Martin v. Carnahan

by Michael Warren, The Weekly Standard

Could the voters that sent Dick Gephardt to Washington 14 times ever vote for a Republican? 2010 would be the year to do it, and Ed Martin says he’s the Republican who can win Missouri’s Third Congressional District.

School's in, energy's up

by Mark Hensch, Raleigh News & Observer

Traditional calendar students rang in a new school year Wednesday with events that ranged from the serious to the silly. At Root Elementary School in Raleigh, the 500 students started their morning with a rock concert. Principal Drew Ware grabbed his acoustic guitar, "Lisa," and serenaded them over the intercom with a school theme song he wrote to the tune of Hootie & The Blowfish's "Hold My Hand." Students sang along, knowing the words by heart.

Dallas County's alternative sentencing program lets low-level offenders do time at home

by Ananda Boardman, The Dallas Morning News

What's the difference between a stark jail cell and the comforts of home? For a few lucky Dallas County criminals, the answer is nothing. Under the county's alternative sentencing plan, certain low-level offenders discharge their sentences under ankle-monitored house arrest, giving them the opportunity to keep their jobs, eat home-cooked meals and enjoy the interaction of family and friends.

Students have new options for books

by Mark Hensch, Raleigh News & Observer

Triangle college students racing to pick up textbooks this week are saving money through a number of alternatives to the old practice of buying new and used classroom tomes from campus bookstores. Students are increasingly able to rent books for the semester at up to half the list price or to purchase electronic texts on devices such as Kindle, Nook or iPad.

East Coast bias - for BlackBerry

by Oliver Renick, New York Post

Forget Yankees-Red Sox. How's this for a feud? Tech-savvy New Yorkers are far likelier than San Franciscans to pick BlackBerrys over iPhones, according to a survey released yesterday.