NATIONAL
Confession in 9/11 attacks
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the suspected mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, confessed to that attack and a string of others during a military hearing at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, according to a transcript released by the Pentagon. pg 1a
Senate debates exit strategy
In the face of opposition from the Bush administration, the Senate began an impassioned debate over an exit strategy from Iraq, headed toward a vote on a Democratic resolution aimed at a pullout of American combat troops next year. pg 3a
MARYLAND
Fire commander is suspended
A Baltimore fire commander was suspended yesterday for 30 days for failing to document medical certificates for at least 22 department members, including a deputy chief, three top commanders and a union leader. pg 1a
City seeks plan to battle STDs
As a way to deal with high rates of sexually transmitted diseases, Baltimore health officials want authority to send patients home with medication their partners would use even if the partners hadn't seen a doctor or been prescribed the drugs. A five-year pilot project is being sought. pg 1a
WORLD
Iraq promotes its crackdown
Iraqi officials promoted yesterday the successes of the Baghdad crackdown, which is seen as a last-ditch attempt to quell widespread violence, by noting that civilian casualties had dropped sharply in the first month of the plan. pg 9a
BUSINESS
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1,387.17
SUN INDEX -- UP
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361.74
Credit woes in housing market
The housing boom in the Baltimore area and nationwide was fueled in part by easy credit -- too easy, some economists say. Now signs of financing troubles are cropping up at a time when the tenuous housing market can least afford it. pg 1a
'Madness' a distraction at work?
With NCAA March Madness kicking off today and the games available through live streaming video online, experts say that basketball could become a major distraction at work. March Madness could cost employers up to $1.2 billion in lost productivity, according to a Chicago outplacement firm. pg 1d
SPORTS
Matthews denies hGH use
Recently linked to a nationwide steroids investigation, Gary Matthews Jr. of the Los Angeles Angels denied he has used human growth hormone. "I have never taken hGH during the 2004 season or any other time," the former Orioles outfielder said. pg 4e
TODAY
200 sites in a lunching string
Brian Pienta, 31, a mechanical engineer for a Beltsville company that makes aircraft parts, has led a group of co-workers on an impossible-dream quest: to eat lunch at 200 locations, and all in an uninterrupted string. pg 1c
Ex-governor to have talk show
Long a fan of talk radio, former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. will host a two-hour show on Baltimore's WBAL-AM 1090 starting March 31. He will be accompanied in the studio by his wife, Kendel. pg 1c