Must Reads : The Two-Way Some stories are just too weird, too funny or too sad to ignore. They may not be "serious news," but are so fascinating you must read them. NPR correspondents are on the watch for such tales. We pass along the best, from NPR and other news outlets.

The Two-Way

Must Reads

Thursday May 31, 2012

The Bee's Knees: There's A New Spelling Champion

With confetti falling, Snigdha Nandipati, 14, is embraced by her brother, Sujan Nandipati, after she won the National Spelling Bee with the word "guetapens" Thursday. Jacquelyn Martin/AP hide caption

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Jacquelyn Martin/AP

America

The Bee's Knees: There's A New Spelling Champion

May 31, 2012 • Snigdha Nandipati, 14, of San Diego beat eight other finalists to be crowned this year's spelling bee champ. Her winning word was "guetapens," a French-derived word for "an ambush, snare or trap."

Milwaukee Archdiocese Admits It Paid Abusive Priests To Leave Ministry

Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan, head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, shown at Ash Wednesday services at Saint Patrick's Cathedral in 2011. Mario Tama/Getty Images hide caption

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Mario Tama/Getty Images

America

Milwaukee Archdiocese Admits It Paid Abusive Priests To Leave Ministry

May 31, 2012 • The policy was crafted under then-Archbishop Timothy Dolan, now a cardinal and a leading Catholic figure in the U.S.

Youngest Speller Is Out Of The Bee; Tripped Up By 'Ingluvies'

Six-year old Lori Anne Madison during Wednesday's competition at the National Spelling Bee. Mark Wilson/Getty Images hide caption

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Mark Wilson/Getty Images

America

Youngest Speller Is Out Of The Bee; Tripped Up By 'Ingluvies'

May 31, 2012 • Six-year-old Lori Anne Madison was foiled by a word most of us had probably never heard before. But she had quite a day at the Bee. The competition resumes this morning, and concludes tonight.

A Family's Visit To Holocaust 'Stumbling Stones' Evokes Strong Emotions

The names of Jeffrey Katz's family members are depicted on "stumbling stones" in Lembeck, Germany. His relatives owned a home on the property near the stones, before they were evicted in 1942. Jeffrey Katz/NPR hide caption

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Jeffrey Katz/NPR

Opinion

International

A Family's Visit To Holocaust 'Stumbling Stones' Evokes Strong Emotions

May 31, 2012 • When NPR's Jeffrey Katz took his family to see the stones memorializing his relatives who were victims of the Holocaust, he was struck by the "selfless dedication of a new generation of Germans who feel a responsibility to keep their memories alive."

America

SpaceX Capsule Splashes Down In Pacific

May 31, 2012 • The first commercial flight to the International Space Station is wrapping up today.

Tuesday May 29, 2012

Manhattanhenge: The Sun, The City And A Special Rendezvous

Manhattanhenge in July 2009. Dan Nguyen/via Flickr hide caption

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Dan Nguyen/via Flickr

America

Manhattanhenge: The Sun, The City And A Special Rendezvous

May 29, 2012 • Tonight — like it does twice every year — the setting sun will align perfectly with Manhattan's grid.

How Do You Spell Precocious? 6-Year-Old Spelling Bee Contestant Would Know

Lori Anne Madison, 6, studies a snail while also giving an interview to The Associated Press about being the youngest-ever competitor in the National Spelling Bee. Jacquelyn Martin/AP hide caption

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Jacquelyn Martin/AP

America

How Do You Spell Precocious? 6-Year-Old Spelling Bee Contestant Would Know

May 29, 2012 • Lori Anne Madison is the youngest-ever competitor in the National Spelling Bee, which is being held in Washington, D.C., this week. She might also be the only competitor who often studies while swinging upside down.

Monday May 28, 2012

International

Russia Denies It's Hiding Details Of Holocaust Hero Raoul Wallenberg's Fate

May 28, 2012 • The mystery surrounding the fate of the Swedish diplomat who saved thousands of Jews in Budapest has lingered for more than six decades. A Russian security archivist says his agency is not hiding details on what happened to Wallenberg who disappeared after being arrested by the Soviet Red Army.

Friday May 25, 2012

What's In A Smile? Turns Out Computers Best Humans At Parsing What's Genuine

A study participant smiles for different reasons. MIT hide caption

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MIT

America

What's In A Smile? Turns Out Computers Best Humans At Parsing What's Genuine

May 25, 2012 • Researchers found that smiles are subtle and humans have a hard time reading them.

CBS, NBC, Fox Battle Dish Network In Court Over Ad-Skipping DVR

This image provided by Dish Network shows a screen message of the AutoHop feature, which allows customers to skip over commercials. AP hide caption

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America

CBS, NBC, Fox Battle Dish Network In Court Over Ad-Skipping DVR

May 25, 2012 • The networks called it a "bootleg" service that threatens to destroy the ad ecosystem.

Lost Bike Found After 41 Years; Then, The Story Gets Weird

Lisa Brown, in front, during a "dramatic" recreation of how she lost her bike in 1970. Cape Cod Times hide caption

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Cape Cod Times

Must Reads

Lost Bike Found After 41 Years; Then, The Story Gets Weird

May 25, 2012 • The spin that one British newspaper has put on this otherwise unremarkable story may give you a laugh. So might the video that the Cape Cod Times produced.

SpaceX Craft Docks With Space Station; Commercial Era Begins

An image of the Dragon spacecraft, taken earlier today with a thermal camera aboard the International Space Station. Twitter.com/SpaceX hide caption

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Twitter.com/SpaceX

America

SpaceX Craft Docks With Space Station; Commercial Era Begins

May 25, 2012 • The historic first mission to dock a commercial spacecraft at the International Space Station is happening today, and is being webcast around the world.

Thursday May 24, 2012

Huge Solar Plane Tries For First Transcontinental Flight

The Swiss sun-powered aircraft Solar Impulse takes off on Thursday in Payerne on its first attempted intercontinental flight from Switzerland to Morocco. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images

International

Huge Solar Plane Tries For First Transcontinental Flight

May 24, 2012 • Solar Impulse took off from Switzerland and will lumber its way to Morocco.

Kid Told Westboro Protesters 'God Hates No One' Because, 'That Is True'

Josef Miles, making his own statement. Patty Akrouche/Facebook.com/FeverDreams hide caption

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Patty Akrouche/Facebook.com/FeverDreams

America

Kid Told Westboro Protesters 'God Hates No One' Because, 'That Is True'

May 24, 2012 • Josef Miles is a hero to many for his simple statement. He says he just doesn't like seeing Westboro Baptist's controversial signs protesting homosexuality, abortion and other issues.

From 'Tell Me More': Josef Miles and his mom

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Ted, What Have You Been Doing With Yourself? Unabomber, You Say?

Unabomber Ted Kaczynski being led into a Montana court in 1996. Elaine Thompson/AP hide caption

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Elaine Thompson/AP

Must Reads

Ted, What Have You Been Doing With Yourself? Unabomber, You Say?

May 24, 2012 • The Harvard Alumni Association says it regrets letting Ted Kaczynski fill in others from the Class of '62 about what he's been doing — including his eight life sentences for the bombing spree that killed three and injured 23.