As Salem tourism skyrockets, busker community rallies around iconic tradition

At the World Sauna Congress in Oslo, NPR's Will Stone covers how scientists and enthusiasts are exploring heat exposure as a growing global trend to boost wellbeing and fight social isolation. SCOTT SIMON, HOST: Sauna is gaining popularity. Right now, around the world and this week, hundreds of sauna experts and enthusiasts gather in Oslo, Norway for what's known as the International Sauna Congress. BJ Leiderman, who writes our theme music, is not expected. The congress takes place every four years, and NPR health correspondent Will Stone joins us from Oslo, where he's been soaking it all in. Button up your bathrobe, will you? WILL STONE, BYLINE: I'll do my best. Thanks, Scott. SIMON: What's a sauna congress? STONE: Well, first, Scott, one thing I learned is that it's actually Sow-na (ph) from the Finnish and not sauna. SIMON: I beg your pardon. STONE: Yeah. The president of the International Sauna Association made sure to point that out. This congress kicked off the other day at Oslo City Hall. It was in the same room where the Nobel Peace Prize is given out. And it's basically a chance for the sauna world to nerd out. You have scientists, business operators, advocates.

British Columbia·NewThe B. C. Conservatives say their platform will create $2.6 billion in new revenue over three years, while shrinking the deficit to $10.8 billion by 2030. Platform aims to find funds by freezing outside hiring and reviewing ministries' spendingWolfgang Depner · CBC News · Posted: Oct 18, 2026 9:42 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 minutes agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results. B. C. Conservative Party Leader Lorne Doerkson did not make himself available after the platform was released Sunday. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press)The British Columbia Conservatives say their platform will create $2.6 billion in new revenue over three years, while shrinking the deficit to $10.8 billion by 2030. The party says its platform amounts to restraint, not austerity.
The document says that if Gross Domestic Product grows by 2.5 per cent in 2027, 2.8 per cent in 2028, and 3.2 per cent in 2029, the province will collect an additional $2.62 billion over three years, compared with the NDP’s own forecast.

PETS & ANIMALS“This tragedy... was 100% preventable," one wildlife expert said. A 16-month-old child was injured by a coyote in Atwater Village, where neighbors say earlier concerns went unaddressed. Monday, October 19, 2026 1:38AMATWATER VILLAGE, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Neighbors are questioning whether more could have been done to prevent a coyote from attacking and injuring a 16-month-old child in Atwater Village. According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), the encounter happened on Friday off Glenhurst Avenue. The child was treated at a local hospital and released. The coyote was later captured by wildlife officials and euthanized, CDFW said. Neighbor Jason Rosen said he was saddened to learn about the attack. “That really makes me really sad,” Rosen said. Rosen said he has previously seen coyotes in the area. “I’ve seen them around. I actually feel bad for them because, you know, they have nowhere to go," he said. "Our neighborhood is their neighborhood too. "It is unclear whether the euthanized animal was the same coyote that residents said they had seen in the neighborhood for months.

The recent release of a serial rapist who drugged young women in college bars during the late 1990s is garnering outrage in the San Gabriel Valley community where the man, who is an heir to a cosmetics fortune, is reportedly residing. Andrew Stuart Luster, the great-grandson of Max Factor, was convicted in 2003 on 86 felony counts of poisoning, rape, sodomy and oral copulation of unconscious victims. A jury viewed videotapes he made of himself engaging in sexual acts with women rendered unconscious by GHB, the so-called “date-rape” drug. Glendora Mayor David Fredendall said in a Friday statement that his community was “outraged” at Luster’s release, which he attributed to California voter-approved laws making it easier for those convicted of nonviolent felonies to be released early. “The People of Glendora should not have to worry about their safety because of a decision by the State that allows an individual with a history of rape and violence to now live in close proximity to schools, parks, playgrounds, churches, and community centers. They deserve better than explanations that hide behind the mechanics of a deeply flawed system,” Fredenall said in the news release.