In Jackson Hole Wyoming, Federal Reserve officials continue their annual discussions and Steve Backner of Market News International says they are focusing on labour market conditions and the implications from monetary policy. For sometime, the Fed's biggest focus has been reducing the unemployment rate and it has fallen from 10 to 6.2%. The Fed has left short- term interest rates near 0, in hope of more improvement on the job's front and a low inflation climate. But economists are telling the Kansas City Fed's annual symposium there is more to assess in labour market progress and deciding when to raise rates than just looking at the jobless rate. Fed Chair Janet Yellen concedes it's a complicated task. No decision is likely soon, but Fed officials are using these discussions to help reach a consensus on the time and in case of a eventual rate heights. For NPR News, I'm  Steve Backner in Jackson Hole.

 

    It's been 2 weeks since the shooting of 18- year- old Michael Brown, and the streets of Ferguson, Missouri were calm today, though it's not clear it's still that way. NPR's Martin Kaste reports. Policemen should pacify the Ferguson protest earlier this week by wading into the crowds and tactically resting people they had identified as agitators. Sam Smith, is an African American who lives elsewhere in St. Louis county. He says that technique seems to have worked unfortunately in his view. I talk about outside agitators coming up here. Kim was an outside agitator where he went. But these people have a tendency- they have a problem with people protesting coming up here being outside agitators. What if you don't make any noise, you don't get hurt? Protesters still want the immediate arrest of the white officer who shot Brown. If the grand jury decides not to indite him, people here say the protest here could easily become violence again. Martin Kaste, NPR News, St. Louis. Meanwhile, the White House is reviewing programs that led local and state police departments by military gear. This is in the aftermath of a public outcry after a local police in Ferguson used military equipment. This is NPR.

 

    Steven Nagel, an astronaut who flew on 4 space shuttle missions, including 2 as commander, has died after a long battle with cancer. In a statement released today, NASA said Nagel died Thursday. He was a test pilot for the air force before becoming an astronaut in 1979. After his space shuttle flights in the 80s and 90s, he worked for the Johnson Space Center in Houston. Steven Nagel was 67. 

 

    The Cleveland Indian's original stadium League Park reopened today, 74 years after the team moved across town. From member station WKSU, ** reports. League Park opened in 1891 with Cy Young on the mount. It's where Babe Ruth had his 500th home run, and also where the Indians won their first world series in 1920. The team moved to Cleveland Municipal Stadium in 1946 and League Park was used for the negro leagues and as a Cleveland Browns practice facility before being mostly torn down in 1951. Now the city has spent 6.3 million dollars renovating the facility, says public sports director Michael Cox. We kept the dimensions of the ballbar out of the fences, the same as they were when they were built. We don't want this to be a baseball band. We want it to be a destination. League Park will now be used by local high school and little league teams. For NPR News, I'm **.

 

    The National Hurricane Center says the tropical weather sets to drench Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic today is expected to gather strength as it moves over waters near the Bahamas. It's now a tropical depression and it's the 4th one of the Atlantic hurricane season and forecasters say it could bring up to 8 inches of rain in parts. I'm Jeanie Herbst, and from Washington 10, you are listening to NPR News.