NATIONAL
Buildup of uncertain duration
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, acknowledging that he was unsure how long the current buildup of U.S. forces in Iraq would last, said that it would not be until the middle of summer that commanders would be able to evaluate whether the increase in forces was working. pg 3a
A drier Southwest predicted
The driest periods of the last century - the Dust Bowl of the 1930s and the droughts of the 1950s - could become the norm in the Southwest United States within decades due to global warming, according to a new study. pg 6a
MARYLAND
1,300 in Md. Guard to go to Iraq
The Maryland National Guard will send roughly 1,300 of its part-time soldiers to Iraq in the largest call-up of combat troops from the state since American forces stormed the beaches at Normandy more than 60 years ago. The deployment, set for this spring and summer, will mean almost 20 percent of the state's Guard members will be out of the country. pg 1a
Alleged victim testifies
One of the two women who have accused the second former Navy academy football player in a year of sexual misconduct testified at a military trial that Kenny Ray Morrison, 24, forced her to have sex with him three times. pg 1b
Ulman wants out of United Way
Unhappy about how the charitable group allocates its grants, Howard County Executive Ken Ulman said he would like the county to break away from United Way of Central Maryland. pg 7b
BUSINESS
DOW -- UP
+30.15
12,560.20
NASDAQ -- UP
+12.65
2,471.34
S&P; -- UP
+4.39
1,443.76
SUN INDEX -- UP
+0.08
359.04
Steelworkers' voice sought
Realizing it's better to forge good relations up front, potential buyers of the Sparrows Point steel mill are reaching out to the United Steelworkers union in advance of making a deal. pg 1e
WORLD
British, U.S. troops killed
Four British soldiers and a civilian translator were killed in an ambush in Basra, Iraq and the U.S. military announced the deaths of seven of its soldiers in Baghdad. pg 14a
Tsunami survivors getting sick
Diarrhea has broken out among children huddled in camps of tsunami survivors in the Solomon Islands, a Red Cross official said - the first sign that thousands of people who lost their homes in the waves may be at risk of disease. pg 16a
TODAY
Tribute to B-movie thrills
There's plenty to love about the film Grindhouse, a frenzied tribute by two of Hollywood's most bankable directors to the B-movie thrills that turned them into teenage movie freaks. pg 1c
Gere shines as a faker
Richard Gere has never shown truer colors or a wider spectrum than as the notorious faker Clifford Irving in the film The Hoax. pg 1c