To lead or not to lead

There wasn’t much in the way of big, breaking news yesterday, which makes putting together the front page a real challenge. Some questioned whether we might be overhyping the threat of West Nile , a virus transmitted by mosquitoes which causes serious health problems in a small percentage of those infected. “How many people did the flu kill last year?” asked assistant sports editor Vince Grippi.

Idaho editor Scott Maben defended the placement, saying that it was noteworthy that this is one of the last regions of the country to have no reported cases of the virus, and that is likely to change this year.

On another note, business editor Addy Hatch felt the headline on the Kendall Yards story may have been a bit too big. On a busier news day, the story probably wouldn’t have been our lead story, but the general consensus was that a challenge to the momentum of this massive project deserves a front page presence.