Missing the point. If you picked up the Albuquerque Journal on Friday, April 9, in hopes of getting some solid coverage of Condoleeza Rice's testimony before the 9-11 Commission last week, what you got was a truncated "analysis" originating from the Washington Post.

The federal deficit causes states to suffer

If we've heard it once, we've heard it a hundred times in the past 10 months: The state's Medicaid budget is spiraling out of control. That's what Gov. Bill Richardson said, the legislative leaders warned, the policy wonks opined and some political pundits editorialized.

Singeli Agnew

At the April 5 meeting, city councilors unanimously passed the administration's latest version of a sex offender bill, which deletes three provisions in a previous bill struck down by the courts. The extension of a moratorium on walls built along streets until new design standards are finished also passed unanimously. Councilor Sally Mayer was absent.

I've had writer's block for the past couple of weeks. At other times when that's happened I have a difficult time pinpointing the reason, but I'm clear what the cause is in this case. It's name is Chuck and he passed away last month. Until I say a few words for him, writing about the blarney of local, state and national politics just isn't going to happen.

Scott Rickson

Dateline: England—Yana Rodionova has agreed to marry circus performer Jayde Hanson, despite the fact that Hanson has stabbed her three times—once on live television. Rodionova, 23, is the assistant to Hanson, who works as a professional knife thrower. Last year, Hanson tried to break his world record for the number of knives thrown around his assistant. Unfortunately, the stunt—which was filmed for ITV's "This Morning" show—went wrong when one of the knives struck Rodionova in the head. The bloody scene was broadcast to millions of viewers. Hanson blamed the accident on fatigue. Miss Rodionova suffered minor injuries. "It didn't hurt because of the shock of it all," Rodionova recently told the British press. "I felt more sorry for Jayde. There was blood coming out everywhere and he looked so pale." The Russian-born Rodionova admitted, "I fell out of love with him for a couple days afterwards, but I love him again now." Although the mishap was actually the third time Hanson nailed her with one of his knives, she agreed to marry him soon after. "I forgive him. It was only an accident, but I think I will have to teach him to do something else." The couple is expected to tie the knot in May.

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