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West Nile virus has hit Louisiana hard this summer. Nearly 90 people there have contracted the mosquito-borne fever, and seven are dead. It's the largest outbreak in the United States yet, and with three more months of warm weather ahead, local health officials fear it will only get worse. NPR's John Nielsen reports for All Things Considered.

He won a Pulitzer Prize for his novel Empire Falls which was also a national bestseller. His subject matter is working-class unpretentious people, but as one reviewer writes he transforms 'every day people and seemingly ordinary events - into the quintessential'. Hes written five novels in all, including Mohawk, The Risk Pool, and Nobodys Fool (which was made into a film starring Paul Newman). His latest book is a collection of stories, The Whores Child and Other Stories. (Knopf).

He was one of the big hitmakers of the 60's with such songs as Devil or Angel, Take Good Care of my Baby, The Night has a Thousand Eyes, Rubber Ball, Run to Him, and Come Back When You Grow Up. He got his start at the age of 15 when his band filled in for Buddy Holly at the concert Holly failed to appear at because of his death in a plane crash. Vee released a tribute recording to Holly in 1999.

A recently released study in the United Kingdom reveals a dramatic increase in the use of pop songs at funerals. Sweeping ballads like Wing Beneath My Wings and My Heart Will Go On seem to be overtaking traditional hymns as suitable send-offs for the departed. Host Liane Hansen speaks with Lorinda Sheasby, marketing manager of FuneralCare.

Host Liane Hansen talks with Rachel Swarns of The New York Times about this week's World Summit on Sustainable Development, held in Johannesburg, South Africa. Organizers say the talks will center on practical solutions to the problems of the developing world.

Now appearing on All Things Considered: The comedy troupe responsible for such classic spoofs as I Think We're All Bozos On This Bus. Today, Firesign Theatre tackles the issue of homeland security, and the government's program to get civilians to "tip" the government to suspicious activity.

Since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, more students with serious mental illnesses have been attending college. Madge Kaplan of member station WGBH in Boston reports on how colleges, and students with mental illness, are coping with the change.

Puzzle master Will Shortz quizzes one of our listeners, and has a challenge for everyone at home. (This week's winner is Doug Shemin from Providence, Rhode Island. He listens to Weekend Edition on member station WRNI in Providence.)

This year, the Zuni tribe of western New Mexico celebrates the 20th anniversary of the Zuni Fitness Series, a model program designed to combat diabetes by building on tribal traditions of running and physical activity. Kate Davidson reports for All Things Considered.

It usually takes a strong back to work for a moving company. "Estate movers" need strong stomachs as well. As part of Morning Edition's "Dirty Work" series, NPR's Scott Horsley reports on the workers who empty houses that sometimes haven't been cleaned in decades.