 pm

The itinerant path of a touring musician is nothing new. Drummer Daniel Freedman has walked that walk with New York jazz groups, salsa units, forro bands and on international tours with Angelique Kidjo. He has also taken the road less travelled – by bus.

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Deceptive Cadence
1:31 pm
Tue July 3, 2012

'Dead Man Walking' Sings Again

Credit Felix Sanchez / courtesy of Houston Grand Opera
Joyce DiDonato as Sister Helen Prejean and Philip Cutlip as Joseph De Rocher in Jake Heggie's opera Dead Man Walking.
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Originally published on Wed July 4, 2012 7:03 pm

It's so rare for a new opera — let alone a new American opera — to be recorded even once. But few new operas have been so rapturously received as Jake Heggie's Dead Man Walking, which recounts the true story of a Catholic nun, Sister Helen Prejean, and the convicted rapist and double murderer Joseph De Rocher before he was executed by the state of Louisiana.

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