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Experts disagree on whether Katrina's floodwaters are the source of the high levels of contaminants in New Orleans' soil, or if the contaminates were there before the storm. What's not in dispute is that the lead, arsenic and other hazardous chemicals found in older neighborhoods needs to be cleaned up.

Where has your stuff gone, Joe DiMaggio? It turns out many collectibles from the late Yankee baseball icon's memorable life are going on the auction block in New York City.

In some rural parts of the Republic of Georgia, an old custom is experiencing a revival. Women are being kidnapped and held for a night by men who want to marry them, thereby making eventual nuptials a necessity, according to local traditions. Some families say they fear letting their daughters go out into public, lest they be "forced" into unwanted marriages. Activists are speaking out against the "tradition," but they concede it may be hard to change attitudes.

General Motors last week announced plans to eliminate 30,000 jobs and close plants over the next two years. Industry analysts say the cuts are a good first step to return the automaker to profitability, but most say the job of fixing GM is far from over. Much of the task of turning the company around rests on the shoulders of GM's chairman and CEO, Richard Wagoner.

Exxon Mobil's reports fourth-quarter profits of $10.7 billion, up 27 percent over the same quarter in 2004. It's a company record and one of the largest quarterly profits in U.S. history. The company's robust earnings have attracted strong criticism and calls for a windfall profits tax.

Jennifer Miller's Inheriting the Holy Land is subtitled: "An American's Search for Hope in the Middle East." She talked with key figures and visited Israeli-occupied Gaza. She tells Debbie Elliott what she learned.

As lawmakers ask for more information from the Bush administration on progress in Iraq, Sen. John Warner (R-VA) suggests that President Bush should follow the lead of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and hold "fireside chats" with Americans.

What happens when you mix corn with music? We learn the result in What's in a Song, our occasional feature from the Western Folklife Center about a song and its history.

Gold Creek, Mont., has no stores, gas stations or bars, and its one church is closed. But it is rich in grazing land, and it still has a one-room school that is turning out above-average students.

Sequoia National Park in California may be famous for its massive trees, but some very tiny creatures that live there are also making news. Biologists have discovered new species of spiders, millipedes, and other critters deep in the underground caves of the park.