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Junot Diaz is a young writer who was born in the Dominican Republic. He was raised there, but also in New Jersey, and he has just published a collection of stories about growing up on his old home island and in the U.S. The book is called Drown.

in Havana's restaurants: state-run tourist restaurants, known for high prices and poor services, are now having to compete with family-owned enterprises offering home-cooked food.

Musician Townes Van Zandt died yesterday at his home in Smyrna, Tennessee, at the age of 52. Van Zandt was mostly known as a songwriter, and many of his songs were recorded by country and rock singers. Linda talks to country singer Nanci Griffith about his life and work. He was especially known for his lyrics.

A Spanish judge orders 16 al Qaeda suspects arrested on Friday to remain in the government's custody. Police say they found chemicals, detonators and other electronic bomb components in searches of their homes. Jerome Socolovsky reports.

NPR's Pam Fessler reports on the progress being made by the White House and Capitol Hill in attempting to end the appropriations process and send lawmakers home to campaign. President Clinton's signing of the Interior Department's appropriations bill meant that money spent on conservation projects will double next year. But the House also voted to override the President's veto of an energy and water bill, meaning that much contentiousness remains before the 106th Congress comes to a close.

NPR's Special Correspondent Susan Stamberg reports on the opening of Madame Tussaud's in New York. The famed British wax museum will feature replicas of some real New York types, including Woody Allen, Joe DiMaggio, Donald Trump, and Rudy Giuliani. But it will also have figures that have long attracted attention in its London home, such as Napoleon and Princess Diana. (

NPR's Jim Zarroli reports on the expected rise in natural gas prices nationwide this winter. In one New Jersey town, residents could be paying 16% more to heat their homes. Industry experts say seasons of low gas prices are to blame: natural gas producers cut back on production because it was harder to make money. But now there's an increased demand for the resource. (

Jazz pianist John Lewis died yesterday afternoon at his home in Manhattan. He was 80 years old. The cause of death was not disclosed. Lewis was the driving force behind the Modern Jazz Quartet -- one of the most popular groups in the history of jazz. Lewis and the group helped bring the worlds of classical music and jazz together. NPR's Tom Cole has an appreciation.

Effects from the energy crisis in California are rippling across the West, with more serious consequences than higher home electricity bills. So far at least 1,500 industrial workers in western states have been laid off, partly because of high electricty prices. Among the victims are copper mine workers in the southwest. From member station KRWG in New Mexico, Eric Whitney reports.

Host Bob Edwards has the story of Holland Island, and the man who is trying to save it. Like many Chesapeake Bay islands, Holland is slowly being lost to rising tides and erosion. The island was once home to more than three hundred people, but now most of its buildings are underwater, and the rest will probably follow. But its 71-year-old owner Stephen White is fighting that fate.