Charles Lane
Charles is a radio reporter, story teller, Excel ninja, database grasshopper and loves to FOIL records. He's worked for NPR, Deutche Welle, Radio Netherlands, Soundprint, Penthouse, the Religion News Service and the Catholic World Report. He's won three SPJ Public Service Awards, a National Murrow and was a finalist for the Livingston Award for Young Journalists. He once did 8Gs in a stunt plane, caught a 10-foot wave (briefly) and dove 40 meters on a single breath. Charles is extraordinarily friendly so don't hesitate to contact.
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Free-diving is a risky sport, involving swimming deep into the ocean without the aid of air tanks. But after a diver's death in November, some free-divers worry that the sport's governing body is still not doing enough to prevent common injuries and reel in overambitious competitors.
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Suffolk County, on Long Island, is giving enforcement authority to a victims' advocacy group. Lawmakers call it a cost-effective way to keep citizens safe. But a local attorney who often represents sex offenders calls it a "vigilante exercise."
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A lab in Chicago can produce particles called muons, but it needs an electromagnetic ring on Long Island to produce them. Since the 50-foot ring can't be taken apart or flown over houses, movers drove it to the shoreline and will sail it down the East Coast on a sea barge and up rivers to the Windy City.
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Kids may not like the idea of extending the average six-hour school day, but some educators and politicians do. They are experimenting with ways to increase enrichment classes and make it affordable for school districts.
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Communities hit by Hurricane Sandy are waiting for more help from Washington. There's been no agreement on how much air they can expect, but people in the storm zone are concerned that repairs and rebuilding will be delayed, leaving them vulnerable to future storms.
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Wine research suggests that people who think they know about wine are excited about hard to pronounce names — so excited, in fact, that they're willing to pay more. Plus, they think it tastes better, too.