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The woman who grew up as "Beanie" in her New Hampshire hometown became known to friends in Newtown, Conn., as a warm, generous person. She was also, they say, very private about her home life. On Friday, police say, her 20-year-old son killed her. Then he stormed an elementary school.

State and local officials are rooting for President Obama and Congress to quickly reach a budget deal. They anticipate the fiscal pain that would result from automatic cuts, and know things could even be worse from the negotiated belt-tightening behind any pact. But at this point, they just want some certainty.

Private equity firm, Cerberus, is getting rid of Freedom Group, a company it invested in six years ago. Freedom Group is comprised of several weapons manufacturers, including Bushmaster; a Bushmaster rifle was used in last week's school shooting in Newtown, Conn.

Austrian actor Christoph Waltz won an Oscar for his portrayal of Nazi Jew hunter Hans Landa in Quentin Tarantino's 2009 film Inglourious Basterds. Teamed up with Tarantino again in Django Unchained, he says Tarantino's writing and the rhythm of the language speaks to him as a performer.

Most every new round of fighting creates a new wave of displaced people in Syria. A weekend attack near the capital has sent many Palestinian refugees fleeing.

NPR's Neal Conan reads from listener comments on previous show topics, including segments how children change when they learn about notorious parents and the growing conflict in Mali.

As the conflict in Syria continues, the international community is preparing for the possible fall of President Bashar Assad's regime. Last week, President Barack Obama formally recognized a Syrian opposition group as the country's legitimate representative.

There are some warnings parents drill into their kids: no drinking, no smoking, don't do drugs. But now that two states have decriminalized recreational marijuana use, those conversations have become tougher.

An unassuming brick building in Brooklyn houses a factory that makes animatronic puppets, elves and polar bears for the holiday season. NPR's Neda Ulaby drops by Mechanical Displays Inc. to talk with Lou Nasti, who's been at it for almost 44 years.

The final polls ahead of South Korea's presidential election show Park Geun-hye with a narrow lead over her opponent, and poised to be the first female leader of a country where, until quite recently, men monopolized politics. But feminists say Park, the daughter of a former authoritarian leader Park Chung-hee, is not one of them. Her policies, they say, are no more beneficial for women than those of her opponent. And while they would welcome a female leader, they predict it would do little to change South Korea — where women's representation in government and cases of unequal pay are among the worst in the developed world.