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NPR's Jim Zarroli reports cities and states have long used the legal concept of eminent domain to seize private land to build highways or railroads deemed necessary for the public good. Some critics complain that local governments are abusing these powers . In New York right now, government officials want to seize some private land to build what they say is a much-needed shopping plaza in East Harlem.

Medical labs and drive-in banks are still using the pneumatic tube, whose heyday was back in the 19th century when the device was a means of sending messages from building to building. The tube made a comeback in the 1970's when engineers figured out how to make it gentle enough for hospitals to transport blood samples. Joel Obermayer reports from Danville, Pennsylvania.

In the first of a two-part series, NPR's Madeleine Brand reports on the new "Supermax" prison in Boscobel, Wis., built to house the most vicious criminals from other prisons. It cost $44 million to build, and yearly operating costs are projected at $10 million. It appears that economic and political considerations played an important part in the decision to build the facility, which has room for 500 inmates.

The tree has become the focus of a debate over plans to build a new engineering building at the University of Florida.

who's on assignment in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia. Reid has seen what's touted as the world's tallest building, scheduled to be completed later this year. Reid, who was not impressed, says it looks like a building in a 1950s science fiction movie about the future.

Many Detroit streets are lined with derelict, abandoned buildings -- vesitages of a once-thriving middle class that deserted the city for the suburbs over the past decades. The city has made some efforts to demolish decaying structures, and even build new housing, but progress is slow. NPR's Cheryl Corley reports.

With 46 million Americans living in poverty, many observers question whether there are new strategies to help the poor. MacArthur "genius" recipient Maurice Lim Miller is the founder of the Family Independence Initiative, an anti-poverty group. He talks with guest host Celeste Headlee about his innovative approach to the issue.

The Apple series 'Severance' is about a group of office workers who have undergone brain surgery that completely separates their memories of work from their memories of their regular lives.

A water treaty has survived three wars between India and Pakistan. Now the agreement is in trouble, but some say a new is treaty needed for both political and environmental reasons.

NHPR’s Rick Ganley talks with Williams about the cost of living, immigration and more.