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Scientists are hoping to create an early-warning system for earthquakes on the West Coast.

NPR's Debbie Elliott reports that Exxon Mobil Corporation has been ordered to pay the state of Alabama nearly 3-and-a-half billion dollars in punitive damages. An Alabama circuit court jury found the company had deliberately underpaid on its natural gas leases off the Alabama coast.

Geoffrey Dobbs is the owner of a small island off the southern coast of Sri Lanka. He and his brother Michael, a staff writer for The Washington Post, were swimming near the island, Taprobane, when the tsunami hit. Geoffrey Dobbs talks with us from Sri Lanka, where he is now involved with relief efforts.

Hurricane Frances crawls toward Florida's east coast, threatening to drop enormous amounts of rain on the state. Though wind speeds have dropped they still exceed 100 mph. Hear NPR's Scott Simon and NPR's Jon Hamilton.

In Florida, evacuees seeking to escape the path of Hurricane Frances fill shelters as the state's evacuation preparations continue. The storm, downgraded to a Category 2, is expected to make landfall on Florida's coast Saturday morning. NPR's Adam Hochberg reports.

Hurricane Frances stalls off the east coast of Florida. The effect of the storm's slow progress may be to inundate areas of the state with torrential rains. Power is already out for hundreds of thousands of Floridians. Hear NPR's Jennifer Ludden and NPR's Jon Hamilton.

The small fishing village of Kattankudi on the east coast Sri Lanka was one of the worst hit by the Tsunami. It is now digging itself out, waiting for relief that has yet to come. NPR's Philip Reeves reports.

Gov.-elect Gavin Newson and his Democratic allies in the Legislature have ambitious plans for statewide public education improvements.

From music producer Quincy Jones, to critic and archivist Dan Morgenstern, jazz historian Kevin Whitehead remembers just a few of the influential musicians and personalities we lost this year.

A visit to communities in West Virginia that were devastated by flash floods in 2001 offers a glimpse into what Gulf Coast residents can expect as they struggle to recover from the destruction of Hurricane Katrina.