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Thousands of well-wishers turn out at Fort Riley -- a sprawling Army base in the Kansas heartland -- to welcome home soldiers returning from Iraq. Many had spent more than a year on duty. Their return was tinged with sadness: Five soldiers based at Fort Riley were killed earlier in the week in Fallujah. NPR's Greg Allen reports.

TV and movie score composer Mancini created the title theme to the The Pink Panther movies. A new special DVD 40th anniversary collection of Pink Panther films is available April 6. There's also a tribute CD, Pink Panther's Penthouse Party. His other film scores included Breakfast at Tiffany's, The Glenn Miller Story and The Days of Wine and Roses. He also wrote the theme for the TV show Peter Gunn.

In 1994, Rwanda was torn by murderous tribal violence. The Few Who Stayed: Defying Genocide in Rwanda, from American RadioWorks, focuses on those who sought to avert the mass slaughter.

This past week, bassist and cellist Percy Heath was honored with a "Beacons in Jazz" award from the New School University in New York. NPR's Liane Hansen speaks with the longtime member of the Modern Jazz Quartet who still performs with the Heath Brothers, and has only now at the age of 80 released his first solo CD: A Love Song is on Daddy Jazz Records.

In a ceremony in Brussels, NATO formally welcomes seven new members from Eastern Europe. The alliance, now comprising 26 countries, is debating whether to commit itself to any role in Iraq. Hear NPR's Bob Edwards and NPR's Michele Kelemen.

Residents of the northern Iraqi city of Mosul say they see signs of improved conditions. But they remain unhappy with the American occupation and the city is no longer safe for foreigners. NPR's Steve Inskeep reports.

NPR's Liane Hansen chats with singer and songwriter Vienna Teng, who performs songs from her second CD, Warm Strangers. Since their first conversation in 2002 about her debut CD, Teng has toured the country, enjoying a bit of fame and recognition for her talent. She has no regrets about leaving her computer engineering job to pursue music.

The two rovers on Mars continue their pursuit of evidence that water once flowed on the Red Planet. Earlier this week, scientists said the rocks and soil at Opportunity's landing site did show signs of having been shaped by flowing water. NPR's Joe Palca and NPR's John Ydstie discuss the findings.

NPR's Nina Totenberg finishes her series of reports based on the newly released records of Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun, who died five years ago. Some of the thousands of documents trace the relationship of Blackmun and Chief Justice Warren Burger, who grew up together and delighted in serving on the court together. Later, professional conflicts damaged their friendship.

The Environmental Protection Agency proposes that 11 of the nation's worst toxic waste sites should get cleanup priority under its Superfund initiative. The list, meant to relieve the worst contamination levels, includes projects in nine states. NPR's John Nielsen reports.