NATIONAL
Obama bids for nomination
Sen. Barack Obama, bidding to become the first African-American to win a major-party presidential nomination, signaled his entry into the 2008 presidential contest yesterday. pg 1a
WORLD
Iraqi civilian toll climbing
The United Nations reported that at least 34,000 Iraqi civilians died last year in violence between Sunni Arab insurgents and Shiite militants, underscored by a series of bombings that left at least 72 college students dead in the capital. pg 1a
Castro fading, paper reports
A Spanish newspaper report that Cuban leader Fidel Castro is wasting away from life-threatening complications after intestine-related surgeries means he has few chances of recovering, medical experts said. pg 8a
MARYLAND
Modells help special school
Art and Patricia Modell have pledged $5 million to help start a public boarding school for disadvantaged students, a large and unusual private gift to a Maryland public school. pg 1a
O'Malley ready to take reins
Martin OMalley was to be sworn in today as Marylands 61st governor with a 19-gun salute, parade and inaugural ball. pg 1b
SPORTS
NASCAR's Parsons dies at 65
Benny Parsons, a former NASCAR Winston Cup champion and Daytona 500 winner who gained an even wider following as a cheerful stock car racing broadcaster, died yesterday of complications from lung cancer. He was 65. pg 4e
TODAY
Change comes to Bertha's
Condos rise and new megabars open in Fells Point, but the biggest change at Bertha's, the landmark bar at Lancaster and Broadway, is a new TV. pg 1c
Inaugural fashion sense
What better excuse to go shopping for new clothes and jewelry than a inauguration? But there's no black dress for Katie O'Malley. pg 1c
BUSINESS
DOW -- UP
+26.51
12,582.59
NASDAQ -- DOWN
-5.04
2,497.78
S&P; -- UP
+1.17
1,431.90
SUN INDEX -- UP
+0.92
366.01
State development chief leaving
The head of Maryland's Department of Business and Economic Development in the Ehrlich administration is resigning, even though some business leaders had urged incoming Gov. Martin O'Malley's administration to retain him. pg 1d
Puttin' on the Ritz
The Ritz-Carlton condo project rising in the Inner Harbor is pulling in buyers as fast as units are ready, despite prices that start at $1.5 million. pg 1d