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Kathy Witkowsky visits an old-fashioned wooden carousel in Missoula, Montana. Once there were more than 2000 wooden carousels in the U.S.; today, there are only about 200 left, but they seem to have a very special charm.

Host Jacki Lyden speaks to reporter Sherry Devlin of the Missoulian newspaper in Missoula, Montana, about fires that are still burning out of control in western states. Almost six million acres have already been blackened this summer, with another one-and-a-half million still burning.

Commentator Jonathan Kaplan surprised a lot of people when he quit his day job to train full-time for a triathlon. He tells us about his decision.

NPR's Michele Kelemen reports from the industrial city of Norilsk, Russia, on the so-called oligarchs, the men who own large companies in Russia. Norilsk Nickel, a massive empire, is an example of the kind of Soviet-era corporations that were sold off to private hands, often under shady circumstances. The new oligarchs are accused of taking advantage of post-Soviet instability, and of draining wealth out of Russia.

P.S.One Contemporary Art Center in a grim industrial section of Queens, New York has a different kind of summer offering on display - called Dunescape. It's like a day at the beach. From member station WBGO in Newark, NJ, Andrew Meyer has an audio post card

From member station WHYY Mhari Saito reports that the city of Philadelphia is trying to shut down a neighborhood once associated with the radical separatist group MOVE. Fifteen years ago, dozens of homes were unintentionally destroyed when police dropped an incendiary device on a neighborhood house in an attempt to end a stand-off. The city rebuilt the homes, but now says they are unsafe.

NPR's Sarah Chayes reports on Air France's decision to ban smoking on all its flights. The company banned cigarettes on its domestic and European flights a decade ago.

NPR's Sarah Chayes reports from Basque country of northwest Spain on the recent wave of terrorist attacks by the ETA separatist movement. Thousands of Spaniards turned out today to the two latest victims -- two police officers killed by a bomb yesterday. Militants say ETA broke an 18-month cease-fire, because the government failed to make any overtures to the guerrillas during the truce. But moderate Basque politicians, including some who initially supported the ETA movement years ago, say extremists hijacked the separatist cause.

David Greenberger reviews the new CD from The Glands, a band from Athens, Georgia. You could classify them as indie-rock, but they like to avoid adhering to any stylistic direction, and are all over the map musically. Some songs sound like LA pop songs from the mid-60s, others are atmospheric psychedelia, and others still have a modern rock sound. (4:00) The Glands' new self-titled CD is on the Capricorn Records label.

NPR's Peter Kenyon reports on George W. Bush's campaign stops in Wisconsin and Iowa yesterday. While visiting schools and veterans, the Texas governor has been speaking to voters about education and military spending.

NPR's Snigdha Prakash reports that at least 50,000 of the striking Verizon Communications workers are back on the job today as the two-week strike against the largest local phone company winds down. The unions said they were happy with terms of the deal, which gives them better pay and better benefits; more important, from their perspective, the unions have increased their ability to organize the company's wireless and Internet divisions. Analysts say the settlement is being closely watched by telecommunications industry.

An Indian immigrant allegedly murdered her children to spare them the shame of divorce. The court is weighing whether holding different cultural beliefs mitigates the crime. Commentator Lis Wiehl feels she deserves compassion, but that excusing the murder could open the floodgates for other immigrants to use a similar defense.