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When Hurricane Floyd struck Princeville, North Carolina, in 1999, one of the oldest all-black communities in America was almost lost. But town commissioner Anne Howell was determined to save her hometown. She speaks with journalist Jake Halpern in the first of a five-part series based on his book Braving Home.

The Gap clothes chain releases its first-ever social responsibility report, assessing working conditions in nearly 3,000 factories around the world. It calls for a coordinated response to improve conditions for garment workers. The Gap says it canceled contracts with 136 factories last year because of persistent or severe violations of its code of conduct. NPR's Kathleen Schalch reports.

Despite claims by the Department of Defense that sexual assault in the military has been cut in half, female soldiers and counselors say the problem remains acute. NPR's John Burnett reports.

Monday marks the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education, a landmark civil rights victory that struck down "separate but equal" guidelines for public education. Commentator and legal scholar Walter Dellinger remembers the day the ruling was announced. He was in school that day at Myers Park Junior High in Charlotte, N.C. He says it's hard to overstate the impact the ruling had on the South, and on the country as a whole.

American soldiers are keeping photo travel logs of their tours in Iraq. These photos run the gamut from landscapes to dead bodies. The pictures then shapes the way the world sees the war. Youth Radio's Belia Mayeno hears the views of two Marine reservists, just back from Iraq.

In the wake of the prison-abuse scandal in Iraq, training of military police continues at Missouri's Fort Leonard Wood -- home to the United States Army Military Police School. NPR's Greg Allen reports.

The fate of three Japanese civilians held hostage in Iraq hangs in the balance. Government officials say they will not comply with a demand to withdraw a small contingent of Japanese troops engaged in reconstruction work in Iraq. The Arabic news network Al-Jazeera is reporting the hostages may be released soon. Hear NPR's Cheryl Corley and NPR's Rob Gifford.

This week, the Sept. 11 panel hears testimony from former FBI Director Louis Freeh, former Attorney General Janet Reno, Attorney General John Ashcroft and FBI Director Robert Mueller. Their testimony comes as representatives of several other agencies have blamed the FBI for not alerting the government to the possibility of attack. Hear NPR's Bob Edwards and NPR News Analyst Cokie Roberts.

Fierce street fighting breaks out in a Sunni neighborhood of Baghdad. And battles continue around Fallujah, even as U.S. occupation authorities dispatch an Iraqi delegation to negotiate a cease-fire there. There are reports that insurgents may agree to a truce beginning Sunday. Hear NPR's Cheryl Corley and Anthony Shadid of The Washington Post.

Brooke Gladstone, co-host of NPR's On the Media, explores the booming business of "chick lit" -- all those trashy beach reads with the pastel-colored covers. They've become so popular, there are sub-categories now: African-American chick lit, Christian chick-lit, and now even a more "manly" version known as "lad lit." Can a gal spend an evening reading chick lit and still respect herself in the morning? And will lad lit be an economic success?