![The Ash Grove Cement Kiln, as seen from an aerial photograph, sits on the northern edge of Chanute, Kan. The Ash Grove Cement Kiln, as seen from an aerial photograph, sits on the northern edge of Chanute, Kan.](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20111110154526im_/http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2011/11/09/chanute2.jpg?t=1320897292&s=2)
The Ash Grove Cement Kiln, as seen from an aerial photograph, sits on the northern edge of Chanute, Kan.
EPA Regulations Give Kilns Permission To Pollute
()Cement plants, like Ash Grove in Chanute, Kan., burn hazardous waste for fuel, causing anxiety for nearby residents despite assurances of regulators.
Politics
Perry Has An 'Oops' Moment At GOP's Michigan Debate()
![GOP presidential candidates (from left) former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, Rep. Michele Bachmann, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, businessman Herman Cain, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Rep. Ron Paul, and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, pose before a GOP presidential debate at Oakland University in Auburn Hills, Mich., on Wednesday. GOP presidential candidates (from left) former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, Rep. Michele Bachmann, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, businessman Herman Cain, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Rep. Ron Paul, and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, pose before a GOP presidential debate at Oakland University in Auburn Hills, Mich., on Wednesday.](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20111110154526im_/http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2011/11/10/republicans_debate_9453861.jpg?t=1320933855&s=1)
The eight Republican presidential hopefuls focused on the economy and jobs. But there were dramatic moments on other issues: The audience booed a question about sexual harassment allegations against Herman Cain, and Rick Perry had an embarrassing memory lapse about one of his own proposals.
Hard Times: A Journey Across America
Alabama's 'Rocket City' Hopes For Another Boom()
![In 1962, President John Kennedy (center) and Vice President Lyndon Johnson visited Dr. Wernher von Braun (left), who designed the Saturn rocket in Huntsville, Ala. In 1962, President John Kennedy (center) and Vice President Lyndon Johnson visited Dr. Wernher von Braun (left), who designed the Saturn rocket in Huntsville, Ala.](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20111110154526im_/http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2011/11/09/hardtimes_huntsville_06.jpg?t=1320884394&s=1)
Huntsville is the shining star in Alabama's economy. Scientists there designed the rockets that put man on the moon. In the past 50 years, it's become a magnet for high-tech space and defense jobs. But with NASA downsizing and the specter of defense cuts looming, Huntsville finds itself in limbo.