Milestones
Ten years ago: Senate Democrats elected George Mitchell of Maine to be majority leader, the post vacated by Robert Byrd of West Virginia. A divided Supreme Court ruled that the rights of criminal defendants are not violated when police unintentionally fail to preserve potentially vital evidence.
Five years ago: The British government won praise and encouragement in the House of Commons as it defended its secret contacts with the Irish Republican Army.
One year ago: Former Detroit Mayor Coleman A. Young, the city’s first black mayor who held office for an unprecedented five terms, died at age 79.