More West stories, but maybe not top-of-page
It's often difficult to determine which story will be the "lead" story on Page 1, especially when there's another in a continuing series of stories.
For tomorrow, editors decided that the ongoing Iraq coverage will get the top spot. More than 1,000 U.S. troops mounted a new offensive in Iraq.
The ongoing coverage of Mayor Jim West will result in two stories: alleged victim Rob Galliher's court deposition is released publicly; and the Spokane Area Economic Development Council joined other business organizations in calling for West's resignation.
Two other local stories are related to a national issue: Some Spokane parents have paid to store their babies' umbilical cord blood in the hopes that the stem cells there can cure their children should they develop leukemia or other diseases; and Spokane County's director of developmental disabilities and mental health programs has resigned because he has Parkinson's disease and he wants to spend his time advocating for stem-cell research.
Also for Page 1: Fault lines in the Republican coalition are threatening the party's fabled unity, forcing it to choose between a potentially bruising purge of independent-minded dissidents or a new way of governing that accommodates their views on such issues as judges and Social Security.
A Page 1 spot will be devoted to promoting the "7" cover, coming Friday, which will be about summer music festivals.
The results of "American Idol" will be revealed tonight, and also will get a Page 1 mention.
A national story that won't make Page 1 is this: "The hulking, gas-guzzling sport utility vehicle, bane of environmentalists and of drivers caught behind it, is starting to fade from the American road."
Finally, a West Valley softball coach has been cleared of criminal allegations that he was having a sexual relationship with a student. The original story about the allegations did appear on Page 1. Why not run this story on Page 1? It was considered, but there's a significant difference between being cleared of criminal charges and being exonerated of all questionable activity.