August 10, 2012 Ben W. Heineman, a lawyer and corporate leader who took over railroads, created one of the nation’s first conglomerates and became a close confidant and adviser to President Lyndon B. Johnson, died on Sunday in Waukesha, Wis. He was 98. While he worked in law or business, Mr. Heineman often held various government jobs in Illinois, nearly all unpaid, serving Gov. Adlai E. Stevenson and Mayor ...

Catchy title aside, this is a poignant story of poverty and culture in America, not to mention close-minded shortsightedness, but also one of hope and possibility. Nowhere is our health care system more broken and desperate than rural Mississippi. Can an approach used in Iran help save lives? http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/29/magazine/what-can-mississippis-health-care-system-learn-from-iran.html?smid=pl-sha ...

The Little Free Library, an international movement with 2,200 book-trading outposts, now has one in Prospect Heights. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/17/nyregion/book-trading-post-opens-on-a-brooklyn-sidewalk.html?smid=pl-share ...

Lionel Batiste, who died on July 8, was stylish, unhurried and full of music, just like the city where fans paraded in his honor, as is the local tradition. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/17/us/new-orleans-celebrates-life-of-lionel-batiste.html?smid=pl-share ...

Finally, a feel-good story about the financial world: Wall Street does right by vets. A tiny firm is helping disabled veterans prepare for and find jobs in the financial world. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/17/business/drexel-hamilton-a-wall-st-firm-hiring-disabled-veterans.html?smid=pl-share ...