House and Senate leaders prepared for possible votes Monday on the tentative deal to raise the government's debt ceiling and prevent a U.S. default.

Both Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and the office of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) said the votes could come as early as Monday evening, depending on the outcome of meetings with members. Cantor's office said the House would go first.

The agreement gained momentum in the Senate on Monday after months of partisan rancor.

Forty years after parachuting into folklore, the mysterious skyjacker identified as D.B. Cooper may soon be identified.

"We do actually have a new suspect we're looking at," says FBI spokeswoman Ayn Sandolo Dietrich in a story in the British newspaper, The Telegraph. "And it comes from a credible lead who came to our attention recently via a law enforcement colleague."

Full episode of WYSO Weekend for July 24th, 2011 containing the following stories:

-An interview in Cornad's Corner with Yellow Springs poet Janeal Ravndal

-Commentator Julie Zickefoose reflects on nature and social media in My Enormous Egg

-StateImpact Ohio's Ida Lieszkovszky reports on school vouchers.

The government of Syrian President Bashar Assad continued its bloody offensive against protesters today. On Sunday, government forces shelled the city of Hama and human rights groups said there were as many as 142 people dead.

Al Jazeera reports that the people of Deir ex-Zor, who were protesting the attack on Hama, found themselves under fire this morning:

DAYTON- A group that wants to legalize medical marijuana in Ohio has turned in more than 2,100 petition signatures in a first step toward putting the measure before voters.

The Dayton Daily News reports a proposed summary of the ballot language must be approved before additional signatures are collected.

Supporters of the measure need more than 385,000 to place what's called the "Ohio Alternative Treatment Amendment" on the November 2012 ballot.

SPRINGFIELD — A crash during the test flight Wright “B” Flyer’s Silver Bird caused the deaths of two local pilots Saturday morning.

Pilots Mitchell Cary and Don Gum were killed on impact shortly after they announced they were making a forced landing. The volunteer pilots were flying with Phil Beaudoin's nonprofit organization, Wright "B" Flyer Inc., which uses Wright replica planes to promote Dayton, Ohio, as the birthplace of aviation.

Federal investigators say an announcement of what likely caused the crash could take up to eight months.

CINCINNATI – Ohio’s 614 school districts might be reduced in number depending on the results of a study.

Gov. John Kasich has asked Ohio lawmakers to set up a panel to explore whether combining school systems could save money and boost the quality of learning

The Cincinnati Enquirer reports two districts in northeast Ohio's Wayne County took a step toward consolidation and saved $300,000 a year by merging their central offices.

The holy month of Ramadan begins Monday in many parts of the Muslim world — 30 days of fasting from dawn to dusk, when large crowds gather for an additional nighttime prayer.

Ramadan could also be a decisive time for the protest movement in Syria. The government has stepped up mass arrests as activists vow to shift from weekly rallies to nightly ones outside mosques that have become centers of protest.

"I am not going to stop," said Mohammed Ali, a 24-year-old architect, and one of many activists who say they will be on the streets every night during Ramadan.

After allowing unusually open criticism, on Friday, Chinese authorities ordered that the country's media outlets only report positive stories or information about last month's high-speed rail crash.

The New York Times reports:

Barry Schwabsky is the art critic of The Nation.