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Western Wisconsin counties bordering the Mississippi River have a unique geography: steep bluffs with layers and layers of silica sand. The sand is extremely valuable because it's strong enough to prop open underground veins in shale fields so oil and natural gas can be released. It's called "frac sand," and Wisconsin appears to have more of it than any other state. But the hills are private property, so sand mining companies have to negotiate with local farmers — not all of whom are on board.

There was as much drama off the field with major new contracts, a police altercation and some key injuries.

Mammoths and saber-toothed cats may be the most famous beasts of the Ice Age. But they shared the prairie with horses and camels, too--both of which evolved in North America and crossed the ice bridge into Eurasia, before disappearing here. Matthew Kohn and Christopher Hill talk about the lesser-known fauna of the Ice Age.

It's parent-teacher conference time. But for many students across the country, finding a bed at night is top of mind. Host Michel Martin talks about the growing number of homeless students in the U.S., with NPR Education Correspondent Claudio Sanchez, and Larissa Dickinson, a social worker for Mobile County Public Schools in Alabama.

Luke Perry, the bad boy of TV's Beverly Hills, 90210, turned 50 last week. AARP the magazine made him the cover boy of its latest issue, declaring: "Welcome to the 902-5-OH."

Arizona's worker safety commission has imposed multiple fines on the state's forestry unit, with the largest coming for "willful serious" violations that left firefighters in dangerous positions. The Yarnell Hill fire killed 19 elite firefighters in June.

Residents of the South End neighborhood of Albany, N.Y., had made repeated requests for a bus route for their underserved neighborhood. Resident Willie White brought his neighbors together to demand a bus route — and a seat at the table in city politics.

Once a day until December 25th, NPR's "Monkey See" blog is highlighting a small, good thing that happened in pop culture this year.

The artist builds on the Afrofuturistic world from her 2018 album in a new short story collection titled The Memory Librarian. She tells NPR about her nightmare that inspired the project.

Joyce Carol Oates returns with The Falls, a haunting tale of tragedy and redemption. Set in Niagara, the waterfalls exert a deathly pull on two generations of a family. NPR's Lynn Neary speaks with the author.