News from NPR

Chad Ochocinco has been deep-sixed.

After unofficially changing his name (but not his @ochocinco Twitter handle) back to what it used to be, the Miami Dolphins' No. 85 officially once again became Chad Johnson today.

Pointing to an "unprecedented failure" at the top levels of Penn State leadership, the NCAA announced wide-ranging sanctions against the football program. NPR sports correspondent Mike Pesca talks about public reaction and what it could mean for the future of Penn State football.

People diagnosed with conditions including autism, Alzheimer's and dementia often wander. Dean King of Outside Magazine, Robert Koester of the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, and Dr. James Harris talk about why, and the challenges of search and rescue missions to find them.

Before the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, U.S. sprinter Lauryn Williams accepted that her father, who was suffering from leukemia, wouldn't be there to see her compete in the 100-meter dash. But when residents of her hometown in Rochester, Pa., heard about it, they raised enough money to send her father and several other family members to Athens.

"I was very surprised," Williams tells NPR's Neal Conan. "It was really a great experience just to see everyone rally together."

Events like the mass shooting that killed 12 people and wounded dozes more in Aurora, Colorado can remind survivors of past massacres about their experiences. Edward Smith, a reporter with the Denver Post at the time of the Columbine shooting, and callers talk about what's been learned.

Headlines today about one of the latest statements from the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad have tended to focus on the news that a spokesman says the government would never use chemical or biological weapons against its own people.

The stories take two angles: One, that this confirms Syria has such weapons; two, that it's good the regime says it won't use them on civilians.

Of course, the regime has also pledged to abide by a ceasefire brokered by former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and in the ensuing weeks the bloodshed in Syria has continued.

You remember that fire on the Navy submarine that caused $400 million in damage in May? Last month, we told you that a preliminary investigation had found the fire was started by a vacuum cleaner.

Well, it gets weirder.

Today, we learn that a civilian employee has admitted to setting the fire because he wanted to get out of work early.

The Associated Press reports:

Over the weekend things have been very tense in Anaheim, Calif. For two days, people have protested the shooting death of an unarmed man by a police officer.

As the AP reports, last night protesters set fire to a dumpster after earlier having stormed the police headquarters lobby "as the police chief prepared to hold a news conference to discuss the case."

The AP adds:

Hundreds of Muslim athletes are participating in the London Olympics, which officially begin Friday. But along with travel and other logistics, they're also adjusting to Ramadan, the holy month that requires them to fast.

Many athletes say they'll forego the ban on consuming food and drink, as Barbara Bradley Hagerty reports on Morning Edition. The daylong fast is a threat to a strong performance — and their hopes of bringing pride to their nation, they say.