From SD War College:

From the Rapid City Weekly News, we’re finding out tonight that the best weekly paper in the state (and better than several dailies for political reporting) is no more:

After three and a half years and 182 editions, The Rapid City Weekly News is shutting its doors. The final edition is being distributed this week.

The Weekly News was launched on Oct. 20, 2005, in an effort to provide more local news to the Rapid City community. That goal was accomplished, as readers scooped up the free weekly newspaper, which printed 23,000 copies each week.

Michael Barone in an odd article:

Attorney General Eric Holder has dropped the charges against Ted Stevens. Here are statements from Holder and from Steven’s lawyer, Brendan Sullivan of Williams & Connolly. Clearly there has been prosecutorial misconduct of a major order. Career Justice Department lawyers, going wild in their self-righteousness; at least that’s what it looks like.

The former senator is no longer a convicted felon, so I guess Alaskans are not going to rename Ted Stevens International Airport or to rescind his award several years ago as Alaskan of the century. I have felt a certain sympathy for him all along. No, he shouldn’t have asked lobbyist William Allen to superintend the reconstruction of his house in Girdwood. He should have hired a contractor. But did he have criminal intent when he paid all the bills presented to him and did not report additional amounts as gifts on his Senate disclosure forms? I never thought so and was surprised when the jury voted to convict. He took the stand himself, and I gather was not a good witness.

UK Independent:

Tony Blair has emerged as the leading candidate to become the first permanent president of the European Union after Gordon Brown gave his grudging blessing to the plan. The former prime minister has stepped up his campaign for the job, which he wants to use to build a bridge between Europe and the new Obama administration.

His return to the global stage would be a shock to his critics over the Iraq war and dismay many in Europe.

But The Independent on Sunday has learnt that Mr Brown has accepted that his old rival should be in pole position for the appointment, on the basis that Britain needs to have a key figure in the architecture of the “new world order”.

Boston Globe:

There’s a mutinous mood on Morrissey Boulevard, as Boston Globe staffers lash out over a stunning ultimatum from parent company The New York Times [NYT] Co.

“They’re nickel-and-diming people,” said a Globe union official who spoke on condition of anonymity, adding that top executives at The New York Times Co., which owns the Globe, “have ruined” the sagging broadsheet.

On Thursday, Times executives told representatives from the Boston paper’s 13 unions that they must trim $20 million from their budgets by May 1 or the Times would shut the paper down.

The Star’s McClanahan:

President Obama is a man in a hurry. He knows that time is not on his side. He will never be as powerful as he is now, and his opposition – the leaderless GOP – will never be as weak.

So he pushes hard to win acceptance of as much of his agenda as possible, but the inevitable erosion has already begun.

Last month, his approval rating was in the mid-60s. Now it’s in the high 50s. Last week a Zogby poll had him at 50 percent.

At Redcounty.com/johnson, JCCC Trustee Benjamin Hodge calls for new elected board leaders.  Currently, Shirley Brown-VanArsdale is the board chair and Lynn Mitchelson is the vice chair.  But Hodge says, “There has been an absurd amount of unethical behavior in recent weeks by JCCC President Calaway and by the current JCCC board leadership” and that “the budget is too important” an issue.

Hodge suggests Trustee Jon Stewart be appointed chair.