Crime Rates The discussion of crime rates intensifies in election years. The Massachusetts Governor's race has focused on the fact that the state's violent crime rate is far higher than the national average as reported in a story from the Lowell Sun by Rebecca Fater. For every violent crime except homicide Boston has a higher rate per 100,000 than Los Angeles.

Supreme Court An article in the San Jose Mercury news discusses Justice Anthony Kennedy's status as a lonely "swing vote", after the retirement of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. The piece by Nancy Benac provides an insightful contrast between the approaches of Kennedy and O'Connor.