Links to the News

San Francisco Chronicle, July 31, 2007 Newseum Image

July 31, 2007: An excerpt from a story in the San Francisco Chronicle:

Former 49er head coach Bill Walsh dies

By TOM FITZGERALD

Bill Walsh, the imaginative and charismatic coach who took over a downtrodden 49ers team and built one of the greatest franchises in NFL history, died Monday morning at his home in Woodside at the age of 75, after a three-year struggle with leukemia.

A master of using short, precisely timed passes to control the ball in what became known as the West Coast offense, he guided the team to three Super Bowl championships and six NFC West division titles in his 10 years as head coach.

It took far more than an innovative offense for Walsh to become one of the most revered figures in Bay Area sports. He handled NFL drafts adeptly and polished his management style by studying the leadership of Civil War and World War II generals. When it came to cutting veteran players whom he thought were on the way downhill, he could be ruthless.

The 49ers had been wrecked by mismanagement and unwise personnel decisions under former general manager Joe Thomas when owner Ed DeBartolo Jr. cleaned house in 1979. Walsh, who had led Stanford to two bowl victories in two seasons as head coach, took a 49ers team that had finished 2-14 in 1978 and built a Super Bowl champion in three years. It was one of the most remarkable turnarounds in professional sports history.
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Norrkopings Tidningar, July 31, 2007 Newseum Image

July 31, 2007:
The Swedish newspaper, Norrkopings Tidningar, remembers filmmaker Ingmar Bergman, who died Monday at his home off the coast of Sweden.




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The Baltimore Sun, July 30, 2007 Newseum Image

July 30, 2007: An excerpt from a story in The Baltimore Sun:

At home in the Hall
Orioles legend joins baseball immortals in Cooperstown

By DAN CONNOLLY

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. -- The record-setting crowd shouted out its love of Cal Ripken Jr. at yesterday's Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony. But it was when Ripken was expressing love for his family that the usually stoic Orioles great lost his composure.

Speaking of his son and daughter, Ripken became visibly moved, wiped tears from his eye and momentarily stopped his speech. Moments later, he again had to compose himself after mentioning his wife.

From among the estimated 75,000 spilling out beyond the Clark Sports Center field and onto weed-covered hills nearly 300 yards from the podium came cries of "We love you, Cal!"

For Ripken and fellow inductee Tony Gwynn, it was a day to express love -- for family, friends, mentors and the game of baseball -- and to feel it from a legion of fans.

While the affable Gwynn, an eight-time batting champ from the San Diego Padres, was well-supported by Padres fans who made the 3,000-mile trek to upstate New York, the majority of those in attendance were wearing Orioles orange and black and cheering for Ripken, Aberdeen's favorite son.
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The San Diego Union-Tribune, July 30, 2007 Newseum Image

July 30, 2007: An excerpt from a story in The San Diego Union-Tribune:

Tony Gwynn takes his place among baseball's elite

By CHRIS JENKINS

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. -- If it were simply a baseball game, even the biggest baseball game of his life, he could have played it cool in the hottest heat. Throw him a change, a change of any kind, and he could handle it with nary a flinch.

Precisely because he was so adept as a hitter, Tony Gwynn yesterday was sitting in a bus full of baseball legends as it approached the Clark Sports Center, site of the Hall of Fame induction ceremony for him and Cal Ripken Jr.

Gwynn had barely absorbed the stunning view of 75,000 people assembled in the duo's honor -- by far the largest crowd ever for an induction ceremony -- when he learned that the lineup had just been changed because of threatening weather.

Instead of going third in the order, his customary and assigned spot, Gwynn was up first yesterday. Leadoff. With only minutes to go.

Admittedly, he freaked.
 
"I was scared to death," Gwynn said. "Like Cal, I was the kind of player who liked to be prepared. But when things change, man, now you're scrambling."
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The Arizona Republic, July 28, 2007 Newseum Image

July 28, 2007: An excerpt from a story in The Arizona Republic:

Crash of 2 helicopters stuns Valley

By JOHN FAHERTY

In a calm, steady voice, the pilot from Channel 15's helicopter asked a question that revealed just how confusing and dangerous covering a police chase from the air can be.

It was moments before Friday's midair crash that killed four people, and pilot Craig Smith wanted to know the exact location of Channel 3's helicopter.

Only his voice could be heard:

"Where's 3?"

"Like how far? Oh, jeez."

"3, I'm right over you. 15's right over you."

"Oh, jeez."

At 12:47 p.m., the sound of metal hitting metal was heard over the air at Channel 15 (KNXV), and the live signal from the helicopter went to static.

Both helicopters fell hard and burst into flames at the park near Central Avenue and Indian School Road.

Smith and photographer Rick Krolak died, as did the pilot from Channel 3 (KTVK), Scott Bowerbank, and photographer Jim Cox. Anchors at both stations went from narrating a police chase to tearfully chronicling the deaths of their colleagues.
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Winston-Salem Journal, July 27, 2007 Newseum Image

July 27, 2007: An excerpt from a story in the Winston-Salem Journal:

Friend, Teacher, Coach: His heart-attack death hits university, city hard

By DAN COLLINS 

Skip Prosser came to coach basketball at Wake Forest because it was in a conference, and an area of the country, with a deep passion for the game.

"As a coach, you want to be someplace where they care," Prosser said in 2001.

In his six years at Wake Forest, people from the school and the area also came to care about Prosser.

That was painfully obvious yesterday when Prosser collapsed and died of what Dr. William Applegate, the dean of the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, said was probably a massive heart attack. Prosser was 56.

News of his death rocked the community, the ACC and all of college basketball.
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DAG, July 26, 2007 Newseum Image

July 26, 2007:
The Amsterdam, Netherlands newspaper, DAG, reports on the expulsion of Tour de France leader Mark Rasmussen of Denmark for violating team policy.



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Trud, July 25, 2007 Newseum Image

July 25, 2007: 
The Sofia, Bulgaria newspaper, Trud, reports on the release of five Bulgarian nurses who were held in a Libyan prison for eight years.
 


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The Post and Courier, July 24, 2007 Newseum Image

July 24, 2007: An excerpt from a story in the Charleston, South Carolina newspaper, The Post and Courier:

Democrats.com

By ROBERT BEHRE 

All eight Democratic presidential candidates on Monday came to The Citadel to answer 40 videotaped questions submitted by ordinary Americans on everything from slavery reparations, military-style weapons and gay marriage, as well as the larger issues that have dominated the campaign so far.

The two-hour debate, aired live on CNN, was historic not only because it was the first ever held in Charleston but also because its questions were sent in via the video Web site YouTube.com, marking an unprecedented use of the Internet on the presidential debate stage.

The questions came from people of all ages and ilks. Sheena Currell, a young student from Blythewood, asked candidates who their favorite teacher was, and a talking snowman in Minneapolis said, "I've been growing concerned that global warming, the single most important issue to the snowmen of this country, is being neglected."
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Glos Szczecinski, July 23, 2007 Newseum Image

July 23, 2007:
The Polish newspaper, Glos Szczecinski, reports on a tragic bus crash in France. At least 26 Catholic Polish pilgrims were killed when their bus crashed in the French Alps. 



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Kennebec Journal, July 23, 2007

July 23, 2007: An excerpt from a column in the Augusta, Maine newspaper, the Kennebec Journal:

For I was Hungry: About this series

By JOHN CHRISTIE, Publisher

The week-long series that begins today on this page is one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken by this newspaper.

"For I was hungry" documents the depth and breadth of hunger in Maine, from the dramatic increase in food pantries to the thousands of children who come to school hungry to the elderly with bare cupboards.

In one way, "For I was hungry" is not a typical newspaper series. Most series are written by news reporters or a team of reporters. But this series was researched and written solely by the Opinion page editor and not only reports the facts of hunger in Maine, but also editorializes about what should be done about this sad and urgent problem.
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Waco Tribune-Herald, July 20, 2007 Newseum Image

July 20, 2007: An excerpt from a story in the Waco Tribune-Herald:

Charmed by Harry
After a decade of reading, it's time for fans to say goodbye to J.K. Rowling's explosive series

By CARL HOOVER

It's a matter of hours now before another year in the life of Harry Potter passes before our eyes.

For millions of fans who have virtually grown up with the young English wizard-in-training, tonight's 11 p.m. release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows offers the same excruciating anticipation as Christmas or a birthday.

Tonight, 10 short years and seven long Harry Potter books later, come these bittersweet words: It's the last book.

Connally Intermediate School sixth-grader Jacob Lascsak plans to be there, decked out in his Gryffindor House robes, armed with a wand and eager to tackle potion-making, trivia, costume contests and other traditional Potter party activities, though he and parents Shelli and Justin Lascsak haven't decided which bookstore event to attend.
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Daily News, July 19, 2007 Newseum Image

July 19, 2007: An excerpt from a story in the New York Daily News:

Volcano on 41st Street
One dead, dozens injured after steampipe erupts in midtown

By JONATHAN LEMIRE, OREN YANIV and BILL HUTCHINSON

A massive underground explosion triggered a deadly volcano-like eruption in the heart of midtown yesterday, shooting a geyser of bricks, mud and debris some 30 stories high and blanketing the area in smoke.

A middle-aged woman died at Bellevue Hospital after going into cardiac arrest when scalding, 400-degree steam vented uncontrollably from the ground near the Chrysler Building just feet from her, a doctor at Bellevue Hospital said.

At least 20 people were treated at Manhattan hospitals. Two were in critical condition with severe burns at New York-Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell, including the driver of a tow truck that was swallowed by a crater 25 feet wide by 15 feet deep. Officials said the man, burned over 80% of his body, was in a medically induced coma.

A school bus that had been carrying 15 children home from the Pierce County Day Camp in Roslyn, L.I., was caught in the middle of the blast -- but luckily, the kids had been dropped off minutes earlier.

The earth-ripping blast came at the height of the evening rush hour, sparking panic and fears of terrorism. Thousands of people ran for their lives, screaming and crying through the streets. Several women ran right out of their high heels.

Mayor Bloomberg was quick to rule out sabotage, blaming the rupture of the 83-year-old, 20-inch steampipe on "a failure of our infrastructure."

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Diario do Comercio, July 18, 2007 Newseum Image

July 18, 2007:
The Sao Paulo, Brazil newspaper, Diario do Comercio, reports on the crash of an airliner at Sao Paulo's Congonhas airport. At least 200 are feared dead.


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The Asahi Shimbun, July 17, 2007 Newseum Image

July 17, 2007: An excerpt from a story in the Tokyo, Japan newspaper, The Asahi Shimbun:

Niigata quake toll rises; hundreds hurt

by Asahi Shimbun staff

A magnitude 6.8 earthquake rocked Niigata and Nagano prefectures Monday morning, killing at least seven people, injuring hundreds and causing emergency shutdowns of nuclear reactors.

More than 8,000 people were evacuated from their homes as aftershocks struck.

The 10:13 a.m. quake registered upper 6 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7, Japan Meteorological Agency officials said.
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The News Tribune, July 16, 2007 Newseum Image

July 16, 2007: An excerpt from a story in the Tacoma, Washington newspaper, The News Tribune:

It's open: Sneakers, paws, stroller wheels create first traffic jam

By ROB CARSON

They came and came and just kept coming.

More than 50,000 people streamed onto the new Tacoma Narrows bridge Sunday, pushing baby strollers, snapping pictures and gazing up in awe at the massive cables and concrete towers.

"It is just amazing. Absolutely fantastic," said Lisa Smith of Olympia, shepherding her two children across the span. "This is going to be a memory that stays with them the rest of their lives."

The rush started at 8 a.m. when the first of more than 10,000 participants in a fun run burst onto the bridge from the Tacoma side.

At 10 a.m., when the bridge opened to the general public, people arrived so rapidly volunteer counters stationed at both ends could barely move their thumbs fast enough on their hand-held clickers. On the Tacoma side, an estimated 2,700 people crossed onto the bridge in just 15 minutes.

At the height of the day, the entire mile-long bridge deck was quivering perceptibly under all the human traffic.
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Austin American-Statesman, July 12, 2007 Newseum Image

July 12, 2007: An excerpt from a story in the Austin American-Statesman:

Texas' Lady Bird is gone

By JANET WILSON

Her marriage to a larger-than-life Texan thrust a shy, small-town girl named Lady Bird Johnson into the national spotlight. A love affair with the great outdoors kept her there.

And though nationally, she was best known as the wife of Lyndon B. Johnson, the 36th president, Mrs. Johnson was very much a figure in her own right. She mixed Southern graciousness with a quiet, cast-iron fortitude that not only won admirers but allowed her to steer a large business enterprise and help forge a national environmental movement.

The oldest living former first lady of the United States died at 4:18 p.m. Wednesday at her West Lake Hills home. She was 94. The cause of death was respiratory failure.
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Tulsa World, July 11, 2007 Newseum Image

July 11, 2007: An excerpt from a story in the Tulsa World:

Doug Marlette, World editorial cartoonist, dies in Mississippi accident

By Staff reports

MEMPHIS, Tenn -- Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist Doug Marlette was killed Tuesday morning in a car crash.

Marlette, 57, joined the Tulsa World staff as its editorial cartoonist Feb. 12, 2006. He is survived by his wife, Melinda, and an adult son, Jackson.

....Robert E. Lorton III, publisher and president of the Tulsa World, said: ''This is a great tragedy, not only for the Tulsa World family, but for all who knew Doug. He was more than a great cartoonist and author, he was a tremendous human being. Words cannot express the grief that we are all feeling today. Our hearts go out to Melinda and all of Doug's family.''

Marlette had been in Charlotte, N.C., for the funeral of his father, Elmer Monroe Marlette. Services were held Friday. He was on his way to see friends in Oxford, Miss., at the time of the accident.

Marlette's editorial cartoons and comic strip ''Kudzu'' are syndicated in hundreds of newspapers worldwide. His work has appeared in Time, Newsweek, The New York Times and The Washington Post.

Marlette has been drawing professionally full-time since 1972, and he wrote an award-winning novel recently purchased by Paramount Pictures for film adaptation. The novel, ''The Bridge,'' was published in 2001 and voted Best Book of the Year for Fiction by the Southeast Booksellers Association in 2002.

Marlette was born in Greensboro, N.C. He graduated from Florida State University and began drawing political cartoons for The Charlotte Observer in 1972. In 1987, he was hired by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He won the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for his work at the two papers.
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The Register-Guard, July 10, 2007 Newseum Image

July 10, 2007: An excerpt from a story in the Eugene, Oregon newspaper, The Register-Guard:

One man, 105 balloons, 193 miles

By The Associated Press

BEND -- Last weekend, Bend gas station owner Kent Couch settled down in his lawn chair with some drinks and snacks -- and a parachute.

Attached to the lawn chair were 105 balloons of various colors, each 4 feet around. Bundled together, the balloons rise three stories high.

Couch carried a global positioning system device, a two-way radio, a digital camcorder and a cell phone. He also had instruments to measure his altitude and speed and about four plastic bags holding five gallons of water each to act as a ballast -- he could turn a spigot, release water and rise.

Destination: Idaho.

Nearly nine hours later, Couch was short of Idaho. But he was 193 miles from home, in a farmer's field near Union, having crossed much of Oregon at 11,000 feet and higher.

Couch, 47, is the latest American to emulate Larry Walters -- who in 1982 rose three miles above Los Angeles in a lawn chair lifted by balloons.
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Herald, July 9, 2007 Newseum Image

July 9, 2007: An excerpt from a story in the Everett, Washington newspaper, the Herald:

New jet has long way to go

By MICHELLE DUNLOP 

Millions of viewers, a media frenzy, a debut fit for a rock star: The Boeing Co.'s 787 finally has shown its face to the world.

Now what?

A new airplane's rollout draws plenty of attention. It's the first time jet customers, suppliers and the public get to look at the new aircraft.

But there's still much to be done before Boeing delivers the first Dreamliner to Japan's All Nippon Airways next May -- an event that will be the true test of how well Boeing's global production line works.
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The Anniston Star, July 6, 2007 Newseum Image

July 6, 2007: An excerpt from a story in the Alabama newspaper, The Anniston Star:

Tomorrow's the Big Day
07-07-07

By CHRISTINA SMITH

Lacey Roden doesn't leave her house on Friday the 13^th. She calls it an unlucky day.

Saturday, Roden, 17, definitely will leave her house to get married. She is hoping that July 7, 2007, will be the luckiest day of her life.

"I think (07-07-07) will be a good-luck charm," Roden, of Piedmont, said.

Roden said she hopes she and her fiance­ Robert Tyder, 21, of Ashville, will have a long, prosperous life together.

Roden will share the same wedding anniversary with thousands of other couples around the country. The bridal registry Web site, The Knot (the knot.com), has pegged the date as the most sought-after wedding day of the century.

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The Daily Telegraph, July 5, 2007 Newseum Image

July 5, 2007: An excerpt from a story in the London, England newspaper, The Daily Telegraph:

Alan Johnston's joy at end of Gaza ordeal

By TIM BUTCHER

Alan Johnston, the BBC journalist freed after being held captive in Gaza for 114 days, thanked thousands of people yesterday for their support during his ordeal.

Speaking to BBC staff in London via a link-up from Jerusalem, he said that he would be grateful for the rest of his life.

He drew laughs from the crowd when he said: "I'm going to do everything I can to stay out of trouble -- I couldn't bear it to ask you all to do all of that twice; just imagine the embarrassment."

The BBC correspondent, who was seized by a group calling itself the Army of Islam, was freed in the early hours of yesterday.

The ruling Hamas faction had surrounded the area where he was being held and gave his kidnappers an ultimatum.

Johnston told the BBC staff that he had been humbled to hear of people, most of whom did not know him, standing -- often in the rain -- week after week at vigils of support.

Describing himself as "quite a quiet bloke" he said he had been amazed to hear of even the Albert Square set of the TV soap opera EastEnders falling silent in his honour.
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Izvestia, July 3, 2007 Newseum Image

July 3, 2007:
The Moscow, Russia newspaper, Izvestia, reports on Russsian President Vladimir Putin's visit with President Bush in Kennebunkport, Maine. 




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The Herald, July 2, 2007 Newseum Image

July 2, 2007: An excerpt from a story in the Glasgow, Scotland newspaper, The Herald:

Salmond: country shows 'hope and resilience'

By ROBBIE DINWOODIE
 
The response to Scotland's first terrorist attack since the emergence of al Qaeda carried a message of "hope and resilience," the First Minister said yesterday.

Alex Salmond praised the preparedness of police and emergency services who had done "a superb job" after the attack on Glasgow Airport.

He said during a visit to the scene: "Emergency services are going home after a job well done and every person in Scotland should be grateful for their herculean effort to get this airport going and Scotland going again.

"With every passing hour, the country is getting back to business. That is a message of hope and resilience that must overcome the anxiety and fear that the terrorists seek to spread."