A conservative U.S. senator from Idaho who has said he doesn't drink because of his Mormon faith has been charged with drunken driving.

Sen. Michael Crapo, a three-term Republican with a reputation as a social and fiscal conservative, registered a blood alcohol content of .11 percent after police pulled his car over in this suburb south of Washington, D.C., authorities said.

The 61-year-old lawmaker, who faces a court date Jan. 4, apologized in a statement issued hours after his arrest early Sunday.

It's been known for a while that girls start puberty earlier than they did in the past, sometimes as young as 7 or 8. But it's been unclear whether boys also go through puberty earlier. Now, a study from the American Academy of Pediatrics helps answer that question.

The city of Rome may be the seat of the Roman Catholic Church, but as far as bright, glitzy decorations, Christmas there has always been a rather sober affair.

And yet at Christmastime, there's one area where Romans pull out all the stops — the dinner table.

Even with the economic crisis, outdoor markets, grocery shops and fishmongers are crowded with customers.

You might not expect "Santa's Helper" to be a career-altering gig, but for David Sedaris, it changed everything. The writer and humorist spent a season working at Macy's as a department store elf. He described his short tenure as Crumpet the Elf in "The Santaland Diaries," an essay that he read on Morning Edition in 1992.

Instantly, a classic was born. Sedaris' reading has become an NPR holiday tradition. Click the "Listen" link above to hear Sedaris read his tale.

Mozart and Stravinsky
Mozart: Quartet in C Major for Strings, K. 465, Dissonance
Stravinsky: Divertimento for Violin and Piano

Greg, Liz, and Tom continue their discussion with agricultural historian and writer, James McWilliams.  McWilliams talks about the saga of Bill & Lou, two oxen at Green Mountain College, an education institution in Vermont which emphasizes environmental sustainability.  In the name of "environmental sustainability," the college was going to euthanize one of the oxen and serve it as hamburger meat to the school's students when the ox became injured and could no longer work.  The school had denied numerous requests by animal sanctuaries to allow the injured ox to live out its days in peace.  McWilliams talks about this case and others which expose the ethical conflicts of agricultural sustainability and animal abuse.  http://james-mcwilliams.com.  Aired Dec. 23, 2012.

Keith talks with Junius Gonzales, Provost at the University of Texas at El Paso, and Dena Kay Jones, Professor of Music at the University of Texas at El Paso.  Gonzales talks about his background in science, technology, and health research, and how, in his position as Provost, he aims to enrich the research capabilities of UTEP faculty.  Jones talks about the research opportunities provided by UTEP that allowed her to thoroughly investigate the life and works of Joaquin Rodrigo, and about the importance of researching the language, history, and background of music in preparation for a performance.  Aired Dec. 23, 2012.

On his last day as the host of weekends on All Things Considered before moving to NPR's TED Radio Hour, Guy Raz looks back at some of his memorable music interviews from the past 3 1/2 years.