NPR 2011-11-10

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George Papandreou bid Greeks an emotional farewell after four days of grueling negotiations⁴ with opposition⁵ conservatives on the makeup⁶ of the interim government that will succeed his. He called the new government an end to the acrimony of the past months and said it would represent Greek solidarity⁷ to the outside world. Its aims are clear, Papandreou said, to unblock the next installment⁸ of an existing bailout package and ratify a second 100-billion-euro bailout. Without the money, Greece will default in a matter of weeks. He also called on the new administration to continue structural⁹ reforms to turn the economy from austerity to development and reverse four years of recession. For NPR News, I'm John Psaropoulos in Athens.

 

Joe Paterno's legendary¹⁰ reign¹¹ as Penn State's head football coach is coming to an end, overshadowed by child sex abuse scandal involving his former assistant coach Shari Rudavsky. NPR's Mike Pesca says Paterno announced plans to leave at the end of the season.

 

Paterno, I think, took the only action that was available to him, which is to announce his retirement¹² before possibly being ousted¹³. There were reports that that was in the works. And while it's being reported by some that Joe Paterno is to retire at the end of the season, there is still a possibility that the board of trustees will say that is not acceptable, will intercede¹⁴ and will say Joe Paterno, you're gone after the Nebraska Game. We don't know what will happen. 

 

NPR's Mike Pesca.

 

In North Dakota, the legislature is now repealing¹⁵ a recently passed state law that requires University of North Dakota to keep its Fighting Sioux nickname and logo. Prairie Public's Dave Thomson reports the NCAA considered that moniker to be offensive to native Americans.

 

The NCAA told state officials it would impose sanctions if the nickname and logo were not retired¹⁶, and the Big Sky Conference threatened to withdraw its invitation to UND if the nickname stayed. Democratic state senator Mac Schneider, who played football for UND, says keeping the nickname would do more harm than good.

 

"Life as an upper-Midwest independent under NCAA sanctions quite simply is not a realistic possibility for the University of North Dakota."

 

The bill says UND cannot have a new nickname and logo in place before January 1st, 2015. For NPR News, I'm Dave Thomson in Bismarck, North Dakota.

 

The latest from Wall Street. Dow Jones Industrial Average now down 350 points or 2.8% at 11,821; NASDAQ is off more than 3% at 2,639; S&P 500 down more than 3%.

 

This is NPR News.

 

Abortion¹⁷ opponents say they won't be deterred¹⁸ by their latest defeat in Mississippi, where Bible Belt residents voted down an initiative that says life begins a fertilization. They say they're still working in six other states to get a personhood initiative passed. The proposal is aimed at forcing a legal challenge to Roe¹⁹ V. Wade²⁰, the 1973 Supreme²¹ Court decision that established the legal right to abortion. Yesterday's vote in Mississippi was among several key initiatives voted down. In Ohio, voters rejected a law signed by the Republican governor to restrict collective bargaining rights. And in Maine, people repealed²² a Republican-backed law to eliminate election day enrollment²³.

 

Rapper Heavy D has died at the age of 44. Authorities say he collapsed²⁴ outside his home in Beverly Hills yesterday and was declared dead at Cedar-Sinai hospital. NPR's Trina Williams reports Heavy D had a string of hits in the 1980s and 1990s.

 

(I want somebody to love me, for me. Not because I'm MC, Heavy D. I'm looking for a love...)

 

"Somebody For Me" was just one of a number of popular songs by Heavy D & The Boyz. Their biggest hit was "Now That We Found Love." The group released their first album in 1987 with songs "Mr. Big Stuff" and "The Overweight Lovers In The House." The rapper also collaborated²⁵ with some high-profile stars including Michael Jackson.

 

(First I cooled like a fan Got with Janet then with guy Now with Michael Cause it ain't hard to.)

 

Heavy D, whose real name was Dwight Arrington Myers, didn't resist the pull of television and film. He appeared in "Boston Public," "Life" and "The Cider House Rules." He makes a cameo in the current movie "Tower Heist." Heavy D stayed connected to music, creating theme songs for "In Living Color" and "MADtv." His most recent album "Love Opus" was released in September. Trina Williams, NPR News.

 

I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News in Washington.

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