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A growing number of companies are instituting wellness programs that reward workers who meet company-determined health standards and penalize workers who do not. In Washington, lawmakers are debating proposals that would allow companies to increase penalties on less healthy workers who participate in these types of wellness programs. We speak with Washington Post reporter David Hilzenrath.

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As predicted, banks and credit card companies are changing their rules ahead of new restrictions that are supposed to take effect next year. Bank of America and Citigroup will change some cardholders an annual fee even if they pay off their balances every month. Sandra Block writes about personal finance for USA Today and joins us with some advice.

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Four teenagers in Palo Alto, California have committed suicide at the same railway crossing since May, and double that number have tried to kill themselves there. Lisa Krieger is covering the story for the San Jose Mercury News.

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Salem Massachusetts is known for its Witch Trials and for putting on a great show at Halloween. But the city also produced America's first millionaire and in 1800, it was the richest city in the U.S. Dr. Vanita Shastri writes about Salem's maritime history and its trade in the East Indies in The Salem-India Story: Maritime Trade between Salem, Massachusetss, and India 1788-1845 published by the Meru Educational Foundation.

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The 20th Anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall is next month, and the students at the John F. Kennedy School in Berlin are remembering the day with a high school musical. The BBC's Alexa Dvorson attended a recent rehearsal.