Elaine Korry
Elaine Korry is an NPR contributor based in San Francisco. From August 2004-June 2007 she worked as an NPR senior reporter covering social policy for NPR, with a focus on education, and on the lives of the nation's most vulnerable citizens — the homeless, those living in poverty, working in low wage positions, and trying to find their way to a more stable life.
In 2007, she reported on hospitals struggling to serve chronically homeless people in Los Angeles; the debate over pulling welfare mothers out of school in favor of low-wage jobs; working families with children driven from San Francisco because of the spiraling cost of housing; and proposed budget cuts to literacy programs for immigrant families.
Prior to covering social policy issues, Elaine covered business and economics for NPR for 14 years. She has been awarded numerous reporting fellowships in social policy and education from the Hechinger Institute, Casey Journalism Center, and Wharton School of Business. She attended Rider University in New Jersey, and worked in public radio for 10 years prior to coming to NPR.
-
In Oakland, Calif., hunger shows up where it's least expected: in upscale Oakland Hills, where Brian Donaldson and his wife, Tina, share an apartment that some would call luxurious. But at 52, Donaldson is jobless and his skills are outdated. -
In February, 21-year-old Matthew Carrington collapsed in a frat house basement at Chico State University, dying several hours later. Five of his fellow students pleaded guilty in his death; one will serve a year in jail. Carrington's parents are among those who want penalties for hazing toughened.
-
Once prospective parents decide to adopt, the options before them can be overwhelming: Open or closed? Domestic or international? Same race and ethnicity, or different? Negotiating the details is an intensely personal process. NPR's Elaine Korry profiles one Bay Area couple for whom that process led overseas. -
A controversy over religion in public schools is raging in Cupertino, Calif. A fifth-grade teacher there claims school officials have muzzled him when he tries to teach his students about the role Christianity played in the American Revolution. Many parents in the community feel he's overstepped his bounds. NPR's Elaine Korry reports.
-
The number of U.S. military deaths in Iraq surpasses 1,000, a figure that includes combat deaths and Americans killed by accidents and other causes. Most of the deaths occurred after President Bush declared an end to major combat operations last year. Hear NPR's Elaine Korry.
-
A federal judge rules that a sex-discrimination lawsuit against Wal-Mart can become a class-action suit, encompassing 1.6 million current and former female employees. Wal-Mart said it would appeal the decision. The class-action status makes the suit the largest discrimination case ever brought against a private employer in the United States. NPR's Elaine Korry reports.
-
A California Supreme Court ruling turns years of child-custody case law on its head. Traditionally, the custodial parent, often the mother, had broad discretion to make decisions for the children, including where they would live. But the state's high court has informed custodial parents that they risk losing their children if they try to relocate. NPR's Elaine Korry reports.
-
The upcoming initial public offering of stock planned by Google will break with market tradition. It will be a Dutch auction. That means anyone can place a bid for shares online, rather than a select few initial investors. It's an unconventional approach from an unconventional company. NPR's Elaine Korry reports.
-
Google Inc., the company behind the Internet's most popular search engine, files its long-awaited plans for an initial public offering. The prospect of a Google IPO has kept Silicon Valley abuzz all year. Google said it expects to raise $2.7 billion through the stock sale, but the first day of trading is likely months away. NPR's Elaine Korry reports.
-
The fifth book in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, goes on sale at 12:01 a.m. ET Saturday. The U.S. publisher has commissioned a record first run of 8.5 million copies. Thousands of bookstores across the United States plan late-night Potter parties. NPR's Elaine Korry reports.
