MARYLAND
State weighs Jewish divorce
Some Maryland legislators have revived the fight for a bill that would place Orthodox Jewish women on an equal footing with their husbands in divorce proceedings. Under Jewish law, a man must grant his wife a divorce degree to end a marriage - a power some husbands use to demand favorable custody agreements or visitation schedules or even money, bill advocates say. pg 1B
Baltimoreans break the ice
Yesterday, people across the Baltimore area hacked and salted their way through the mounds of snow-turned-ice that accumulated from last week's storm. Some areas were dotted with plastic lawn chairs or orange traffic cones to reserve the industrious ice-chippers' cleared-out parking spaces, a traditional if legally dubious practice. pg 1B
SPORTS
Harvick captures Daytona 500
Kevin Harvick nosed out Mark Martin in a wreck-filled finish to win the Daytona 500. Martin, who was making his 23rd attempt at a 500 win, was overtaken in the final lap by Harvick, who passed him along the outside. pg 1D
Terps men triumph
D.J. Strawberry scored 22 points to lead the Maryland men's basketball team to an 82-66 victory over host Clemson. Maryland (20-7) reached 20 victories for the first time in three years and improved to 6-6 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. pg 1D
WORLD
Coalition eclipses peace talks
Questions over how to deal with the proposed Palestinian unity government overshadowed preparations yesterday for a meeting today between Israeli and Palestinian leaders that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice hopes can restart peace talks. pg 1A
U.S. helicopter crashes
A U.S. military helicopter crashed before dawn yesterday in southern Afghanistan, killing eight American service members and injuring the remaining 14 aboard, military officials said. The U.S. military said there was no indication that the crash was caused by enemy fire. pg 6A
NATIONAL
Democrats shift Iraq tactics
Democratic leaders in Congress, attempting to shift the Iraq war debate from funding to strategy, said yesterday that they plan to propose binding legislation that would limit the role of U.S. troops in Iraq. pg 3A
Food inspection rules change
The first major changes to food inspection in a decade will increase federal scrutiny of meat and poultry plants where the danger from E. coli and other germs is high or where past visits have found unsafe practices. pg 3A
TODAY
Morgan alum hits big screen
Former Morgan State University football player Lester Speight tackles an acting career that has included TV commercials and a role in the new Eddie Murphy movie, Norbit. pg 1C
Morning shows lose women
Network morning shows are losing their female audiences. Almost 450,000 women between 25 and 54 have turned off the three broadcast morning programs so far this season, a decline of 10 percent compared with the same point last year, according to a Los Angeles Times analysis of Nielsen Media Research data. pg 5C