Weekend Edition Saturday

Hurricane Irene is set to pummel parts of the East Coast this weekend. For the latest updates, host Scott Simon talks with NPR reporter Greg Allen.

As Hurricane Irene barrels northward, New York City is preparing for the worst. Mayor Bloomberg has ordered that low-lying areas around the borough evacuate. From member station WNYC, Cindy Rodriguez reports.

In the Pacific Northwest, there's a 197-mile, 30-hour relay race called the "Hood to Coast." Host Scott Simon talks with Christoph Baaden, director of the eponymous documentary, which details four teams' experience running the race.

As Hurricane Irene swirls toward the North Carolina coast, many local business owners are despairing the loss of business during their busy season. Host Scott Simon checks in with Steve and Kristine Kiousis, who own the pancake house, Stack 'Em High, in Kitty Hawk, N.C.

For rabbis, the Jewish High Holidays are a ratings period. Synagogues are packed with people — many of whom attend only a few times a year — expecting to be impressed and even entertained by the sermons. This year, some rabbis are getting help from Hollywood.

"In Jewish tradition there's a teaching that says, 'Who is wise? One who learns from all people,' " says Rabbi Mark Diamond. "We wanted to bring together a cohort of our finest young and veteran rabbis with a cohort of writers who could really work with our rabbis."