A new study shows Texas' four-year high school graduation rate rose to 78.9 percent in 2009-2010, putting the Lone Star State above the national average of 78.2 percent.

A federal study released by the National Center of Education Statistics shows that Texas' four-year graduation rate increased from its previous study, from 73.1 percent in the 2006-2007 school year to 78.9 percent in 2009-2010.

Though they dipped 1 percent in December from the month before, 2012 was the best year since 2007 for sales of existing homes, the National Association of Realtors reports.

It estimates that 4.65 million previously owned homes were sold last year, up 9.2 percent from 2011 and the most since 2007's 5.03 million.

Nolwenn Leroy is a French singer who has just released her sixth album, simply named 'Nolwenn.' She was eleven when she began taking violin lessons, and continued her music education as a teenager in Ohio, where she spent a year as an exchange student.

Patients needing emergency room care with conditions that are not life threatening can now check in online at Southwest General Hospital. If the emergency is life-threatening, the patient will still need to rush to a hospital.

Southwest General Marketing Director Elizabeth Luna said a patients with lesser but still urgent needs would likely be placed in line at the hospital, but instead can wait at home instead of in a chair in the hospital waiting room.

We're hearing for the first time today from one of the people caught up in the story that led to retired Gen. David Petraeus' resignation from the post of CIA director last November.

Good morning

Monday's presidential inauguration continues to dominate the news. If you want to see how the day played out, check the live blogging we did. For all of NPR's coverage, click here.

Meanwhile, we've started our day with news about the big freeze:

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Good morning. I'm David Greene. A business owner is asking for some advice. It's Karl Baxter. He does wholesale retail in Britain and he bought three huge shipments of DVDs titled "The Science of Lance Armstrong." As you might know, the cyclist has admitted to doping and Baxter is not convinced his 10,000 DVDs will sell. He's considered building a DVD tower or making a dominoes track for his kids, but he's looking for other ideas. Which sounds like a good idea in itself. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

It felt like -51 degrees Fahrenheit in Langdon, N.D., on Monday and brutal wind chills like that are going to continue across northern states as winter really sets in.

Even in the "warmer" places, it's not going to feel like it's much above zero for the next few days. And "lake effect" snows are expected to pile up around the Great Lakes.

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Good morning, I'm Steve Inskeep.

When a labor dispute shutdown Hostess, the maker of Twinkies, many people rushed out to buy a box or two. Nancy Peppin bought 12 boxes. Not to eat, but as art supplies. The Reno, Nevada woman makes art out of Twinkies. She is confident that another company will eventually bring Twinkies back. But in the meantime, she wants to be ready to keep making sculptures like her depiction of "The Last Supper," which also includes Ding Dongs and Ho Hos.