WILL DURST: Hey guys, Will Durst here with my 8th annual top ten comedic news stories of the year.  Now please be warned this list is not to be confused with the top ten legitimate news stories of the year... no no no. They are as different as three bean chili and paisley bow ties. Like strip-mining slag heaps and little Rubber Duckies, wide haired dwarf goats and plastic dinnerware.  Now these are the events from the year of our Lord 2011 that most lent themselves to mocking and scoffing and taunting, in ample amounts.

Strict building codes in the East Bay, the fate of post-Cristmas Christmas trees, intense memories stirred up by home cooking, the top 10 comedic news stories of 2011, and local musician The Hooks.

Could bolstering the Latino teacher workforce have an impact on the widening achievement gap between Latino students and their white and black peers in America?

If you’re like me, the sight of inflatable Santa’s and fake, twinkling icicles anytime after December 25th, may cause you to roll down the car window and yell out, “Christmas is over!" I’m no Grinch; I just think holiday sentimentality has its place, and its expiration date is approximately 11:59 p.m. on December 25th. And while my neighbors can continue to flaunt their cheerful, plastic, and permanently anchored reindeer, there is one thing they really have to get rid of: their Christmas tree.

Saudi Arabia said Monday that it will enforce a law that allows only females to work in women's lingerie and apparel stores, despite disapproval from the country's top cleric.

The 2006 law banning men from working in female apparel and cosmetic stores has never been put into effect, partly because of the views of hard-liners in the religious establishment, who oppose the whole idea of women working in places where men and women congregate, such as malls.

[Audio available after 5pm PST]

Blustery winds and freezing cold temperatures today didn't slow down the Republican presidential candidates' campaigning on the eve of the Iowa caucuses.

Six GOP candidates — most with family members in tow — shook voters' hands and made their final arguments.

Here's a look at what our reporters are finding on the campaign trail:

-- Mitt Romney, who has edged into the lead in recent polls, is looking to deepen — not broaden — his statewide map in the final stretch, campaign adviser Eric Fehrnstrom tells NPR's Ari Shapiro.