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  • A few short years ago, Simon Gratz in North Philadelphia was among the state's most troubled, violent and academically underachieving high schools. Today, now a charter school, Gratz is very much on the rebound. But critics say Philadelphia can't charter its way out of its school crisis.
  • This year, Thanksgiving and Hanukkah fall on the same day. NPR's Susan Stamberg explores how to combine the best dishes for the double holiday, which won't happen again for another 70,000 or so years. And of course, she shares the recipe for her famous Mama Stamberg's Cranberry Relish.
  • The Federal Election Commission has rejected a bid by conservatives to weaken the campaign-finance disclosure law. A Tea Party group had asked for a precedent-changing decision to keep its donor lists secret. It said members are being targeted for harassment and intimidation.
  • The number of people confirmed killed by Typhoon Haiyan continues to increase. Authorities are finding more victims as they search destroyed buildings and as they reach remote areas.
  • A gamma-ray burst observed by orbiting telescopes this year was "a once-in-a-century cosmic event," says a NASA astrophysicist. Now the space agency has produced an animated video to show what it looked like.
  • Annie Dookhan has admitted she falsified drug tests. Tens of thousands of criminal cases may have been compromised. A judge sentenced her Friday to three to five years in prison.
  • When an Afghan toddler in Albuquerque was tested for lead at preschool, the child's blood levels were off the charts. A baby's brother's was, too. Why? It turns out that kajal, a traditional eyeliner used by the family, was 54 percent lead. It's a reminder of the health hazards posed by traditional cosmetics.
  • John F. Kennedy redefined the art of campaigning. Thanks to him, televised debates took on greater prominence, and primaries grew in strategic importance.
  • Archaeologists have discovered the oldest wine cellar known, and the personal stash was massive: It once stored more than 500 gallons of vino. But these Bronze Age winemakers weren't just fermenting plain-old wine. They also got creative, infusing it with herbs and spices.
  • Louisiana is paying tribute Friday to the Rev. T.J. Jemison, a strong and steady voice against unequal treatment for blacks in the Jim Crow South. Jemison helped organize a bus boycott in Baton Rouge in 1953 and later advised Martin Luther King Jr. and others on how to orchestrate the Montgomery boycott.
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