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RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

We have an update now on a story NPR's been investigating for almost two years. This morning, federal prosecutors filed criminal charges in a 2010 coal mine explosion in West Virginia. Twenty-nine mine workers died in the blast at the Upper Big Branch mine. The charges reach into the management ranks of Massey Energy, the company that operated the mine. NPR's Howard Berkes joins us now for details.

Good morning, Howard.

HOWARD BERKES, BYLINE: Good morning, Renee.

Good morning.

Our early headlines:

-- Killing Continues In Syria, Two Western Journalists Among Victims.

-- Protests Continue In Afghanistan Over Quran Burnings; Some Killed.

MEDFORD, Oregon -- Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar was in Southern Oregon Tuesday. He’s asked the Bureau of Land Management to prepare five new logging projects in Oregon that have an environmental twist. Amelia Templeton reports.

(Scroll down for several updates and the document prosecutors filed today.)

Federal prosecutors in Charleston, W.Va., have filed the most serious criminal charges yet in the April, 2010, coal mine explosion that left 29 mine workers dead.

The conspiracy charges reach into the management ranks of Massey Energy and signal an effort to seek evidence against higher-level executives.

SPOKANE, Wash. - Some Republican voters in the Northwest have more to figure out than just which presidential candidate to vote for. They’re figuring out how to vote in a caucus. And as Jessica Robinson reports, the different campaigns want to make sure their supporters know how it works.

In Michigan, jobs and the economy lead every stump speech given by the candidates vying to win next Tuesday's Republican presidential primary. But reporter Quinn Klinefelter of WDET found that social issues are gaining traction among the rank-and-file GOP voters.

Unless your Internet connection has been disabled for the past month, you've undoubtedly heard of the new darling of the social media world: Pinterest.

The simple and highly visual site lets users save — or "pin" — coveted outfits, recipes, home décor ideas and do-it-yourself projects on virtual bulletin boards, for their own use and to share with others.

COLUMBIA RIVER, Wash. -- There are hundreds of abandoned or sunken ships in Northwest waters. These vessels can threaten navigation, human safety and the environment. But state agencies in the region are only equipped to handle part of the problem. Ashley Ahearn reports.

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RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

This is MORNING EDITION, from NPR News. I'm Renee Montagne.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

And I'm Steve Inskeep. Marie Colvin of the Sunday Times in London spent a career documenting the peril that others faced, which meant the American reporter shared their danger. Her paper says she was killed today by artillery fire that struck the Syrian city of Homs. French officials affirm a French photojournalist has also been killed.