Editor's note: This report includes images that some readers may find offensive.

In a quiet college town — the fictional town of Santa Lora, in southern California — one by one, students fall victim to a bizarre contagious disease. They fall into a deep sleep, and don't wake up. In fact, some will never wake up. And the disease spreads throughout the town, quickly and indiscriminately.

NPR's Melissa Block talks to Neyla Pekarek, formerly of The Lumineers, about her debut solo album, Rattlesnake, which was inspired by an actual frontierswoman named "Rattlesnake Kate."

A gasoline pipeline in the Mexican state of Hidalgo exploded Friday evening, killing more than 60 people and leaving many more injured. The pipeline had been illegally tapped by gasoline thieves.

The federal government's failure to pay its workers during the shutdown has caused hardship for many. Economist Joseph Stiglitz tells NPR's Melissa Block why so many have no savings to fall back on.