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The conclusion of Bob Garfield's country music odyssey.

Flying tourists over the Grand Canyon is big business. But the federal government now says it's too noisy, and has decided to restrict where, when and how often planes and helicopters can cruise over the West's top tourist attraction. NPR's Howard Berkes reports that neither environmentalists nor tour companies are happy with the compromise regulations.

will meet today with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, reportedly to finalize plans to withdraw Israeli troops from Hebron.

to finish the controversial Three Gorges Dam by 2009. The project will provide more power than any other dam in the world, but it will flood a huge area along the Yangtze River in central China...including sites containing artifacts from ancient Chinese cultures. Archaeologists want more time, and many, to save the priceless historical treasures.

It's a battle for which city has the hottest New Year's Eve celebration. In New York's Times Square, police estimate a half million people will line the streets in a celebration complete with search lights, lazer beams and 3000 pounds of confetti. But in Las Vegas, 200,000 visitors are expected to celebrate and the big moment will come at 9 pm, with the "implosion" of the Hacienda Hotel. Rooms at adjacent hotels with good views have been booked for months, and "implosion parties" are planned. NPR's Margot Adler reports.

NPR's Tovia Smith reports on a move by the state of Massachusetts to require high school students to pass a 'GED' test before receiving a diploma. The equivalency test is usually administered to dropouts or prisoners trying to get a diploma but some in the state want to use it as a check on what students are learning in their schools.

The Hubble Space Telescope has taken the first clear pictures of distant galaxies containing quasars. Quasars are the most violent events in the universe...and astronomers are surprised to discover that they come from rather ordinary looking galaxies. This discovery is forcing scientists to rethink their theories about quasar formation. NPR's Richard Harris reports.

Some of the most common diseases in the United States are sexually transmitted: syphilis, chlamydia, gonorrhea, and hepatitis. But they're difficult to track and to treat. About a fourth of the 12 million cases that occur each year affect adolescents. The most serious consequences are born by women of child-bearing age who may become infertile or develop cancer as a result of untreated infections. NPR's Vicky Que (KWAY) reports that an Institute of Medicine study concludes that not enough is being done by either the private or the public sector to prevent these infections.

to the Australian Parliament in Canberra and an earlier news conference.

how people's personalities change as they age.