Links to the News

Chicago Sun-Times, April 30, 2008 Newseum Image

April 30, 2008: An excerpt from a story in the Chicago Sun-Times:

Obama denounces Wright

BY LYNN SWEET

WASHINGTON -- On Monday, a combative Rev. Jeremiah Wright noted -- with some smugness -- at a press conference here that Sen. Barack Obama "did not denounce me. He distanced himself from some of my remarks." Following what Obama called Wright's "rants" at that session, Obama -- with some anger -- denounced his pastor "very clearly and unequivocally" on Tuesday.

Obama cut the cord with Wright, who retires in May as senior pastor at Trinity United Church of Christ on Chicago's South Side, after Wright's first major encounter with the news media resulted in what Obama called a "spectacle" that was "appalling" and "a show of disrespect" to him and an "insult" to his campaign.
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The Virginian-Pilot, April 29, 2008 Newseum Image

April 29, 2008: An excerpt from a story in The Virginian-Pilot:

At least 200 injured but no deaths in Suffolk tornado

By KRISTIN DAVIS 

A powerful twister tore through the Hillpoint Farms area near Sentara Obici Hospital late Monday afternoon, destroying homes and businesses, blasting out windows, flipping cars, mangling power lines, and injuring some 200 people -- but it was not blamed for any deaths.

The thunderstorm "super cell" that wrought the destruction first appeared in North Carolina and crossed into Virginia about 3 p.m. on what would be a 75-mile trek through Southampton County, Franklin and Suffolk, then over the water near Portsmouth and Norfolk before steering over the lower Eastern Shore.

The tornado that reached down from it and hop-scotched across the area was one of three that hit Virginia. Two separate storm cells had earlier spawned damaging tornadoes in Brunswick County and in the Petersburg/Colonial Heights area.
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El Periodico de Catalunya, April 25, 2008 Newseum Image

April 25, 2008:
A photograph from the Hubble Space Telescope is featured on Page One of the Barcelona, Spain newspaper, El Periodico de Catalunya. 

The BBC Web site reports that this and other images of colliding galaxies have been released to mark the 18th anniversary of the telescope's launch.
 


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Philadelphia Daily News, April 23, 2008 Newseum Image

April 23, 2008: An excerpt from a story in the Philadelphia Daily News:

Hillary wins an epic Pa. battle - but now what?

By WILL BUNCH

For six long weeks, they tossed bowling balls and downed shots of whiskey, quaffed beer and invoked the patron saint of Rocky Balboa, praying that Pennsylvania would deliver a knockout blow in the fight for the White House.

But at the end of it all, the epic Pennsylvania primary battle between U.S. Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama was pure NASCAR - a hard-fought lap around an oversized fast track, with no change in leader and more laps to go before the checkered flag.

Clinton won this go-round. With 98 percent tallied late last night, she held a solid lead of 10 percentage points, 55-45, and network analysts believed that she would post a net gain of about 15 delegates.

But Clinton's victory - powered by strong support from her core base of white women, older voters and union members, weighted toward western and central Pennsylvania - did little to change a nationwide equation still in Obama's favor.
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The Philadelphia Inquirer, April 23, 2008 Newseum Image

April 23, 2008: An excerpt from a story in The Philadelphia Inquirer:

Obama still leads race, but the doubts remain

By LARRY EICHEL 

So the show goes on, the bloodletting continues, and the work of unifying the Democratic Party has to wait.

With her candidacy on the line yet again, Hillary Rodham Clinton survived the Pennsylvania primary, doing well enough to claim the right to remain in the contest for at least a few more weeks.

Not only did she hold off Barack Obama and his multimillion-dollar media campaign, but she appeared to have quieted, at least for the moment, the voices of those who would like to see her depart the stage as soon as possible.

As a result, there's likely to be no immediate stampede to endorse the Illinois senator by the party's 300 or so undeclared superdelegates - the people who will determine the nominee.
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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, April 23, 2008 Newseum Image

April 23, 2008: An excerpt from a story in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

Clinton wins, the race goes on

By JAMES O'TOOLE  

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton won a clear victory over Sen. Barack Obama in the Pennsylvania primary last night, giving her new hope of sustaining a come-from-behind struggle to become the first woman to win a major party's presidential nomination.

"Some people counted me out and said to drop out," a gleeful Mrs. Clinton told cheering supporters in a Philadelphia hotel. "The American people don't quit, and they deserve president who doesn't quit either.''

The election night locales chosen by the candidates suggested their expectations for the results. Mrs. Clinton, who had been leading in late polls, reveled in her Pennsylvania victory with the voters who gave it to her.

Mr. Obama was on to the Indiana, the site of one of the next battles in the protracted struggle between candidates with different claims to historic precedent as a presidential nominee.
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The Patriot-News, April 22, 2008 Newseum Image

April 22, 2008: Excerpts from stories on the Web site for the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania newspaper, The Patriot-News:

Democratic drama hits climax in state today (April 22, 2008)

By BRETT LIEBERMAN

The seven-week slog known as the Pennsylvania primary ends today with Democratic voters choosing between Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton and having a meaningful voice in a presidential primary for the first time in more than two decades.

With a record primary registration of 8.3 million voters, election officials predict a day of long lines and late returns.

Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.

"If you are in line at 8 o'clock, you will be allowed to vote ... no matter how long it takes," said Teresa Candori, a spokeswoman for the state Department of State.

Officials predict a 50 percent turnout, compared to the usual 20 percent for a presidential primary, and they urge voters to be patient and if possible vote during nonpeak hours: 9 to 11 a.m. and 2 to 5 p.m.

A Final Push for the Primary (April 21, 2008)

By CHRIS A. COUROGEN

Standing on the stairs in Sen. Barack Obama's Harrisburg presidential campaign headquarters, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy did his best Knute Rockne "win one for the gipper" imitation Sunday morning.

In town with fellow Democratic Sen. Bob Casey Jr. of Pennsylvania to fire up Obama campaign volunteers, Kennedy, D-Mass., told the crowd jammed into the small room and hallway that "Barack Obama has done everything a candidate can possibly do. ... Now it is up to you.

"In 44 hours the polls open. Now we're down to serious business," Kennedy said. "These next 44 hours are the most important 44 hours of our lives."

A half a block away, at the Second Street headquarters of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign, similar efforts were in full swing as both camps gave one final push before Tuesday's primary.
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Newsday, April 21, 2008 Newseum Image

April 21, 2008: An excerpt from a story in Newsday:

Yankee Stadium Mass caps pope's final day in U.S.

By JENNIFER SMITH

Bidding the nation farewell at Kennedy Airport, Pope Benedict XVI concluded his first papal visit to the United States last night by encouraging priests and others in the religious life "to continue bearing joyful witness to Christ our hope" and asking all Americans to pray for him.

The heartfelt ceremony capped a day that swung from the solemn contemplation of loss at Ground Zero to the galvanizing Mass at Yankee Stadium before 57,000 believers. At both iconic New York sites, the pontiff acknowledged life's sorrows but offered hope in the transformative power of faith.

"For all the people of America, and indeed throughout the world, I pray that the future will bring increased fraternity and solidarity, a growth in mutual respect, and a renewed trust and confidence in God, our heavenly Father," the pontiff said to an ardent crowd of 4,000 gathered in a cavernous hangar as darkness fell.

(See also: Poynter's Links to the News page, "Pope Resources.")
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The Washington Times, April 18, 2008 Newseum Image

April 18, 2008: An excerpt from a story in The Washington Times:

Pope celebrates jubilant Mass

By JULIA DUIN and AMY FAGAN 

Pope Benedict XVI ministered yesterday to the many and the few, celebrating Mass with 46,000 joyful Catholics in a sun-bathed Nationals Park before meeting privately with a handful of the sex-abuse victims at the center of the church's darkest scandal.

On the climactic day of his visit to Washington, the pontiff also addressed the widespread closures of American Catholic schools, urging nuns, priests and brothers to "renew your commitment to schools, especially those in poorer areas."

"Holy Father, welcome to Washington," a smiling Washington Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl said to the pontiff, who, dressed in red silk vestments and a resplendent gold miter, then stood to acknowledge cheers. "Your pastoral visit is a blessing to all our people."
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The Philadelphia Inquirer, April 17, 2008 Newseum Image

April 17, 2008: An excerpt from a story in The Philadelphia Inquirer:

A tense bid to sway Pa. voters

By LARRY EICHEL

Debating in Philadelphia last night, Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton sparred over each other's electability and the political weaknesses that might make them vulnerable to Republican attack in the fall.

In a tense and grim encounter, the two Democrats were led by their questioners through the words of Obama's former pastor, Clinton's misrepresentation of her visit to Bosnia as first lady, and the links of both presidential contenders to former members of a radical group from decades past.

The candidates also dealt with matters of greater substance, including foreign policy, taxes, Social Security and gun control.

They voiced general agreement on most of those topics, as they have done throughout the race, with both expressing confidence that they could proceed with a relatively rapid withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq no matter what the circumstances on the ground there.

(See also: Poynter's Links to the News page, "Presidential Debate History and Resources.")
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The Roanoke Times, April 16, 2008 Newseum Image

April 16, 2008: An excerpt from an editorial in The Roanoke Times:

Today we remember lives lost at Tech
Tomorrow we look to a future in which remembering is less painful.

It's spring, the season of new beginnings, a time to look forward. Warmer days, budding daffodils and chirping birds all herald a rapidly approaching summer.

This spring, however, we look back. One year ago, it was cold. On April 16, flurries fell on the Virginia Tech campus. A troubled young man killed 32 students and faculty, then himself. It was a day of endings, not beginnings.

Today the Tech community, Blacksburg, Southwest Virginia and the nation remember the lives lost. We mourn again. We comfort the families of the dead. We support the injured. We mark the occasion on the Drillfield where a permanent memorial stands as constant, silent reminder.

Today the pain is less than a year ago. The wounds have begun to heal.

(See also: Poynter's "'One Year Later': Covering the Virginia Tech Anniversary," by Mallary Jean Tenore, April 16, 2008,
and the Links to the News page, "School Shootings 1997-2008.")

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, April 15, 2008 Newseum Image

April 15, 2008: An excerpt from a story in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Delta, Northwest reach $17.7B agreement on merger
Combined company will keep Delta name, Atlanta base; some jobs will be cut

 

By RUSSELL GRANTHAM, JIM THARPE

 

Delta and Northwest airlines announced a $17.7 billion merger Monday night that will create the world's largest carrier -- headquartered in Atlanta with major hubs across the globe, including Asia and Europe.

 

The mega-airline, which will be called Delta, will have more than $35 billion in combined revenue and about 75,000 employees.

 

Officials with both airlines said there will be no layoffs of front-line employees nor immediate hub closings.

 

It is likely that the all-stock deal will unleash a series of other airline mergers that could be even larger, including a possible deal between United and Continental airlines.

 

"We believe that consolidation in the airline industry is inevitable, and we want to control our future," Delta Chief Executive Richard Anderson said in a memo to employees. "Combining our companies creates an airline with the size, scale and global presence to weather economic downturns and compete long-term in the global marketplace."

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The Augusta Chronicle, April 14, 2008 Newseum Image

April 14, 2008: An excerpt from a story in The Augusta Chronicle:

Immovable

By DAVID WESTIN 

South Africa's Trevor Immelman will make a better Masters Tournament champion than oddsmaker.

Standing in the locker room on the eve of the 72nd Masters, Immelman said he was "the worst person to ask" for a prediction of the winning score.

As it turned out, he was the best one.

After closing with 3-over-par 75 in Sunday's final round, Immelman beat Tiger Woods (72 on Sunday) by three shots in a final round Immelman controlled all the way.

Immelman finished at 8-under 280, nine shots lower than last year's winning total.

The winning score could have been even lower if not for final-round weather conditions that led to an average score of 74.666, the highest of the week.

"It was so tough, and I was trying to be tough," Immelman said. "There was disaster around every corner."
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Newsday, April 11, 2008 Newseum Image

April 11, 2008: An excerpt from a story in Newsday:

Bob Greene, pioneering investigative reporter, dies

By MELANIE LEFKOWITZ and STEVE WICK

Robert W. Greene, a pioneering investigative reporter and editor who helped Newsday twice win the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service and who left an indelible imprint on a newspaper whose reporting mission he deeply believed in, died Thursday after a long illness. He was 78.

During a 37-year career at Newsday, first as a reporter and later as an editor, Greene pushed his reporters to dig out public corruption by aggressively covering their assigned beats, no matter how seemingly insignificant. In 1975, Greene helped form an organization for like-minded professionals, Investigative Reporters and Editors, and a year later, after the murder of Don Bolles, one of the group's founding reporters, in Phoenix, Ariz., he headed a team that wrote a series of stories about corruption in that state. The project brought Greene national attention and an enduring legacy.

To many with whom he worked, Greene was an inspiring, larger-than-life character who saw journalism as a blunt instrument of the public good. To others, he was a demanding taskmaster who wore them out with his demands to know more.

As former Newsday editor Anthony Marro wrote in 2002, Greene held many jobs at Newsday, "but it was the investigative team that he created that remains his most important legacy, because he used it to help develop a culture in which public service journalism and investigative reporting became part of the newspaper's core mission."
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San Francisco Chronicle, April 10, 2008 Newseum Image

April 10, 2008: An excerpt from a story in the San Francisco Chronicle:

Torch leaves S.F. after surprise route shift

By RACHEL GORDON, TANYA SCHEVITZ, KEVIN FAGAN, MARISA LAGOS

SAN FRANCISCO -- It was an Olympic-sized fake-out, and by the end of the day, instead of the violent clashes that some had feared, the Beijing Olympic torch run left only thousands of frustrated protesters on one end of San Francisco and mostly relieved runners and officials on the other.

The finger-pointing is bound to go on for days about whether changing the route at the last minute was right. But on Wednesday, Mayor Gavin Newsom and other officials said that once they got a good look mid-morning at the chanting, surging, flag-waving crowds along the torch's advertised route, they felt they had no choice.

"If we had started down that (original) route, I guarantee you would have seen helmet-clad officers with batons pushing back protesters," San Francisco Police Chief Heather Fong said.

Complaints about the bait-and-switch rang long and loud from many among the estimated 10,000 people milling along the original route all morning. Many rallied for a range of causes, such as China's human rights record and even the idea that the Olympics should be free of politics, and they viewed the torch run as an opportunity to vent their positions before an international audience focused on the torch's only stop in North America.

(See also: Poynter's Links to the News page, "Olympics Past and Present.")

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News Sentinel, April 8, 2008 Newseum Image

April 9, 2008: An excerpt from a story in the Knoxville, Tennessee newspaper, the News Sentinel:

Pieces of 8 uncovered by Lady Vols

By DAN FLESER 

TAMPA, Fla. -- Tennessee spread its wings and soared to the grandest heights Tuesday night.

"That's what's called the metamorphosis of a basketball team,'' UT assistant coach Dean Lockwood said. "The cocoon broke and the butterfly was in full bloom, colors flying.

Before a crowd of 21,655 at the St. Pete Times Forum and an ESPN national television audience, the Lady Vols emerged as the team they intended to be all along: Defending national champions.

The emphasis was on defending.

The Lady Vols parlayed a ferocious effort into a 64-48 victory over Stanford, winning the program's second consecutive national championship and the eighth overall.

The feeling was fresh for senior Alberta Auguste, who was holding the national championship trophy in her hands afterward in the locker room.

"It's like a new-born baby,'' she said.
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San Jose Mercury News, April 9, 2008 Newseum Image

April 9, 2008: An excerpt from a story in the San Jose Mercury News:

Killion: For Stanford, a dream season nonetheless

By ANN KILLION 

TAMPA, Fla. -- The best player to wear a Stanford uniform ended her career Tuesday night. Candice Wiggins left the national championship game with 1:13 remaining, was composed on the bench during the waning seconds of Tennessee's 64-48 victory, and was cool and collected at the interview podium.

Until she was asked about how it will feel to be drafted by the WNBA today. Then Wiggins covered her face and broke into tears. Wiggins' exciting future is about to begin. But the end of her sweet Stanford experience was too much to bear.

"We came up short, but that shouldn't kill the journey," Wiggins said. "Our journey was just beautiful. It's why you play the sport of basketball. I couldn't ask for a better senior season."
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Lawrence Journal-World, April 8, 2008 Newseum Image

April 8, 2008: An excerpt from a story in the Kansas newspaper, the Lawrence Journal-World:

Keegan: Kansas' best -- ever

By TOM KEEGAN   

San Antonio -- The shot was in the air as the game clock ticked down to 2.1 seconds. The right guy shot it. Just another big shot in a lifetime full of them for Mario Chalmers, who witnessed a Final Four in the same building in 2004. It misses and it goes down as another near miss for another outstanding Kansas team.

It swished, of course. Kansas dominated the overtime, defeating Memphis, 75-68, Monday night for the national title. Now it can be said: Bill Self''s 2007-2008 Kansas basketball team (in every sense of the word) is the greatest in the history of the storied program.

It didn't come without first dragging such a passionate fan base through agony, because that's just the way it works. Down nine points with less than two minutes remaining, the team with nine lives had one left.

These Self-made champions, authors of cardiac comebacks before but covering so much ground with so little time left, brought Kansas its third NCAA championship and fifth national title, counting 1922 and '23, when the Helms Foundation awarded them the honor in pre-tournament days.
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The Wichita Eagle, April 8, 2008 Newseum Image

April 8, 2008: An excerpt from a story in The Wichita Eagle:

KU beats Memphis for national title

By SCOTT PASKE

SAN ANTONIO -- It's a leap year, right?

That's always a good sign for the Kansas Jayhawks when a national basketball championship is on the line.

The storied program that won NCAA titles with stars Clyde Lovellette in 1952 and Danny Manning in 1988 found some new heroes rise out of a gloomy situation Monday night at the Alamodome.

It started with Mario Chalmers, who hit a three-pointer that helped KU complete a rally from a nine-point deficit and forced the seventh overtime game in NCAA championship history. Darrell Arthur and Brandon Rush took it from there, scoring the first baskets of the extra period that spurred the Jayhawks to a 75-68 victory and set off a confetti-showered celebration in front of 43,257 fans.
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The Commercial Appeal, April 8, 2008 Newseum Image

April 8, 2008: A Page One column in the Memphis, Tennessee newspaper, The Commercial Appeal:

Heartbreak

By TOM CHARLIER 

SAN ANTONIO -- Right up until the bitter end, they had to believe.

Right up until Kansas guard Sherron Collins sank two late free throws and there was nothing left but the awarding of the trophy, Memphis fans had to believe their Tigers could pull off one more dazzling play, one more escape.

But nothing, surely not Monday night's 75-68 overtime loss in the NCAA Championship Game, could dim the legacy of a Tiger team that already had secured its place in the memories of Memphis fans.

Years from now, those fans will recall Joey Dorsey's blocks and Derrick Rose's drives the same way others conjure images of Larry Finch's jumpers and Keith Lee's dunks.

They'll remember how -- on the weekend of the grim 40th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination -- some young men united a city.

This, they'll say, was a Tiger team for the ages.
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The Washington Post, April 8, 2008 Newseum Image

April 8, 2008: An excerpt from a story in The Washington Post:

2008 Pulitzer Prize Winners

By The Associated Press

Public Service: The Washington Post for exposing the mistreatment of wounded veterans at Walter Reed Hospital.

Breaking News Reporting: The Washington Post staff for its coverage of the Virginia Tech massacre.

Investigative Reporting: Walt Bogdanich and Jake Hooker of The New York Times and the Chicago Tribune Staff. The Times won for stories on toxic ingredients in medicine and other products imported from China; the Tribune for exposing faulty regulation of toys, car seats and cribs.

Explanatory Reporting: Amy Harmon of The New York Times for her examination of the dilemmas and ethical issues that accompany DNA testing.

Local Reporting: David Umhoefer of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for stories on the skirting of tax laws to pad pensions of county employees.

National Reporting: Jo Becker and Barton Gellman of The Washington Post for their exploration of Vice President Dick Cheney's influence on national policy.

International Reporting: Steve Fainaru of The Washington Post for his series on private security contractors in Iraq that operate outside most of the laws governing American forces.

Feature Writing: Gene Weingarten of The Washington Post for chronicling the violinist Joshua Bell as he played beautiful music in a subway station filled with unheeding commuters.

Commentary: Steven Pearlstein of The Washington Post for columns exploring the nation's complex economic ills.

Criticism: Mark Feeney of The Boston Globe for his command of the visual arts, from film and photography to painting.

Editorial Writing: No award.

Editorial Cartooning: Michael Ramirez of Investor's Business Daily for what the judges called his "provocative cartoons."

Photography: Adrees Latif of Reuters for his photograph of a Japanese videographer, sprawled on the pavement, fatally wounded during a street demonstration in Myanmar.

Feature Photography: Preston Gannaway of the Concord (N.H.) Monitor for her chronicle of a family coping with a parent's terminal illness.

(See also: Poynter's "Anatomy of a Pulitzer: Q&A with Hull and Priest" by Al Tompkins.)
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The Daily Telegraph, April 7, 2008 Newseum Image

April 7, 2008: An excerpt from a story in the London, England newspaper, The Daily Telegraph:

Olympic torch relay nearly abandoned

By RICHARD EDWARDS AND DAVID THOMAS

The Olympic torch relay through London was almost abandoned as hundreds of demonstrators clashed with police amid ugly and chaotic scenes.

The Daily Telegraph has learnt that organisers, including Chinese officials, discussed "pulling out" of the day-long relay after just a few hours, as police fought running battles with wave after wave of anti-China protesters.

Thirty-seven people were arrested, mostly for breaching the peace and public order offences, in what had officially been described as a "journey of harmony" to celebrate this year's Beijing Olympics. Some of the high-profile sports stars who ran the relay, which was supposed to be a showcase for British sport, branded it "a national disgrace".

Throughout the 31-mile route, campaigners protesting against China's crackdown on pro-independence activists in Tibet and its human rights record, broke from the crowds and charged towards the flame.

(See also: Monday online story about Olympic torch relay in Paris, "Olympic torch extinguished amid Paris protests." )
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The Commercial Appeal, April 4, 2008 Newseum Image

April 4, 2008: An excerpt from an editorial in the Memphis, Tennessee newspaper, The Commercial Appeal:

Striving to reach the goals MLK set
Dr. King's death was the stuff of mythology, but he was a real man who still challenges society to change

Out of no disrespect for the Christian tradition, a disciple of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. refers to Memphis as if it were Dr. King's Gethsemane, the place where Jesus and his disciples prayed together after the Last Supper.

Reflecting on his experience with King after the passage of 40 years, Jesse Jackson, who was with King when he was assassinated outside his room at the Lorraine Motel on the evening of April 4, 1968, remembers a weary leader.

He remembers a somber, reflective man who seemed to be more aware than those around him on the eve of his assassination of the dangers that he faced -- so much so that he had to be coaxed into delivering what came to be known as the "mountaintop" speech at Mason Temple.

The speech, the last of his career, foreshadowed his death and was inflected with such pathos that it made men cry.

King's martyrdom in the cause of civil rights was so profound that followers like Jackson, a minister by vocation, instinctively reach for Biblical metaphors to describe what King meant to them.

The mythological dimension, however, only goes so far to explain why we pause every April 4 to remember him.
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Asheville Citizen-Times, March 28, 2008 Newseum Image

March 28, 2008: An excerpt from a story in the North Carolina newspaper, the Asheville Citizen-Times:

Presidential campaigns draw crowds in WNC

By JORDAN SCHRADER  

A visit today from former President Clinton could mean the Democrats racing for the White House aren't far behind.

If the campaign trail for Sen. Barack Obama or Sen. Hillary Clinton winds through the mountains, it would offer a rare chance for Western North Carolina to be ground zero in presidential politics.

....Some of the presidential candidates who campaigned in Western North Carolina:

Sept. 16, 1896: William Jennings Bryan made a speech in Asheville during his first of three presidential bids. He came shortly after making his "Cross of Gold" speech to oppose the gold standard that secured him the Democratic nomination. He was defeated by William McKinley.

1912: Former President Theodore Roosevelt, campaigning on the Bull Moose ticket, spoke from the back of a train to a crowd at the Southern Railway station. He later lost to Woodrow Wilson.

Sept. 9-10, 1936: President Franklin D. Roosevelt stayed overnight at the Grove Park Inn before addressing a crowd at McCormick Field. His motorcade drove through the Great Smoky Mountains to Asheville, then through Lake Lure the next day on the way to Charlotte. He would win re-election....

(See also: Poynter's Links to the News page, "Republican & Democratic Convention History 1856-2008.")
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Asahi Shimbun, March 26, 2008 Newseum Image

March 26, 2008: The Tokyo, Japan newspaper, Asahi Shimbun, reports on U.S. Major League Baseball's 2008 season opener between Boston and Oakland. Here is an excerpt from an updated story on The Boston Globe Web site:  

Red Sox settle for split after Harden silences bats
Ramirez's 491st career homer the only offense for Boston

By GORDON EDES

TOKYO -- Days before his start against the Red Sox, Oakland pitcher Rich Harden bought an ancient samurai sword. The purchase was purely for recreational purposes -- Harden is a collector -- though given the way the Sox have treated him in the past, any inclination to arm himself was defensible.

Harden didn't need any accessories today. His strong right shoulder, finally healthy after two years of assorted miseries, was sufficient to bend the Sox to his will in a 5-1 Oakland win that sent both teams back across the Pond with a split of this two-game exercise to create some global warming for Major League Baseball.
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Die Tageszeitung, March 25, 2008 Newseum Image

March 25, 2008: The Berlin, Germany newspaper, Die Tageszeitung, reports on the pro-Tibet Olympic torch protest in Greece. Here is an excerpt from a story on the BBC Web site:

Olympic torch lit despite protest

Protesters from media rights group Reporters Without Borders broke through the cordon of 1,000 police officers in Olympia as China's envoy spoke.

Activists had vowed to protest over the violence in and around Tibet.

The torch will now be carried in an around-the-world relay through 20 countries, before arriving in Beijing for the start of the Games on 8 August.

As Liu Qi, head of the Beijing Olympic organising committee, spoke ahead of the torch lighting, three men broke into the ceremony venue.

One ran up behind him attempting to display a black flag depicting the Olympic rings made from handcuffs.

The men were from the France-based media rights watchdog Reporters Sans Frontieres (Reporters Without Borders, or RSF), which has called for a boycott of the opening ceremony of the games.
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Rocky Mountain News, March 24, 2008 Newseum Image

March 24, 2008: An excerpt from a story in the Rocky Mountain News:

Bomb kills 4 US soldiers in Baghdad, raising overall US death toll in war to 4,000

By ROBERT H. REID (Associated Press)

BAGHDAD -- A roadside bomb killed four U.S. soldiers in Baghdad on Sunday, the military said, pushing the overall American death toll in the five-year war to at least 4,000.

The grim milestone came on the same day that rockets and mortars pounded the U.S.-protected Green Zone, underscoring the fragile security situation and the resilience of both Sunni and Shiite extremist groups despite an overall lull in violence.

A Multi-National Division -- Baghdad soldier also was wounded in the roadside bombing, which struck the soldiers' patrol vehicle about 10 p.m. in southern Baghdad, according to a statement.

Identities of those killed were withheld pending notification of relatives.

The 4,000 figure is according to an Associated Press count that includes eight civilians who worked for the Department of Defense.

Last year, the U.S. military deaths spiked along with the Pentagon's "surge" -- the arrival of more than 30,000 extra troops trying to regain control of Baghdad and surrounding areas. The mission was generally considered a success, but the cost was evident as soldiers pushed into Sunni insurgent strongholds and challenged Shiite militias.
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Link, March 20, 2008 Newseum Image

March 20, 2008
Page One from the Hampton Roads, Virginia newspaper, Link, which is a publication of The Virginian-Pilot. The Virginian-Pilot Web site maintains a page honoring Hampton Roads residents who have died serving in Iraq. It is part of their coverage on the Iraq War. 




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Winston-Salem Journal, March 19, 2008 Newseum Image

March 19, 2008: An excerpt from a story in the Winston-Salem Journal:

Will it be another five or even more?

By The Associated Press

WEST POINT, N.Y. -- A father in the American heartland agonizes as his son prepares for a second tour in Iraq. Baghdad morgue workers wash bodies for burial after a suicide attack. Army cadets study the shifting tactics of Iraqi insurgents for a battle they will inherit.

On the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq, these snapshots of gnawing fear, raw violence and youthful resolve raise a single question.

How much longer?

Most likely, the war will go on for years, say many commanders and military analysts. In fact, it's possible to consider this just the midpoint. The U.S. combat role in Iraq could have another five years ahead -- or maybe more, depending on the resilience of the insurgency and the U.S. political will to maintain the fight.

"Four years, optimistically" before the Pentagon can begin a significant troop withdrawal from Iraq, predicted Eric Rosenbach, the executive director of the Center for International Affairs at Harvard's Kennedy School, "and more like seven or eight years" until Iraqi forces can handle the bulk of their own security.

What that means depends largely on your vantage point.
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Diario do Comercio, March 18, 2008 Newseum Image

March 18, 2008 
Page One financial news from the Sao Paulo, Brazil newspaper, Diario do Comercio



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The Telegraph, March 17, 2008 Newseum Image

March 17, 2008: An excerpt from a story in the Calcutta, India newspaper, The Telegraph:

Riots roll beyond Tibet

(Written with agency reports)

March 16: Violence spilled over from Tibet into neighbouring provinces today as Tibetans defied a crackdown and China spoke of a "people's war" to crush the protest.

Protests were reported in Sichuan, Qinghai and Gansu provinces. All are home to Tibetan populations.

The demonstrations came after five days of protests in Lhasa escalated into violence on Friday with Buddhist monks and others torching police cars and shops in the fiercest challenge to Beijing's rule over the region in two decades.

As the government's Monday deadline for the protesters to surrender approached, China lapsed into prose laced with customary pyrotechnics.

"We must wage a people's war to beat splittism and expose and condemn the malicious acts of these hostile forces and expose the hideous face of the Dalai Lama group to the light of day," political and security chiefs in Tibet were quoted as saying.

The details emerging from witness accounts and government statements suggested Beijing was preparing a methodical campaign -- one that if carefully modulated would minimise bloodshed and avoid wrecking Beijing's grand plans for the Olympics.
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The New York Times, March 13, 2008 Newseum Image

March 13, 2008: An excerpt from a story in The New York Times:

Felled by Scandal, Spitzer Says Focus Is on His Family

By DAVID KOCIENIEWSKI and DANNY HAKIM

Gov. Eliot Spitzer, whose rise to political power as a fierce enforcer of ethics in public life was undone by revelations of his own involvement with prostitutes, resigned on Wednesday, becoming the first New York governor to leave office amid scandal in nearly a century.

The resignation will be effective on Monday at noon. Lt. Gov. David A. Paterson, a state legislator for 22 years and the heir to a Harlem political dynasty, will be sworn in as New York's 55th governor, making him the state's first black chief executive.

Mr. Spitzer announced he was stepping down at a grim appearance at his Midtown Manhattan office, less than 48 hours after it emerged that he had been intercepted on a federal wiretap confirming plans to meet a call girl from a high-priced prostitution service in Washington, leaving the public stunned and angered and bringing business in the State Capitol to a halt.

With his wife, Silda Wall Spitzer, at his side, Mr. Spitzer, a Democrat, said he would leave political life to concentrate on healing himself and his family.

"Over the course of my public life, I have insisted -- I believe correctly -- that people regardless of their position or power take responsibility for their conduct," he said. "I can and will ask no less of myself. For this reason, I am resigning from the office of governor."
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The Natchez Democrat, March 12, 2008 Newseum Image

March 12, 2008: An excerpt from a story in the Mississippi newspaper, The Natchez Democrat:

Obama, McCain win Mississippi

By The Associated Press

JACKSON (AP) -- Barack Obama coasted to victory in Mississippi's Democratic primary Tuesday, latest in a string of racially polarized presidential contests across the Deep South and a final tune-up before next month's high-stakes race with Hillary Rodham Clinton in Pennsylvania.

Obama was winning roughly 90 percent of the black vote but only about one-quarter of the white vote, extending a pattern that carried him to victory in earlier primaries in South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia and Louisiana.

His triumph seemed unlikely to shorten a Democratic marathon expected to last at least six more weeks -- and possibly far longer -- while Republicans and their nominee-in-waiting, Sen. John McCain, turn their attention to the fall campaign.

"Now we look forward to campaigning in Pennsylvania and around the country," Maggie Williams, Clinton's campaign manager, said in a written statement that congratulated Obama on his victory.

"I'm confident that once we get a nominee, the party is going to be unified," Obama said as he collected his victory.
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Apple Daily, March 10, 2008 Newseum Image

March 10, 2008
Front page baseball from the Taipei, Taiwan newspaper, Apple Daily.

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The News & Observer, March 7, 2008 Newseum Image

March 7, 2008: An excerpt from a story in the Raleigh, North Carolina newspaper, The News & Observer:

Page One Photo Caption:
This photo -- displaying thoughts Eve Carson scribbled on her palm as part of an art project called 'Why Do You Do What You Do?' -- was taken Monday. 'I want any excuse to work with my classmates (and help them do what they want to do ... because that's what I wanted to do),' she wrote. University of North Carolina student leaders wrote their responses to the question on their palms because hands are symbolic of leadership.

'Carolina, ... the whole world, has lost a lot'

By ANNE BLYTHE and CHERYL JOHNSTON SADGROVE 

Eve Carson, with her top-notch grades, charisma and drive to help others, led a life bright with possibilities.

What escaped her was time.

Carson, the UNC-Chapel Hill student body president found shot to death early Wednesday morning in a quiet, wooded Chapel Hill neighborhood, was only 22. With no ID on her and a scant police description, she was cloaked in anonymity almost a mile from the campus where she was admired by many.

On Thursday, as the somber news spread through Chapel Hill and beyond, students struggled for words. UNC leaders grappled with grief.

"She had a level of commitment, passion, caring for people, that was extraordinarily rare in a person of any age." said Roger Perry, chairman of the UNC-CH Board of Trustees. "She was a person who, in my mind, was destined for great things. Not only has Carolina lost a lot, humankind, the whole world, has lost a lot."
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The Plain Dealer, March 5, 2008 Newseum Image

March 5, 2008
The Plain Dealer (Cleveland, Ohio)



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Houston Chronicle, March 5, 2008 Newseum Image

March 5, 2008
Houston Chronicle




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Red Eye, March 5, 2008 Newseum Image

March 5, 2008
Red Eye (Chicago)



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The Providence Journal, March 5, 2008 Newseum Image

March 5, 2008
The Providence Journal



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The Burlington Free Press, March 5, 2008 Newseum Image

March 5, 2008
The Burlington Free Press (Vermont)




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Sun Herald, March 5, 2008 Newseum Image

March 5, 2008: An excerpt from a story in the Biloxi, Mississippi newspaper, the Sun Herald:

Favre makes surprise decision

By JIM MASHEK 

In the end, Brett Favre was on no one's timetable but his own.

The Green Bay Packers' legendary quarterback, the Coast's most celebrated athletic figure ever, has decided to retire.

Few of us saw this one coming.

Favre guided the Packers to within an eyelash of the Super Bowl in his 17th NFL season, a couple of years after his performance dictated maybe it was time to hang 'em up. The former Hancock North Central star, who learned the game from his dad, his high school coach, wanted to keep playing.

So he did.

That's what separates Favre from his peers. He kept playing. Injuries, Father Time, family tragedy, it seemed almost nothing could stop him. Once he succeeded Dan Majkowski as the Packers' quarterback, he never missed a start. Never. That's the record that means the most to him. That's the record that showed how much his teammates could count on him.

That's the record that will pretty much define his career.
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Journal Sentinel, March 5, 2008 Newseum Image

March 5, 2008: An excerpt from a story in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin newspaper, the Journal Sentinel:

Clock runs out
Retirement surprises Packers, fans

 

By TOM SILVERSTEIN

 

Green Bay -- Everyone figured it had to come to an end someday.

 

Yet Sunday after Sunday, season after season, fans woke up and Brett Favre was still quarterback of the Green Bay Packers. Over a 16-year period he wove himself into the fabric of this state like no other athlete, and for the 5,867 days since his arrival Feb. 10, 1992, there was rarely any doubt where he would be on opening day.

 

Children grew into adults, adults watched their hair turn gray, yet Brett Favre remained the quarterback.

 

Until Tuesday. . . .

 

The day when the streak ended. And just like that, Favre's time expired.
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Green Bay Press-Gazette, March 4, 2008 Image from Newspaper's Web site

March 4, 2008: An excerpt from a story in the Green Bay Press-Gazette:

EXTRA: Mentally drained Favre hangs it up after 17 years

 

By PETE DOUGHERTY 

 

Brett Favre's singular career as the Green Bay Packers' quarterback for 16 seasons officially ended this morning.

 

The Packers announced the sure first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer's decision a little before 10 a.m., following numerous reports Favre had informed coach Mike McCarthy of his decision on Monday night.

 

Favre's decision ends one of the most successful eras in Packers history and the 17-year career of one of the NFL's best-ever players and probably the greatest player in the team's storied 89-year history.

 

During the Favre era, the Packers won their first Super Bowl since the Vince Lombardi era, had the NFL's best record (160-93) and made 11 playoff appearances. He also is the first and only player to win three consecutive NFL Most Valuable Player awards.

 

He retires holding all of the NFL's major career passing records, including touchdown passes, passing yards and completions, as well as possibly the most impressive individual career record of all: consecutive starts by a quarterback, at 253.

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Quick, March 4, 2008 Newseum Image

March 4, 2008
 Quick (Dallas, Texas)




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The Cincinnati Enquirer, March 4, 2008 Newseum Image

March 4, 2008
The Cincinnati Enquirer





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New York Post, March 4, 2008 Newseum Image

March 4, 2008
New York Post





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Moskovskaya Pravda, March 3, 2008 Newseum Image

March 3, 2008: The Moscow, Russia newspaper, Moskovskaya Pravda, reports on the Russian presidential election. Here is an excerpt from a story on the BBC Web site:

Muted welcome for Russia leader

Western leaders have congratulated Dmitry Medvedev on becoming Russia's new president, but Western observers have highlighted flaws in the election.
European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso said he was confident that the EU-Russia "strategic partnership" would develop.

German congratulations were mixed with regret about apparent irregularities. Mr Medvedev won by a landslide.

The UK said it would "judge the new government on its actions".

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said the EU and Russia had to start a new dialogue.

The head of the only Western observer mission in Russia, Andreas Gross, told the BBC that the ballot - although flawed - reflected the will of the electorate.

The observers said candidates had been denied equal access to the media, and registration procedures made it hard for independents to stand, but conceded that Mr Medvedev had a solid mandate.