today news

1. Inmate Count in State Prisons Falls Over 2009
   The director of the public safety performance project of the group that put together the report noted that "it's too early to tell whether this is a tap of the brakes or a shift in reverse."
   Read original story in The New York Times | Wednesday, March 17, 2010

2. Geithner: Unemployment Will Stay High Through 2010
   But he -- and other administration officials -- expect some relief this spring.
   Read original story in Daily Finance | Wednesday, March 17, 2010

3. Haiti Needs $11.5 Billion to Rebuild
   International aid agencies will present their reconstruction plan, which emphasizes short-term housing, at the end of the month in New York.
   Read original story in BBC | Wednesday, March 17, 2010

4. ACLU Tries to Save Prom For Lesbian Couple
   Mississippi's Itawamba Agricultural High School allegedly cancelled its prom after two lesbian students announced their intention to attend together. The ACLU is preparing for a fight.
   Read original story in CNN | Wednesday, March 17, 2010

5. For Middle Class, Individual Health Insurance "Not a Real Option"
   Which is especially terrible considering they are the ones being dropped from employer-sponsored plans faster than any other group.
   Read original story in The Huffington Post | Wednesday, March 17, 2010

6. World Bank Boosts Chinese Growth Forecast
   Beijing has set a target growth rate of 8% for 2010, but, with consumption growing strongly, the World Bank anticipates remarkable growth of 9.5% over the year.
   Read original story in BBC | Wednesday, March 17, 2010

7. Obama Puts Together NCAA Bracket For Second Year Running
   The president has picked Kansas, Kentucky, Kansas State and Villanova as his men's Final Four and Connecticut, Stanford, Tennessee and Notre Dame as his women's.
   Read original story in ABC News | Wednesday, March 17, 2010

8. Tiger's Return Sends Masters' Ticket Prices Soaring
   From $200 to $2,400.
   Read original story in TMZ | Wednesday, March 17, 2010

9. Health Care Callers Swamp Capitol Hill Switchboards
   With (hopefully) less than a week to go before the House's final health care reform vote, phone calls and e-mails are pouring in for wavering Democrats, Republicans are readying the post-vote publicity push, and the Chamber of Commerce is looking ahead to November.
   Read original story in Talking Points Memo | Tuesday, March 16, 2010