John Burnett
NPR
Kansas City, MO, United States
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Past articles by John:
After 16 years, author Cormac McCarthy gifts two new novels to readers
Neither of the reclusive author's interconnected books The Passenger and Stella Maris contains the savagery and bloodletting his readers have come to expect — there's less action and more dialogue. → Read More
Undocumented immigrant workers are helping clean up Florida after Hurricane Ian
Immigrant workers, many undocumented, are helping to clean up parts of Southwest Florida devastated by Hurricane Ian. But Gov. Ron DeSantis is openly hostile about undocumented people in his state. → Read More
Hurricane Ian highlighted the vulnerabilities of older mobile homes
Mobile homes built before 1994 can't withstand the kind of ferocious winds of a major hurricane. In Florida, there are thousands of these older homes that crumble during big storms like Ian → Read More
A group of angry library patrons in Texas has gone to court over book removals
A group of library patrons in Llano, Texas, has filed a First Amendment lawsuit against county officials for removing or restricting a range of books. It's a rare example of readers pushing back. → Read More
The times, they are not a-changin'
Voices from the 1960s reflect on the 2020s: "We feel that we are reliving the past." → Read More
Local libraries have become a major political and cultural battleground
In Lafayette, La., like elsewhere in the nation, conservative groups are demanding removal of books they consider unsuitable for young readers. Many librarians see it as an attack on civil liberties. → Read More
Le bon temps continue to roll on Cajun radio in Southern Louisiana
Eight radio stations in Southern Louisiana still broadcast partially in French as they try to keep alive a dying language in the area. French has been spoken there since the mid-1700s. → Read More
The National Park Service expands its African-American history sites
The National Park Service is trying to include more Black history into the story of America. Some of the proposed sites are painful, others are controversial. → Read More
The new Juneteenth federal holiday traces its roots to Galveston, Texas
Union Gen. Gordon Granger set up his headquarters in Galveston, Texas, and famously signed an order June 19, 1865, "All slaves are free." President Biden made Juneteenth a federal holiday last year. → Read More
A tiny Texas school district 'in the middle of nowhere' is arming half its staff
The only school in Harrold, Texas, has 100 to 125 students, and the district has 27 employees. Half are learning to shoot weapons because the nearest sheriff's deputy is at least 20 minutes away. → Read More
A former pastor grieves the loss of his great-granddaughter in Uvalde
Julián Moreno is the retired pastor of a Baptist church in Uvalde. Members of the congregation gathered to remember his great-granddaugher and another girl who was killed in the shooting. → Read More
The Uvalde shooting renews questions about school security
Texas has tightened security at schools considerably over the past four years. But the new protective measures came up short earlier this week in Uvalde. → Read More
The number of Americans who say they won't get a COVID shot hasn't budged in a year
Politics, religion, distrust and disinformation all play a role. "I've realized that there's no convincing somebody once they have their mind made up," says a social worker in Beaumont, Texas. → Read More
Mexican border town sees an increase in sales of abortion drugs to women from the US
US customers started deluging Mexican border pharmacies after Texas passed an anti-abortion law last fall. A two-pill combination costs about $400 and does not require a doctor's prescription. → Read More
Red/Blue Workshops try to bridge the political divide. Do they really work?
More and more nonprofits are bringing Americans with opposing political views together for civil discussions on divisive issues. Critics question whether these encounters produce lasting results. → Read More
Americans are fleeing to places where political views match their own
America is growing more geographically polarized — red ZIP codes are getting redder and blue ZIP codes are becoming bluer. People appear to be sorting. → Read More
Christian nationalism is still thriving — and is a force for returning Trump to power
Christian nationalism has grown in the past year. Now, some more mainline churches are speaking out against the movement, which they see as opposed to the teachings of Jesus. → Read More
This prized parrot is in peril from pet poachers
The beloved Red-Crowned Parrot, the official bird of Brownsville, Texas, and one of two native parrots in the U.S., faces threats from people stealing nestlings to sell into the pet trade. → Read More
Waiting on that holiday gift from your online cart? It might be stuck at a seaport
The global supply chain backup is clogging the Port of Houston, but it's not as bad as the huge bottleneck at the Port of Los Angeles. → Read More
Descendants Of Slaves Found Shelter From Ida In A Historic Plantation's Big House
Joy Banner's family took shelter in a house on a plantation their ancestors helped build. "They were not able to have this kind of house for their own protection when a hurricane hit them," she says. → Read More