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In one Illinois county, a dedicated staff of four people has managed to clear the welfare rolls. They didn't set out to do it, but they've moved all their former welfare recipients to jobs or some other type of support. Urban counties are wondering if they could repeat the feat, as Chicago Public Radio's Jackie Northam reports.

With the presidential election up for grabs in many big states, the candidates and their supporters are flooding the airwaves with political commercials designed to rev up their supporters and convert the undecided. The ad war is particularly fierce in several Midwestern states, including Pennsylvania, Michigan and Missouri. NPR's Steve Inskeep spent much of this week watching television in suburban St. Louis to get a flavor of what voters there are seeing each day.

Aileen LeBlanc of member station WYSO reports on the Southwest Ohio town of Xenia that was struck by a tornado last night which killed one resident and injured more than one-hundred. Xenia has been hit by tornadoes before, including one in 1974 that devastated the small town.

Commentator and novelist Reynolds Price says writing can indeed by taught -- at least to serious college students, who can learn serviceable prose. He adds that some skill at creative writing can be acquired, but superior creative work is the far rarer result of inborn "neural tilt," and early environment.

Robert talks to Laurie Mason, a reporter for the Bucks County Courier-Times in Levittown, Pennsylvania, who is covering the trial of a man charged with damaging more than 7-thousand dollars worth of baked goods at a supermarket. Confronted with videotaped evidence of the incidents, Samuel Feldman admits he did touch the bread, cookies, bagels, rolls at the store in Lower Makefield, Pennsylvania. But he says he was only testing the freshness of the goods.

BBC's Adam Brimelow reports that today a British court will rule on whether doctors can separate six-week old Siamese twins in an operation in which one will die.

Steve Tripoli of member station WBUR reports that the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston suggests that African Americans seek help from their churches when they are rebuilding the local economies.

Linda and Robert read letters from All Things Considered listeners. Today's topics include the world's largest empires, houses versus homes, Olympic coverage, and Purple Haze. (4:00) Send letters to "Letters," All Things Considered, National Public Radio, 635 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington DC 20001, or e-mail to atc@npr.org.

NPR's Eric Weiner reports from Sydney, Australia as the track and field competition gets underway. All eyes are on Marion Jones. Today she began her quest for five gold medals with a leisurely win in 11.20 seconds in her first-round heat.

Jon Miller reports from Lima that concern over the country's political crisis has abated somewhat now that the military has issued a statement. In the communiqui, the leaders of the armed forces said they still support the government of President Alberto Fujimori. The crisis was precipitated by release of a videotape showing Fujimori's intelligence chief handing a wad of money to an opposition member of Congress. In response to the bribery scandal, Fujimori has announced plans to step down and call for new elections. He also has announced the de-activation of the intelligence service.