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Noah Adams and Linda Wertheimer read from listeners letters. This week subjects include our series on the Oil Century, the Paper Clip Project in Tennessee and the destruction of Buddha statues in Afghanistan. (Please send comments to Letters, ATC, 635 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 2001; or by E-mail to atc@npr.org.)

NPR's Brian Naylor reports on a new program instituted in Maryland by which the state pays farmers to stop growing tobacco. Some farmers are switching to other crops, while others have no intention of changing.

Noah Adams speaks with Randy Rosetta, a sports writer for the Avalanche-Journal in Lubbock, Texas about the controversy over Lubbock's Texas Tech University's decision to make Bobby Knight the school's basketball coach. Coach Knight was forced out of Indiana University after many years of success because his angry outbursts and less than civil behavior had made him a liability for that university. Mr. Rosetta says the prospect of coach Knight's coming to Texas Tech is welcome by many people, particularly those under 35. But a Texas Tech professor has started a petition drive among the school's faculty recommending that the administration not hire coach Knight

NPR's Jason Beaubien reports on how the government is trying to curb the possibility of international passengers carrying foot-and-mouth disease to the United States through Boston's Logan Airport

NPR's Julie McCarthy reports from London that Britain announced plans today to kill 100,000 more animals, in addition to the 200,000 sheep, cows and pigs marked for slaughter because of foot-and-mouth disease. World governments are scrambling to contain the virus, which has reportedly spread to parts of the Middle East.

Noah Adams talks to Jo Jones of Ditches Farm at Church Stoke in Montgomery in Wales about the devastating slaughter of her family's 228 pedigree dairy cows this week. Half of their herd of dairy cows came down with foot-and-mouth disease and because the virus is so contagious, all of the cows had to be killed, then burned. Her husband Winston and daughter Lottie are not just suffering economic loss, but more importantly, are emotionally distraught by the loss.

NPR's David Welna reports on moves by some members in Congress to play a leading role on carbon pollution regulation in power plants. Earlier this week President Bush reversed a campaign pledge on limiting such emissions. But today a bipartisan group of lawmakers has introduced a "Clean Power Act" legislation, designed to regulate power plant pollutants. The Bush administration is focusing more on anticipated power outages; earlier today, Energy Secretary Abraham predicted blackouts in California this summer.

NPR's Emily Harris reports that President Bush's energy priority is to make the U.S. energy-independent. But environmentalists say that means Mr. Bush will put too much emphasis on increasing supplies, and not enough on conservation.

Paul Schersten gripes about the type of names sports stadiums have nowadays.

The Senate is expected to begin debate next week on the latest version of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform bill. This year, the sponsors think they have enough votes to choke off a filibuster. But some of the Democratic-leaning interest groups, such as labor unions, are having second thoughts about new provisions in the legislation this time around. NPR's Peter Overby reports.

Joshua Levs reports that authorities in DeKalb County, Ga., are conducting their largest investigation ever into the murder of Derwin Brown. Brown was the sheriff-elect when he was gunned down in his driveway in December, three days before he would have taken office. Brown had promised to overhaul operations at the county jail, which he called a cesspool of corruption. Thirty-six detectives are on the case, but so far no murder suspects have been named. Three men have been charged with lying to investigators.

Demand has soared for the type of dog that fatally attacked a California woman. Vincent Duffy of member station WKSU reports that breeders are resisting this new clientele who seek big, vicious dogs.