March 5, 2008

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
Huckabee's Improbable Campaign Comes to an End With McCain's Wins
Liz Halloran/U.S. News & World Report (03/05/2008)
"I fought the good fight," Huckabee told supporters, quoting the writings of the Apostle Paul. "I've finished the race, and I've kept the faith." In the process, the former Baptist minister not only promoted the issues of Republican evangelicals but helped turn a slew of well-funded sure things into also-rans.

Huckabee concedes race
Leslie Eaton/IHT (03/05/2008)
Huckabee gave no clue to what he intends to do next, other than to return to Little Rock, Arkansas, on Tuesday night. But he vowed to keep working for the issues he and his supporters believe in, including opposition to abortion and a major change in the tax system.

Huckabee backs McCain, but will his followers?
Ed Stoddard/Reuters (03/05/2008)
DALLAS - Former White House hopeful Mike Huckabee endorsed Sen. John McCain as he dropped out of the Republican presidential race on Tuesday night. But the million-dollar question is: will his network of evangelical supporters follow his lead?

MARRIAGE AND FAMILY
California Supreme Court in gay marriage storm
Howard Mintz/San Jose Mercury News (03/05/2008)
The California Supreme Court is seemingly as divided as society is over gay marriage. For more than three hours Tuesday, the seven justices of the state's high court shifted back and forth on whether to uphold California's ban on same-sex marriage, at times appearing to spar with each other as they weighed their most important civil rights case in decades.

Definition of Marriage Is at Heart of California Case
Adam Liptak/New York Times (03/05/2008)
California has a domestic partnership law that gives gay and lesbian couples nearly all of the legal rights and responsibilities that come with heterosexual marriage. That leaves open the question posed by Justice Moreno, one freighted with history, symbolism and emotion: What is so special about marriage?

EDUCATION
2nd thoughts on moment of silence
Ray Long and Jeffrey Meitrodt/Chicago Tribune (03/05/2008)
SPRINGFIELD - Most legislators thought it was a terrific idea last fall when they required students in Illinois schools to have a moment of silence to pray or reflect, but House lawmakers now think they could have used a few more moments for reflection themselves before they put the law in place.

ARTS AND MEDIA
Organ crew builds the 'voice of God'
Julie Scharper/Baltimore Sun (03/05/2008)
For nearly two decades, the parishioners of St. Martin's-in-the-Field Episcopal Church in Severna Park dreamed of hearing pipe organ music in their sanctuary each Sunday. A few years ago, they started raising money - to the tune of nearly half a million dollars - and ordered an organ to be custom-built for the church. The organ, including each of the 1,349 pipes, arrived in a tractor-trailer this week.