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In Lawrence, Kan., the owner of the Journal-World newspaper applies ambitious news-gathering approaches to very local issues. The media company's efforts have sparked innovation, controversy — and no small amount of envy within the industry.

On this week's show, host Bob Boilen shares his latest, game-changing idea. It's called "The Sole Of A Band" and involves matching photos of footwear with a band's song.

The band features bassist John Stirratt and multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone, both of Wilco. Warm and bittersweet, the timeless pop songs on Fifth have an agreeable brightness to them; they can seem unassuming, but they also burrow under the skin over time.

These are songs by and for feel-big dreamers, performed with a gift for weapons-grade ingratiation by a pair of born crowd-pleasers.

The Bob Dylan Center opens in Tulsa on Tuesday. It contains more than 100,000 pieces from his archives.

Of all the big names to emerge from the Twin Cities music scene in the '80s, Soul Asylum is among the few that have weathered the test of time. With a career spanning more than two decades, the group has had plenty of time to hone its hook-filled alternative rock.

The Nat King Cole Show debuted in 1956, making singer and jazz pianist Nat "King" Cole the first black man to host a nationally televised variety program. Cole reluctantly challenged segregation on television and in American society, but a year later the show ended.

A 12-year-old California boy is responsible for righting an error made in judging the finals of the National Spelling Bee contest. When Lucas Brown, a seventh-grader from Poway, Calif., realized the judges had mistakenly eliminated a contestant in round eight, he spoke up -- and Saryn Hooks returned to the competition.

The saxophonist, who began his career in the '70s, has played with notable names like the Beach Boys and Cannonball Adderley. He's still flowing with music.

Artists and activists Taina Asili and Olmeca talk about mixing activism with their music on this week's show.