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SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

There's only one way to begin this item.

(SOUNDBITE OF THEME FROM "THE SIMPSONS")

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SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon. Ethiopia's longtime prime minister died this week. Meles Zenawi was 57. He came to power in 1991 when a rebel army toppled that nation's Marxist dictator and the Ethiopian leader became a trusted U.S. ally in the war against terrorism. As NPR's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton reports, he leaves behind a mixed legacy.

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SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon. James Cunningham has taken one of the most difficult diplomatic posts in the world. He is the new U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan.

AMBASSADOR JAMES CUNNINGHAM: I, James D. Cunningham...

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Do solemnly swear.

CUNNINGHAM: ...do solemnly swear...

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: That I will support and defend.

CUNNINGHAM: ...that I will support and defend...

Sean Rowe has a voice and a style that stands out in popular music. His voice is deep — really, truly deep — fine, and often doleful. He's a baritone troubadour who sings of roads not taken, regrets and the dreams that shake you awake at 3 in the morning.

After years of working bars, road houses and more bars, Rowe is playing concert stages and winning over critics for his story-songs and that remarkable voice. But, as he tells NPR's Scott Simon, he wasn't always so proud to be a singer.

Jurors have sided with Apple in a patent infringement case between it and Samsung. Melissa Block speaks with Wendy Kaufman, who's covering the lawsuit.

For four years now several of our city planners here in Provo City have been growing a garden in their spare time.

Did I mention that they're growing the garden on the steps of City Hall?

The planners were inspired by the guerrilla gardening concept — planting vegetables in underused public spaces — and also wanted to show that you don't need a lot of space to grow your own food.

They donate the produce, including potatoes, carrots and squash, to the local food bank.

In what was billed the "patent trial of the century," Apple emerged victorious in its fight against Samsung.

A federal grand jury in San Jose, Calif. quickly worked through a 20-page verdict form, finding that Samsung violated many of Apple's patents, handing the Cupertino tech behemoth a major victory and a little more than $1 billion in damages.

It was a complicated case but as the San Jose Mercury News puts it, in the end it was a clear victory for Apple.

Lance Armstrong. He has a superhero's name, right out of the comic books. He moved from conquering stages of one kind — bike racing — to stages of another kind — cancer. He's chiseled and driven and known all over the world.

But now we learn that the superhero has given up in one of his biggest battles. He says he will no longer continue to fight charges by the United States Anti-Doping Agency that he used performance enhancing drugs to win bicycle races.

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It's ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Audie Cornish.

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

And I'm Melissa Block. After a year and a half of planning, officials in Tampa say they are ready for next week's Republican National Convention. The Tampa Bay Forum, known mostly as a hockey arena, has been transformed into a multimedia political venue. The city has spent some $50 million from a federal grant on security. Much of downtown is cordoned off, patrolled by some 3,500 police officers.

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From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Audie Cornish.

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

And I'm Melissa Block. On a hot summer night, you can't beat a cold treat. With that in mind, hundreds - often thousands - of people flock each night to a small custard stand in St. Louis, Missouri. Ted Drewes Frozen Custard has become a tradition and a point of regional pride. Ryan Famuliner of member station KBIA takes us on a summer night out in St. Louis.

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From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Melissa Block.

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

And I'm Audie Cornish. It was a terrifying morning for commuters and tourists near the Empire State Building in New York. A gunman killed one person before he was shot by police. At least nine other people were also injured by gunfire outside the iconic building. From New York, NPR's Joel Rose reports.

JOEL ROSE, BYLINE: Witnesses say the shooting began during morning rush hour.