State and National News

These savory, nutty noodles are delicious at any temperature, with a slick of sesame oil that keeps them nice and slurpy. I went with bright, juicy cherry tomatoes, crisp cucumbers and a handful of fresh herbs, but you can toss in whatever additions sound good. Fish sauce adds a nice savory note but may be omitted. If you'd like more protein, toss in some cubes of baked tofu.

Makes 6 servings

12 ounces noodles (you can use an Asian noodle, such as udon or bean threads, or regular or whole wheat linguini)

This recipe, adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites (Clarkson Potter, 1996), turns a traditional Caribbean combination into a tangy salad. Pigeon peas, also known as gandulas, can be found canned or dried at Latin American markets or well-stocked grocery stores. Make sure you get the mature brown pigeon peas, not the green ones. If you can't find pigeon peas, substitute an equal amount of beans of your choosing.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Rice

1 teaspoon annatto (achiote seed)*

1 tablespoon olive oil

While lettuce-based salads turn sadder and soggier the longer they sit in dressing, the sturdier leaves of kale just get nicer. This particular combination, inspired by a salad served at Brooklyn's Diner, matches kale with juicy peaches, briny feta and corn shaved right off the cob.

Makes 6 servings

1/4 cup olive oil

Juice of 1 lime

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

Dollop honey

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 small red onion, sliced into thin half-moons

Pianist and singer Barbara Carroll is an old and dear friend of Piano Jazz host Marian McPartland. In fact, Carroll was the second ever guest to appear on Piano Jazz when the show began 30 years ago. Carroll recalls 1979 as a banner year for her, as well — it's the same year she started what became a 25 year run performing at Bemelman's Bar, at the Carlyle Hotel in Manhattan.

I am still an idealist when it comes to college. The four years spent in higher education remain a singular opportunity for young Americans to reach beyond themselves and ask questions that will, hopefully, take a lifetime to answer. But alongside my idealism I can see the reality that this nation faces tough questions about higher education. Who can afford it? How is it paid for? There is one thing, however, of which I am certain.

The drummer Henry Cole plays brilliantly in the quartet of saxophonist and fellow Puerto Rican Miguel Zenón, a band responsible for my favorite jazz album of 2011 (Alma Adentro) and one of my favorites of 2009 (Esta Plena). This year, Cole released his debut album as a bandleader, an Afrobeat record called Roots Before Branches.

The most potentially influential politician you've probably never heard of, former two-term Maine Gov. Angus King, on Tuesday officially entered the race to replace retiring moderate GOP Sen. Olympia Snowe.

King, 68, an alternative-energy entrepreneur and supporter of President Obama, filed more than 6,000 signatures with Maine's secretary of state to ensure his place on November's ballot.

He'll run as an independent, as he did for his successful gubernatorial runs in the 1990s.

On a recent Monday morning in Washington, D.C., a group of 3-year-old preschoolers bumbled their way into a circle, more or less, on the rug of their classroom. It was time to read.

The children sat cross-legged as their teacher, Mary-Lynn Goldstein, held high a book, Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus. There was a short conversation about pigeons, then, for reasons that weren't entirely clear, cows; and then Goldstein began to read. She read as most teachers read, occasionally stopping to ask a question, point out a picture or make a comment about the story.

Facebook's stock fell $3.07 to end the day at $28.84. That's first time it's fallen below $30 since the stock went public.

That price is also 24 percent below its opening price of $38.

The Wall Street Journal that the drop had to do with negative sentiment about the stock, as well as the fact that today traders were able to trade on derivatives.

The Facebook stock saw so much trading, the Journal reports, that it triggered Nasdaq's short sale circuit-breaker.