Melissa Block

Lyndon Johnson taught in the South Texas town of Cotulla in 1928. Even as president, he always remembered the grinding poverty of his students.

The boom has brought unexpected prosperity — and many new problems — to Cotulla. It's in the heart of the Eagle Ford Shale area, which has quickly become the nation's No. 2 oil-producing region.

The Kentucky Wildcats and the Connecticut Huskies take the court in Monday's NCAA men's college basketball final. NPR's Tom Goldman talks to Melissa Block about what to watch for in the game.

In Killeen, Texas, another mass shooting had some asking, "Again?" The flags flew at half staff as the community began to pick up the pieces.

From Killeen, Texas, where Fort Hood is based, Melissa Block talks to soldiers who were on base during the shooting, as well as with Killeen's mayor. The mayor explains how the town is trying to cope.

Hispanics now make up 38 percent of Texas residents. One demographer says the state's future is tied to the success of its growing minority population. Schools may be part of the solution.

An injured leg can cause so much pain that some wounded veterans consider amputation. A brace invented at an Army medical center in Texas is getting them up and running again.

The Oxford English Dictionary is adding some 900 new words and phrases to its pages, with wackadoodle, bestie and DIYer among them. Melissa and Robert review some of the new entries.

Nick Preuher is no chef; he only plays one on TV. More accurately, he has pretended to be one, appearing on various local morning television shows as a prank.

Audie Cornish and Melissa Block read letters from listeners about genetic experiments and the tenuous hopes for voice-banking.