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Charlene Hipsher works at Roane County's drug treatment court observing firsthand the struggles of the opioid epidemic's victims. Mona Yeh hide caption

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Mona Yeh

Finding America

Tennessee Recovery Court Provides Drug Addicts An Alternative To Jail

In Roane County, Tenn., a special recovery court works to combat the area's addiction problem by getting addicts into treatment instead of jail.

Tennessee Recovery Court Provides Drug Addicts An Alternative To Jail

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What eating plan will work with your lifestyle and help you lose weight? U.S. News & World Report has plenty of advice with its latest diet rankings. Maximilian Stock Ltd./Getty Images hide caption

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Maximilian Stock Ltd./Getty Images

The Salt

A Plant-Friendly Atkins Diet Gets High Marks On List Of 2017's Best Diets

U.S. News & World Report's annual rankings are out, and while reviewers have a few beefs with the regular Atkins diet, the vegan version scores well. So do other plant-based diets.

All Tech Considered

Amid Isolation, Two Cubans Develop Island's First Video Game

Video game enthusiasts in Cuba face big obstacles with limited access to the Internet. With the opening to the U.S., two young Cubans hope to release the first independent game produced on the island.

Amid Isolation, Two Cubans Develop Island's First Video Game

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An unmarked police truck patrols the outside of a detention center run by CoreCivic in Eloy, Ariz., on Jan. 20, 2016. Ricardo Arduengo/AP hide caption

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Ricardo Arduengo/AP

Around the Nation

Will The Private Prison Business See A Trump Bump?

A promised crackdown on people living in this country illegally could mean a boon for private prison companies that contract with the government to hold detainees.

Will The Private Prison Business See A Trump Bump?

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The Millennium Tower has gained notoriety as The Leaning Tower of San Francisco. Residents of the luxury condominium building and the city are suing the developer. Eric Risberg/AP hide caption

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Eric Risberg/AP

Around the Nation

San Francisco's 'Leaning Tower' Has Residents Fuming

KQED Public Media

A luxury high-rise in San Francisco is sinking. The Millennium Tower has sunk more than a foot since its completion in 2010. It's also tilting, which makes life difficult for residents on high floors.

San Francisco's 'Leaning Tower' Has Residents Fuming

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These houses in southwestern Haiti were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Matthew in October. Matthew was the most serious natural catastrophe in North America in 2016. Rebecca Blackwell/AP hide caption

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Rebecca Blackwell/AP

The Two-Way - News Blog

Fires, Floods And Earthquakes: New Report Finds 2016 Was Particularly Disastrous

Last year sometimes felt like one natural catastrophe after another. Now, reinsurer Munich Re says there were some 750 natural disasters, suggesting it was a particularly bad year.

Former Exxon Mobil Chairman and CEO Rex Tillerson will give up about $7 million compared with what he would have received had he retired in March as planned. His confirmation hearings for secretary of state are tentatively set to begin Jan. 11. Jon Gambrell/AP hide caption

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Jon Gambrell/AP

The Two-Way - News Blog

Rex Tillerson Cuts Ties With Exxon Mobil In Advance Of Confirmation Hearings

President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to become U.S. secretary of state is in line to receive a $180 million retirement package.

Anglican Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu (left) celebrates Mass on his 85th birthday at St. George's Cathedral in Cape Town, South Africa, on Oct. 7. Tutu has called for the right to assisted death, which is currently illegal in his country. Schalk van Zuydam/AP hide caption

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Schalk van Zuydam/AP

Parallels - World News

At 85, Desmond Tutu Calls For The Right To An Assisted Death

Euthanasia is illegal in South Africa, but the Nobel Peace Prize laureate has spoken out recently in support of the option to choose. He has long lived with prostate cancer.

Dylann Roof appears at a court hearing in Charleston, S.C., in July 2015. Now found guilty on 33 federal hate crimes charges, Roof is defending himself during the sentencing phase of the trial. Grace Beahm/AP hide caption

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Grace Beahm/AP

The Two-Way - News Blog

'I'm Not Going To Lie To You,' Dylann Roof Tells Jurors At Sentencing Hearing

Roof, who was convicted of murdering nine people at a South Carolina church, has dismissed his lawyers and is acting as his own counsel. He faces the death penalty or life in prison.

Louisiana is losing its coast faster than any place in the world. As land disappears and the water creeps inland, ancient archaeology sites are washing away. The roots of a dead oak tree at the edge of an ancient Native American mound, are all that hold the land together. Tegan Wendland/WWNO hide caption

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Tegan Wendland/WWNO

Environment

Louisiana History Washes Away As Sea Levels Rise, Land Sinks

WWNO - New Orleans Public Radio

Louisiana's coastline is disappearing into the Gulf of Mexico, taking with it many historic sites. Archaeologists are scrambling to document what they can before it's gone.

Louisiana History Washes Away As Sea Levels Rise, Land Sinks

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An artist's rendering of a black hole that's 2 billion times more massive than our sun. Streams of particles ejected from black holes like this one are thought to be the brightest objects in the universe. ESO/M. Kornmesser hide caption

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ESO/M. Kornmesser

Science

Some Bizarre Black Holes Put On Light Shows

Black holes aren't all doom and gloom. Some of these incredibly dense matter-suckers fling powerful jets of light and charged particles — the space version of a fireworks show.

Researchers from the Max Planck Institute excavate the East Gallery of Denisova Cave in Siberia in August 2010. With ancient bone fragments so hard to come by, being able to successfully filter dirt for the DNA of extinct human ancestors can open new doors, research-wise. Bence Viola/Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology hide caption

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Bence Viola/Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology

Shots - Health News

Dust To Dust: Scientists Find DNA Of Human Ancestors In Cave Floor Dirt

Anthropologists in Germany say they may not need old bones to recover ancient DNA. They just analyze dust from the floor of caves where Neanderthals and other now-extinct human relatives once resided.

Xenia Rubinos plays Guest DJ on this week's episode of Alt.Latino. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

Alt.Latino

Guest DJ Xenia Rubinos Spins Music From Solange To Ravel

The versatile vocalist ended 2016 on many best-of-the-year lists, including Alt.Latino's. Explore the depths of her music by digging into the songs she picks as a Guest DJ.

Guest DJ Xenia Rubinos Spins Music From Solange To Ravel

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