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NPR's Guy Raz reports from the eastern German city of Schwerin that since East Germany adopted the West German currency ten years ago, the road to economic reform in the East has been rocky. Although Schwerin has burnished its image, repaving cobblestone streets and restoring historic buildings, the end of Communist rule has meant the loss of jobs for many. Many older residents feel resentment toward Western Germans. However, young people say the real gap is not between Eastern and Western Germans, but between the generations.

NPR's Gerry Hadden reports from Mexico City on Vicente Fox's first day as Mexico's president-elect. Fox met yesterday with current president Ernesto Zedillo to help plan a smooth transition to power. Later, at a press conference, Fox emphasized his commitment to end corruption in Mexico, to work with the U.S. and Candia toward a common North American market, and to confront the problem of drug traffickers.

Charlie Schlenker of member station WGLT in Normal, Illinois reports on how the descendants of a runaway slave who fought in the Civil War finally managed to get him the official recognition he deserves. Andrew Jackson Smith will be awarded the Congressional medal of honor later this year for bravery in battle.

Enrique Krauze, a Mexican historian, and author of Mexico: Biography of Power: The Making of Modern Mexico. He's also editor of Lettras Libres, a monthly journal. He joins Robert by phone from Mexico City to talk about the history of the Institutional Revolutionary Party.

NPR's Gerry Hadden reports from Mexico on the results of the presidential election. Official projections of the final vote count show opposition candidate Vicente Fox the clear winner. Fox's victory ends the 71-year rule of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI. The former rancher and Coca-Cola executive says he will stop corruption, double spending for public education, and jump-start the economy with foreign investment and jobs programs.

Many towns in California are turning to goats... nature's own walking trash disposals...to help clean up dry brush and other vegetation in fire-prone areas. NPR's Ina Jaffe reports from Laguna Beach, where the animals have been used for about a decade. The goats are about five times cheaper than a human crew...and are able to go where people and heavy machinery can't.

Brett Blume of member station KWMU in Saint Louis, Missouri reports there are demands for more information on the shooting of two unarmed black men by undercover officers last month. The police department has refused to release information about the race of the two officers. The department says the officers opened fire in fear for their lives during a drug bust.

NPR's Patricia Neighmond reports that the largest health-care provider in Orange County will not accept any new HMO patients. St. Joseph Health System, which includes nearly 10 percent of the county's doctors, says it is losing millions of dollars on HMO contracts and can't afford to accept any more patients unless the health plans raise their rates.

NPR's Gerry Hadden reports from Mexico City on Vicente Fox, the winner of yesterday's presidential election. The man who ended the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party's 71-year monopoly on power is a rancher and the former head of Coca-Cola for Latin America. He also served as a Mexican state governor. He is expected to continue current government policies on the economy and trade, while maintaining Mexico's close ties to the United States.

The mailbag is filling up! Host Jacki Lyden reads from some of our listeners' letters.