Some highlights from today's Here and Now:1:06pm: Conservatives are rallying around presidential candidate Herman Cain, a day after allegations surfaced that the National Restaurant Association settled two sexual harassment suits against him in the 1990s. Commentator Ann Coulter compares him to Clarence Thomas, who they say was another conservative black man wrongly accused by liberals. Cain has been speaking about the allegations but not clearly.1:21pm: A speech pathologist was working in an elementary public school in Chicago and decided to eat what her students were eating at lunch time. She wrote about it on a blog and she called herself Mrs. Q. One of her lunches was a bagel dog, some tater tots, a cup of jello, and chocolate milk. Now Mrs. Q has revealed herself as Sarah Wu and she has written a book about the experience.1:35pm: Nationwide, ten percent of emergency room visits are non-urgent. People call 911 or go to the hospital for ailments that should be treated at a doctor's office or clinic. A majority of these patients are on Medicaid or are uninsured, and their ER visits drive up healthcare costs. That makes them the target audience for a new program in Louisville that could save money for both the health care system and patients, while providing more appropriate care.1:40pm: It was announced yesterday that Ear X-Tacy, one of the nation's top independent music stores, is closing its doors for good after several years of financial struggle. We'll get details from the store manager and find out what it means for customers and the local music community.
Brad Yost is a senior producer for LPM. Email Brad at byost@lpm.org.