Primary schools in France are reopening next week. There will, of course, be social distancing measures in place. Class sizes will be limited to 15 and no games at recess. It's a gradual three-week process beginning with preschoolers. The government says the reopening is voluntary and students won't be forced to return. Still, many parents and administrators are against the plan. More than 300 mayors in the Paris region signed an open letter to President Macron, urging a delay in reopening and saying the timeline is " untenable and unrealistic ." They said schools needed more time to implement the required sanitary measures. Jean-Michel Blanquer, France's minister of education, talked with Mary Louise Kelly on All Things Considered about bringing students back to class for the first time since mid-March. Here are selected excerpts: Do you think they will come? Do you think you will have 15 students in classrooms come next week? Yes, because we are asking the parents during the last

Attorneys for Rick Bright, the government scientist who said he had been reassigned and subsequently filed a whistleblower complaint , say a government watchdog agrees that he should be reinstated to his post. Bright was serving as director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, which is working on a vaccine to combat the coronavirus. He said he was ousted from the position last month because he wanted to spend money on safe and vetted treatments for COVID-19 — not on ones without "scientific merit," such as hydroxychloroquine, the anti-malarial drug that President Trump and others had been touting. Trump on Wednesday called Bright "a disgruntled employee who's trying to help the Democrats win an election." Bright's attorneys say that the Office of Special Counsel, which hears whistleblower cases, determined there were "reasonable grounds" to believe that his removal was retaliatory and therefore prohibited. Bright's attorneys say OSC plans to contact the

Protests over stay-at-home orders because of COVID-19 have become more common around the country. In California, a surprising group is behind some of them: those who oppose mandatory vaccinations. On Thursday, a mash-up of people mingled on the sidewalk in front of California's state Capitol in Sacramento. There were Trump supporters wearing MAGA hats and waving American flags. There were Christians, singing along to religious rock songs and raising their hands in prayer. The event's MC. urged Gov. Gavin Newsom to tune into their event. "Everybody up at the Capitol, tell Gavin Newsom [to tune in to] 107.9 FM, if he wants to hear what we have to say," the MC told the crowd over loudspeakers. "It could be kind of good for him!" There were also mothers with their children at the rally. Many people were not wearing face masks or observing social distancing protocols. They'd all come out to protest California's stay-at-home order, put in place to slow the spread of COVID-19. This week's

Updated at 9:44 a.m. ET As a young woman growing up in a poor farming community in Virginia in the 1940 and '50s, with little information about sex or contraception, sexuality was a frightening thing for Carole Cato and her female friends. "We lived in constant fear, I mean all of us," she said. "It was like a tightrope. always wondering, is this going to be the time [I get pregnant]?" Cato, 78, now lives in Columbia, S.C. She grew up in the years before the birth control pill was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, on May 9, 1960. She said teenage girls in her community were told very little about how their bodies worked. "I was very fortunate; I did not get pregnant, but a lot of my friends did. And of course, they just got married and went into their little farmhouses," she said. "But I just felt I just had to get out." At 23, Cato married a widower who already had seven children. They decided seven was enough. By that time, Cato said, the pill allowed the couple to

Ahead of his new album, "A World That's Bigger," Washtenaw County songwriter Mike Vial stops by the WEMU studios for exclusive live music performances and conversation.

The first Roots Music Project of 2018 is a special one! Host Jeremy Baldwin welcomes Ann Arbor's own Americana band Corndaddy to the WEMU studios for a live interview and performance!

An initiative now has the funds to help expand pre-kindergarten programs across Long Island.

Legislation introduced in New York could place a four-year freeze on tuition costs at state and city universities.

Microbes are the bacteria that live in our guts. Scientists are learning how they help us process medication.

A team of marine scientists are on a mission to preserve biodiversity in oceans around the world. To do it, they need accurate maps that will help them identify areas in need of protection. There are several ongoing projects to create these maps. But they’re led by different groups, using different methods that can produce conflicting results.

The Republican minority in the Connecticut General Assembly has detailed its legislative agenda for the year. It includes proposals aimed at privatizing some government functions including at the Department of Motor Vehicles.

The Connecticut General Assembly Appropriations Committee approved a $43.3 billion two-year state budget proposal on Tuesday. It sets the stage for final budget negotiations in June with Democratic Governor Ned Lamont.

Protests over stay-at-home orders because of COVID-19 have become more common around the country. In California, a surprising group is behind some of them: those who oppose mandatory vaccinations. On Thursday, a mash-up of people mingled on the sidewalk in front of California's state Capitol in Sacramento. There were Trump supporters wearing MAGA hats and waving American flags. There were Christians, singing along to religious rock songs and raising their hands in prayer. The event's MC. urged Gov. Gavin Newsom to tune into their event. "Everybody up at the Capitol, tell Gavin Newsom [to tune in to] 107.9 FM, if he wants to hear what we have to say," the MC told the crowd over loudspeakers. "It could be kind of good for him!" There were also mothers with their children at the rally. Many people were not wearing face masks or observing social distancing protocols. They'd all come out to protest California's stay-at-home order, put in place to slow the spread of COVID-19. This week's

Updated at 9:44 a.m. ET As a young woman growing up in a poor farming community in Virginia in the 1940 and '50s, with little information about sex or contraception, sexuality was a frightening thing for Carole Cato and her female friends. "We lived in constant fear, I mean all of us," she said. "It was like a tightrope. always wondering, is this going to be the time [I get pregnant]?" Cato, 78, now lives in Columbia, S.C. She grew up in the years before the birth control pill was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, on May 9, 1960. She said teenage girls in her community were told very little about how their bodies worked. "I was very fortunate; I did not get pregnant, but a lot of my friends did. And of course, they just got married and went into their little farmhouses," she said. "But I just felt I just had to get out." At 23, Cato married a widower who already had seven children. They decided seven was enough. By that time, Cato said, the pill allowed the couple to

It's safe to say that the COVID-19 crisis will be more than a footnote in world history. In fact, a new initiative is underway to see that this moment in time will be never be forgotten and that "we're all in this together." For this week's "On the Ground-Ypsi," WEMU's Lisa Barry and Concentrate Media's Sarah Rigg talk to local historian Kim Clarke about the "Ypsilanti Coronavirus Digital Archive," a new photo project designed to preserve memories of everyday life during the pandemic.

The Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners has approved hazard pay for some of the county’s first responders as a result of COVID-19.

State Senator Jeff Irwin wants all future elections to be done entirely with absentee ballots.

Copyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit (SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "DING DONG MERRILY ON HIGH") UNIDENTIFIED SINGERS: (Singing) Ding dong merrily on high... SCOTT SIMON, HOST: Linus Vlatkovich grew up in the mining town of Hibbing, Minn. His father was a miner who hoped his son would become a dentist. And he tried for a while in college. But... LINUS VLATKOVICH: It just wasn't the right place for me. And when I changed to theater, they were not real excited about that. SIMON: Theater - a parent's heartbreak. But Linus Vlatkovich ended up building a career building props for 46 years at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. He eventually earned the nickname Prop God. His parents worried when the Guthrie first called Linus in 1972. VLATKOVICH: They asked me if I would like to work there for the summer and then hire me in the fall. So I said sure. They said they didn't have any real money to pay me, but they'd pay me out of petty cash. So I got three $30 paychecks. SIMON: Over the years, Linus

The 16th annual African-American Male Wellness Walk takes place Saturday morning in Columbus, beginning at 7 at Livingston Park.

Cardiologists in Columbus are the first in the nation to test new technology for patients suffering from atrial fibrillation. Doctors say it's a safer and more effective alternative.

Starring in the skit for 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon', The Rolling Stones frontman gets onboard to support a non-profit providing for children in need during the coronavirus pandemic.

In a newly released statement, VH1 announces that it has 'forcibly shut down' production of upcoming seasons of several spin-off series amid the global pandemic which has claimed many people's lives.

The producers for the Ryan Reynolds-fronted superhero movie have been punished with fine for failing to provide a safe workplace for the fallen stuntwoman.

The 'Super Bass' hitmaker says in a question and answer session on Twitter that she will debut 'a baby bump' in a couple months and reveals her cravings during the coronavirus lockdown.

Talking about the issue four-year-old Remington once had, the 'American Idol' alum admits before finding out the problem, she used to worry that the boy was hearing impaired.

The producers for the Ryan Reynolds-fronted superhero movie have been punished with fine for failing to provide a safe workplace for the fallen stuntwoman.

The couple previously revealed the meaning of the unique name, and now the singer, who shares her first child with the tech mogul, has returned to Instagram to explain how to pronounce the name.

The 'Boy Is Mine' hitmaker says she is forced to re-assess her faith in God after the shocking death of the Los Angeles Lakers player in helicopter crash.

The 'I Believe I Can Fly' singer vows to be on his best behavior if he is released on bond and placed on house arrest while awaiting trial for sex charges.

The 'I Believe I Can Fly' singer vows to be on his best behavior if he is released on bond and placed on house arrest while awaiting trial for sex charges.

Mylan CEO Heather Bresch repeatedly told the panel last month that Mylan made just $50 in profit for EpiPens sold for more than $300 apiece.

Aviva Endean (VIC), Hilary Kleinig (SA), Bree van Reyk (NSW), Kate Milligan (WA), and Frankie Dyson Reilly (QLD) have been announced as participants in the 2020 edition of the Summers Night Mentoring Project. 

A former Stony Brook University professor has pleaded guilty to stealing over $200,000 of government cancer research money to pay personal bills.

Name change reflects wide range of events for 2019.

Birmingham's hidden industrial heritage saved from the skip.

Prof is a Minneapolis-based rapper whose fun and deceptively intricate tracks and entertaining, sometimes chaotic live shows have been entertaining fans since the mid-2000s. He has an outsized, outrageous comic persona, but that doesn’t stop him from frequently rapping movingly and artfully about his difficult childhood and family life.

Prof quickly rose through the hip-hop ranks in his hometown, and is one of only a handful of rappers - local or otherwise - who can sell out Minneapolis’ biggest venues. His success led to him joining forces with the city’s pre-eminent hip-hop label, Rhymesayers. Prof’s debut album on the label, Liability, just dropped this past Friday, October 16th.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/125/ for full show notes and comments.

Soundset is a festival in the Minneapolis area put on by the Rhymesayers label. It’s been running since 2008, and has grown from a show in a warehouse to a day-long outdoor event featuring some of music’s biggest acts.

This past May, we went to the festival to hang out and talk to the performers, and on this episode and the next one, you’ll hear the results. This time, you’ll find conversations with Rapsody, Grieves, K-Salaam, Sa-Roc, and Prof. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the first half of The Cipher’s Soundset special.

See http://theciphershow.com/episode/241/ for full show notes and comments.

Greg Proops, Comedian who's Album, "In The Ball Park" will be released on Friday November 27th, joins Joey Diaz and Lee Syatt live in studio

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Texture. Go To texture.com/joey to get a free trial for the Texture App. The Texture App gives the use access to hundreds of magazines.

Greg Proops, Comedian, seen on "Whose Line Is It Anyway," and the Host of the "Smartest Man in the World" podcast, joins Joey Diaz and Lee Syatt in studio.

A stroke of luck made the rocker's instrumental track "Sirius" one of the most recognizable intro songs in sports history. Continue reading…

Partnership aims to build communities through sport.

Polish artist to create new work.

Considerate Behaviour campaign launched on cross city line.

Employability project invests in local people helping to fulfil all-important roles.

People at home urged to take part in anniversary celebration.

New Central Library: Founding a Friends Group, Thursday 4 July

Cancer charity will benefit from Asia expedition.

Funding kickstarts construction of 26 housing units in Kings Heath.

Fashion industry the focal point of new action.