September 4, 1998 All Things Considered (entire program) Requires the RealAudio Player

An index of the day's stories:

INVESTIGATION SO FAR -- NPR's Steve Inskeep reports that Canadian investigators are listening to the air traffic control tapes of the last conversations between controllers and the crew of Swissair flight 111. A submarine has begun mapping the crash site off the Nova Scotia coast as the search begins for the flight data recorders. Officials are also worried about private boats encroaching on the crash site hampering recovery efforts and also taking pieces of the plane's wreckage as souvenirs. (3:30)

VICTIMS' PROFILES -- NPR's Melissa Block talks with friends and family members of the victims of Swissair flight 111. While some have gone to Nova Scotia, many are grieving at home. (4:30)

DIVING FOR REMAINS -- Noah talks with Sergeant Charles Gerlach, a diver in charge of the dive team for the Suffolk County Police Department. They discuss Gerlach's experience diving for the wreckage of TWA Flight 800 in the waters off Long Island, and what the divers off Nova Scotia could be encountering as they attempt to recover wreckage and remains from the Swissair Flight 111 crash. (4:00)

THE LAST MASS -- NPR's Lynn Neary reports on the re-assignment of a popular parish priest in Rochester, NY, and the resulting turmoil in the Catholic Church. Father James Callen got into trouble with the Vatican and his bishop for letting non-Catholics take communion, supporting gay and lesbian committment ceremonies, and giving women many of the same duties as priest -- all violations of Roman Catholic Church teachings. After 22 years at Corpus Christi, Callen will celebrate his last mass there this weekend before leaving for a new parish. Despite his reassignment, Callen has vowed not to change. The parishioners he leaves behind vow to continue the practices he started. (6:00)

BIRDS OF AMERICA -- Reviewer Alan Cheuse says that the new collection of stories from Lorrie Moore, called "Birds of America," is an exquisite group of meaningful, elegantly told vignettes about ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. ("Birds of America" by Lorrie Moore is published by Knopf.) (2:30)

HURRICANE BUILDING CODES -- After four hurricanes devastated the North Carolina coast in the 1990's, the North Carolina legislature toughened its building codes for coastal homes. Now - despite Hurricane Bonnie's visit last week - there's a move to weaken those codes because the construction industry says they're overly strict and drive up the cost of new houses. NPR's Adam Hochberg reports. (5:00)

JET SKI SAFETY -- Lester Graham of the Great Lakes Radio Consortium reports that there has been a hugh increase in the popularity of personal watercraft. They are noisy, they pollute, they can be dangerous, and the National Park Service is considering banning them from park shores. (5:00)

SEA FISHING -- Charles Simmons reads an excerpt from his new novel, "Salt Water." The young narrator talks about ocean fishing with his father. ("Salt Water" is published by Harper San Francisco.) (2:30)

FATSIS FRIDAY -- Robert talks with Stefan Fatsis, who writes about sports and sports business for the Wall Street Journal, in our regular Friday feature on the week in sports. This week, Stefan looks ahead to the beginning of the National Football League season, which starts on Sunday. They discuss the match ups that are expected this year, the effect of the new television contracts and the return of NFL football to the CBS network, and what it will all mean for fans. They also talk about the city of Cleveland's quest to bring a new team into town to take over the Browns franchise. Also, they discuss the new format for ABC's popular Monday Night Football game...there will be more commercials, and the game will start an hour earlier. (4:00)

ANOTHER HOME RUN KING -- Noah talks with Joe Bauman, a resident of Roswell, New Mexico, who was a power hitter for the minor league baseball team the Roswell Rockets. He still holds the minor league record for number of home runs hit in the regular season. He set the record...72 home runs...in 1954. He never bothered to move up to the major leagues at the time because salaries were not all that spectacular...and because he wanted to keep running his gas station in Roswell. (3:30)

CLINTON'S REMARKS -- NPR's White House correspondent Mara Liasson reports President Clinton's trip to Ireland has been overshadowed by the Monica Lewinsky affair. Yesterday, at several stops in Northern Ireland, the president was welcomed as a hero for the key role he played in pushing through the Good Friday peace accord. But Clinton's appearances today in Dublin were colored by Senator Joseph Lieberman's rebuke. In response to questions from the press, Clinton said he agreed with the Senator's assessment of his behavior and said he was sorry. (4:00)

REACT TO APOLOGY -- NPR's Chitra Ragavan reports that when the House of Representatives returns from its recess next week, independent counsel Kenneth Starr's report...and what to do with it...will dominate members' political and legislative agenda. Deciding how to react to the report is also expected to dominate discussions at the White House. Starr is expected to notify House Speaker Newt Gingrich next week about completion of his report. (4:00)

POLITICS TODAY IN RUSSIA -- NPR's Michele Kelemen reports from Moscow that the Russian parliament postponed a vote on the nomination of Viktor Chernomyrdin as prime minister. The Duma voted him down earlier this week, and Communist lawmakers promise to do the same again the next time his name comes up again on Monday. Chernomyrdin, meanwhile, said he plans to implement an "economic dictatorship" to deal with the plummeting ruble and collapse of the banking industry. The Russians have called in Domingo Cavallo, the man who stabilized Argentina's currency, for consultations. But Mr. Cavallo suggests he doesn't yet have a clear idea of Chernomyrdin's intentions. (4:00)

IN PEGGY'S COVE -- NPR's Anthony Brooks reports grief-stricken families from Europe and the United States are arriving in Nova Scotia today to visit the site where Swissair flight 111 crashed Wednesday night. 229 people were killed when the New York-Geneva flight plunged into the sea after the pilot reported smoke the cockpit. Rescue boats continued to search the seas around Peggy's Cove for bodies and pieces of wreckage. (3:30)

HALIFAX MARITIME HISTORY -- Noah talks with Dan Conlin, an historian with the Maritime Museum in Halifax, Nova Scotia. They talk about Halifax's history of disasters, and how this helped prepare Nova Scotian fishermen to assist rescue crews at the time of the Swissair crash. (4:15)

CHARGES DROPPED -- NPR's Cheryl Corley reports that murder charges against two Chicago children aged 7 and 8, who had been charged with killing and sexually molesting an 11-year-old girl, have been dropped. The two were the among the youngest in the nation ever charged with murder. Lab tests showed the presence of semen, which officials said was unlikely to come from the children because they were too young. (3:00)

URBAN SCHOOLS -- NPR's Claudio Sanchez reports that educating poor children remains one of the most intractable challenges facing urban school systems as the school year opens. The push for vouchers and charter schools is gaining momentum as a solution, but that might mean a further diversion of resources from the public schools. (6:30)

MILLION YOUTH MARCH -- Commentator Leon Wynter is thinking about the Million Youth March, set to take place tomorrow in Harlem, New York City. He describes some of the young men in his neighborhood, and what they think about the march. (3:00)

LATAM ECONOMIES -- NPR's John Ydstie reports that officials from nine Latin American nations are meeting with IMF and World Bank officials this week in a bid to avoid the economic troubles that have ravaged other emerging market nations. IMF and World Bank officials are expected to make their first comment on the talks this afternoon. (2:45)

SCIENCE OF THE BEACH -- NPR's Joe Palca visits Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, to find out what makes waves, and what determines the difference between a gentle breaker and a back-breaking curler. We'll discover what sand is made of and where it comes from...and more. (4:45)