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The two newest teams in the National Football League, the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Carolina Panthers, have both advanced to the AFC and NFC Conference Championships. Linda talks with Peter King, who writes for Sports Illustrated, about how both teams have found such success, so early in their franchises' history.

Noah talks with Phil Boyer, president of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, about how small airports operate. Fourteen people died this week when a United Express turbo-prop and a private plane crashed at a small airport in Quincy, Illinois. Like most of the more than 18,000 airports in the United States, the Quincy airport did not have a control tower. Most such airports have good safety records. Boyer explains how pilots communciate with one another at non-towered airports to avoid accidents. They rely on radio...and their own eyes.

Musician Bill Doggett died November 13 at age 80. Doggett played piano and organ and is best known for his 1956 song, Honky Tonk. By 1979, the song had sold 3 million copies.

Robert talks to Edward Rothstein, cultural critic at large for the New York Times, about the decreasing popularity of classical music over the last twenty years. The heart of the classical music repertoire, Rothstein says, was created and popularized in the 19th century, and reflected great themes and grand mythic adventures of the times. Today, movies and popular music are more effective in describing current issues and conflicts than classical music, which plays a minor and diminishing role in the culture.

NPR's Peter Kenyon reports that House Speaker Newt Gingrich was re-elected as Speaker today, despite his admission that he had violated House rules. Only a handful of Republicans defected, despite doubts raised earlier by a couple of dozen GOP members about the wisdom of putting a tainted Gingrich back in charge. The election marked the opening of the 105th Congress.

NPR's Eric Weiner reports that an off-duty Israeli soldier opened fire in a crowded marketplace in the West Bank town of Hebron, wounding eight Palestinians. The soldier, who lives in another West Bank settlement, said he was trying to scuttle the impending agreement on an Israeli troop withdrawal from Hebron. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu moved quickly to limit any damage to the diplomatic process, telephoning Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to condemn the shooting. Israeli and Palestinian officials said both sides are determined not to let today's incident delay the peace process.

The conclusion of Robert's interview with Peter Schickele. (8:00) ((ST

After much anticipation and with much fanfare, Chevrolet unveiled the newest Corvette today. It's the first new model since 1984 and those who have seen it say it looks a little different. While it still has the classic curves, it also has a bulbous back end. Naomi Lewin of member station WKYU in Bowling Green, Kentucky has more.

NPR's Ted Clark reports on the appearance made by Madeleine Albright at hearings on Capitol Hill today. President Clinton has nominated her as the next Secretary of State. If she is approved by the Senate, she would be the first woman in U.S. history to hold such a high office.

NPR's Edward Lifson reports from Belgrade where the government of President Slobodan Milosevic has made a major concession to the Opposition. Tonight, on television, the Justice Ministry acknowledged that the Opposition had won local elections last November in Nis (NEESH), Serbia's second largest city. It was the annulment of the election victory in Nis and other cities that prompted daily protests for the past 50 days.

Reporter Frank Browning remembers lawyer and activist Tom Stoddard, who advanced the cause of equal rights for gay men, lesbians, people with AIDS in this country. Stoddard headed up the Lambda Legal Defense and Education fund for six years, making it a nationally influential organization, fighting discrimination against homosexuals and AIDS patients in employment, housing, health care, insurance, family law, and military service.

The Dow Jones industrial average has gone up 500 points in the last six weeks. This rally is causing analysts to ask whether the market is overvalued, as they wonder when these gains will slow down or stop. NPR's Jim Zarroli reports.

Several thousand residents in the Northwest were without power this Thanksgiving. Noah speaks with Debbie Holte, from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, about the creative Thanksgiving she and her family put together. Since the power has been out for the last ten days, the family barbecued the turkey, cooked the potatoes on a wood stove, and built snowmen outside the house.

The FBI has arrested one of its own on charges of spying for Moscow. Earl Edwin Pitts, who has been with the FBI for 13 years, is accused of taking more than 200-thousand dollars to spy for the Soviet Union, beginning in 1987. NPR's Chitra Ragavan reports that Pitts was arrested at work at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, today. Pitts faces attempted espionage and conspiracy charges that could put him in prison for life.

The Great Plains spent today digging out from under a three-day blizzard, part of a winter storm moving as far south as the Gulf Coast and expected to reach the East Coast by the weekend. In the snow-laden Dakotas, truckers stranded at interstate rest stops were seeking solace in hot showers. Mark Zdechlik of Minnesota Public Radio reports.

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments today on whether dying patients should have the right to doctor-assisted suicide. The court is reviewing cases from New York and Washington state. The justices' ruling on the controversial question could have profound consequences for most Americans. Proponents of doctor-assisted suicide say terminally-ill people have the right to a physician's help in ending their final suffering. Opponents say establishing a right to die conflicts with states' interest in protecting life and shields people from undue influence to choose suicide. NPR's Nina Totenberg has a report.

Commentator Bill Harley recounts how his best teacher meandered off the subject at hand and left an indelible impression on him. "Birdwalking" is a term of derision used by educators about this practice.

The Supreme Court heard arguments today on whether to reinstate sexual assault charges against a former Tennessee judge. The judge originally was convicted of depriving several women of their constitutional rights by assaulting them, while acting in his official capacity as a judge. But a federal appeals court threw out the conviction, concluding that freedom from sexual attack is not a constitutional right. The judge was never charged with sexual assault under state law. His brother was the local prosecutor. NPR's Nina Totenberg has a report.

Jon Miller reports from Lima that Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori today indicated that he will not resort to force to end the hostage crisis at the Japanese ambassador's residence. Speaking in public for just the third time since the standoff began, Fujimori said he remains steadfast in his refusal to release jailed leftist rebels, the main demand of the guerrillas who took over the compound. But the Peruvian leader also said his position is a mixture of "firmness" and "prudence," and that he is looking for a way out of the crisis. It was three weeks ago today that rebels of the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement seized the compound during a party; several hundred hostages have been released, but 74 remain, including senior Peruvian officials and Japanese businessmen.

Gillian Sharpe reports from The Hague that the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal has begun considering all the evidence from the first trial. Prosecution and defense attornies wrapped up their arguments today in the case of a Bosnian Serb, Dusan Tadic, who is accused of crimes against humanity.