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Jim Hall performs at the 2013 Newport Jazz Festival.

Fresh Air Remembers Jazz Guitarist Jim Hall

The guitarist, composer and arranger died in his sleep Tuesday at 83. Hall was known for a subtle, lyrical playing style, a gift for innovation and collaborations with a host of talented musicians in a career that stretched more than seven decades. Hear an interview from 1989.

Job seekers attend at a career fair in Miami Lakes, Fla., in August. At the end of the year, 1.3 million Americans will lose their extended unemployment benefits.

As Congress Leaves Town, Some Jobless Benefits Set To Expire

The House adjourned for the holidays Thursday night after passing a two-year budget agreement. But despite pressure from President Obama and congressional Democrats, the deal did not include an extension of the long-term unemployment benefit program that aids 1.3 million Americans.

Student Opens Fire At Colo. High School, Wounds 2, Kills Self

A student armed with a shotgun opened fire at a Colorado high school, Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson said Friday. Police said the shooter injured two fellow students at Arapahoe High School in Centennial, Colo., before killing himself.

Mandela's Home Town Prepares For Thousands Of Visitors

Nelson Mandela will be laid to rest Sunday in his rural homestead of Qunu, which leaves this modest region to cope with the influx of thousands wishing to pay their last respects.

Trevor Watson, 14, says he hears gunshots in his Oakland neighborhood so often that "it doesn't even affect me anymore."

For Many Urban Schools, Gun Violence Remains A Daily Reality

One year after the shootings in Newtown, Conn., the issue of gun violence continues to resonate around the country. In some communities, like the Castlemont neighborhood in Oakland, Calif., some young people try to cope with the threat of daily violence by simply trying to tune it out.

Rosanne Cash, seen here in 1956 with her dad Johnny, is one of many musicians featured in <em>Oxford American</em> magazine's winter issue on the music of Tennessee.

What Makes Tennessee's Music So Very Special?

Oxford American magazine has a few answers, not to mention one killer Tennessee mixtape. NPR's Scott Simon speaks with editor Roger Hodge and music editor Rick Clark about assembling the magazine's new issue on the music of Tennessee and its companion two-CD sampler.

A woman hugs a student at Shepherd of the Hills Church near Arapahoe High School after a school shooting on Friday in Centennial, Colorado.

As Centennial, Colo., Picks Up The Pieces, Sandy Hook Marks Anniversary

After a gunman burst onto a Centennial, Colo., high school, the community is asking a familiar question: Why? In

Actor Peter O'Toole performed on stage and on film in many leading roles, and began his acting career in the 1950s when he was serving in the Navy. He died on Dec. 14 at the age of 81.

Peter O'Toole, Star Of 'Lawrence Of Arabia,' Dies

O'Toole was recognized as one of the premiere actors of his generation. He was nominated for eight Best Actor Oscars, but never won until he was given an honorary honor in 2003.

Olympic rings stand in front of the airport in Adler outside Sochi on November 30, 2013.

Top French Officials Won't Attend Sochi Olympics

German leaders made the same decision last week, without an explanation. In the lead up to the Winter Games, Russia has been criticized for its anti-gay laws.

Blasting through powder on wooden, horsehide-bottomed skis, with a single pole for balance, an Altai skier shows off the skills and equipment his distant ancestors perfected.

Deep In China, 'Cowboys' Have Skied For Thousands Of Years

On wooden skis, the Tuvan people of Central Asia have been traversing the snow for at least 4,000 years. Travel writer Mark Jenkins went to the region for National Geographic, where he joined a group of lasso-wielding men on skis tracking elk.

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