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In the first of a four-part series, NPR's Howard Berkes reports on John Wesley Powell's vision for developing the western United States. He recognized how serious a restraint the lack of water was in the region, and laid out a plan for how to best use the limited resource.

They came by bus, train and, in at least one case, roller-skates. The people who traveled to the historic March on Washington from around the country 40 years ago this week made the journey despite threats of violence. NPR's Juan Williams reports on the stories of march participants and organizers.

Two years ago, a TV picture-tube plant moved from Scranton, Pa., to Mexico and left nearly 2,000 people without jobs. Many of the town's residents are still struggling to find jobs. In the second of this three-part series, NPR's John Ydstie reports on three former plant employees.

Tens of thousands of Muslims begin a three-day march to mourn Ayatollah Mohammed Baqer al-Hakim, a revered Iraqi Shiite cleric killed by a car-bomb attack Friday. Al-Hakim, a long-time opponent of Saddam Hussein, was one of more than 100 people killed in the bombing of the Imam Ali Mosque in Najaf. Hear NPR's Ivan Watson.

Thousands take to the streets of Najaf, Iraq, mourning the death of more than 100 people -- including key Shiite cleric Ayatollah Mohammed Baqer al-Hakim -- in the bombing of one of Islam's most revered shrines -- the Imam Ali Mosque. Hear NPR's Emily Harris, NPR's Jacki Lyden and Imam Sayed Moustafa al-Qazwini of the Islamic Educational Center of Orange County, Calif.

NPR's Melissa Block talks with Larry Charles, who directed the new movie starring Bob Dylan, Masked and Anonymous. Charles also picked the songs for the soundtrack. They're all Dylan songs — either he's performing them or a panoply of international musicians are. We sample some of the international fare. Among them are Italian and Japanese covers of Dylan tunes, which Charles says are testament to Dylan's worldwide appeal.

NPR’s Liane Hansen speaks with Labor Secretary Elaine Chao about the prospects for the American workforce, as the country attempts to recover from a sluggish economy. The U.S. Department of Labor has established an online job bank and a toll-free help line at 1-877-US-2JOBS.

So far this year, health officials report more than 1,300 human cases and 19 deaths from West Nile virus. Those numbers are certain to climb in the next few weeks. Yet as NPR's Jon Hamilton reports, experts insist that the risk of dying or becoming seriously ill from the mosquito-borne disease is remarkably small.

This summer, Mars is making a historic appearance in the night sky, coming closer to Earth than at any time in human history. For space author and Morning Edition commentator Andrew Chaikin, the event became a quest to take a rare astronomical portrait. See Chaikin's prized photos of Mars and the moon.

Sit by the basketball court at Walter Pierce Community Park and you will find the men in the neighborhood vying for ranking. This competition peaks every summer in the annual Hoopin' in the Hood Basketball Tournament, a day the neighborhood men plan for all year long. They recruit, talk trash and then play their hearts out trying to win bragging rights for the rest of the year. In the third part of her series on the park, Katie Davis captures the call and response of the playground game.