Bob Mondello, who jokes that he was a jinx at the beginning of his critical career — hired to write for every small paper that ever folded in Washington, just as it was about to collapse — saw that jinx broken in 1984 when he came to NPR.
Linda Holmes is a pop culture correspondent for NPR and the host of Pop Culture Happy Hour. She began her professional life as an attorney. In time, however, her affection for writing, popular culture, and the online universe eclipsed her legal ambitions. She shoved her law degree in the back of the closet, gave its living room space to DVD sets of The Wire, and never looked back.
The PGA Tour won't be starting the new year at Kapalua on Maui. The tour says the Plantation course is so baked and brown from a drought and a water dispute on the island of Maui that it can't be ready for The Sentry on Jan. 8-11.
The 65-foot “Hula Girl,” owned by Kapalua Kai Sailing, ran aground at the bay in January as it was sheltering during windy conditions and rough seas. The boat’s crew anticipated a storm, but it was reportedly stronger than expected.