NATIONAL
Graner sentenced to 10 years
Army Spc. Charles Graner Jr. received a sentence of 10 years behind bars and a dishonorable discharge for his role as the leader of a group that abused Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib. Graner, who took the stand for the first time yesterday, cast himself as a conscientious soldier following orders. [Page 1a]
Scientists study images of Titan
Scientists examining images from the Huygens spacecraft on Saturn's moon Titan saw what appeared to be a spongy surface like wet sand and an orange sky. They hope to confirm whether the planet-size moon has lakes of liquid methane. [Page 3a]
WORLD
Village chief focuses on recovery
The leader of the Indonesian village of Rukoh - where 80 percent of the town's 9,000 residents were lost to the tsunami - is struggling to help his surviving citizens rebuild and recover from their ordeal while coping with his own crushing sense of loss. [Page 1a]
Abbas sworn in amid new violence
Mahmoud Abbas, who was sworn in yesterday as president of the Palestinian Authority, immediately urged Israel to return to peace negotiations "so that we can end, once and for all, the historic conflict between us." But in Gaza, the Israeli army killed seven Palestinians. [Page 17a]
MARYLAND
Assembly to revisit gay marriage
The national debate over same-sex unions lands squarely in Maryland this month, as legislators and lobbyists prepare for noisy battles over how gay couples will be treated in state law. With a Sun poll showing Marylanders divided, but leaning against civil unions for same-sex couples, lawmakers are preparing legislation for the General Assembly. [Page 1a]
Hazardous cargo continues
More than three years after the Howard Street Tunnel fire, trains carrying deadly chemicals such as chlorine continue to rumble through the heart of Baltimore with little notice and little apparent security. The potential peril was brought home again this month after nine people died when a train derailment unleashed caustic chlorine gas near Graniteville, S.C. [Page 1a]
Local police head for D.C.
As part of what is described as the largest-ever security mobilization in the nation's capital, officers from police departments nationwide are set to go to Washington for the first inauguration since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Baltimore County, Baltimore City and Howard County are sending more than 140 officers. [Page 1b]
SPORTS
Steelers, Falcons advance
Jeff Reed's 33-yard field goal lifted the Pittsburgh Steelers to a 20-17 overtime win over the New York Jets in an AFC divisional playoff game. Jets kicker Doug Brien missed two potential game-winning field goals in the final two minutes of regulation. In the NFC game, Michael Vick rushed for 119 yards and threw two touchdown passes as the Atlanta Falcons routed the St. Louis Rams, 47-17. [Page 1e]
Caner-Medley leads Terps
Nik Caner-Medley scored a career-high 35 points and reserve Mike Jones added 21 as Maryland defeated Temple, 80-69. Caner-Medley scored 23 of his points in the decisive second half. [Page 1e]
Wake Forest tops UNC
Taron Downey had a season-high 18 points and fourth-ranked Wake Forest ran away from No. 3 North Carolina, 95-82. The Demon Deacons set an Atlantic Coast Conference record by making all 32 free throws, falling two short of tying the NCAA mark, with Chris Paul finishing 9-for-9. [Page 6e]
Wizards rally past Suns
Juan Dixon scored 13 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter and helped the Washington Wizards to their seventh straight win, 108-103, over the Phoenix Suns. The Wizards made up a 10-point second-half deficit and pulled ahead with a 16-0 run in a game that had a rare MCI Center sellout crowd standing and cheering thunderously for much of the final minute. [Page 10e]
ARTS & SOCIETY
Do-it-yourself media
Every day, on the Internet, through cell phones and digital cameras, a revolution is unfolding: the democratization of media in a world where information spreads rapidly, cheaply and without traditional constraints. The digital age has come to mean the empowerment of the individual, a change that holds promise and peril. [Page 6f]
HOME & FAMILY
In praise of lethargy
A new survey shows that 90 percent of American adults multitask but a majority feel they are getting less done. Is it time to slow down? The slowness movement, headed by best-selling author Carl Honore, seeks the right balance between work and leisure. [Page 1n]
TRAVEL
Detour to the Great North
Not many people know that there are two roads to Alaska. There's the Alaska Highway, which gets all the press, and then there's the Stewart-Cassiar Highway, which is rougher, more remote and so scenic that it makes its more famous counterpart seem as exciting as a parking lot. [Page 1r]
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"People tend to understand what's important by virtue of how much it's been talked about in blogs, in much the same way people make determinations of what's important by what's above the fold in the newspaper."
Steve Jones, professor of communication at the University of Illinois (Article, Page 6F)
TODAY ONLINE
GAY MARRIAGE
Read Janice D'Arcy's article on the volatile issue of gay marriage and how it could play out in the General Assembly, along with archived coverage of the topic. www.baltimoresun.com/gaymarriage
GENETIC DOPING
Sun sports writer Kevin Van Valkenburg looks at what might be the next performance-enhancing problem. Read the article and past coverage of the steroid scandals. www.baltimoresun.com/steroids