News from the Great Lakes, Great Plains and Northwest regions. (Jan. 18)

Matt Pepin: The changing times truly hit home the day I sat in a music recording studio this summer auditioning rappers. (Dec. 19)

Toby Carrig: Jim Jenks, the Associated Press Sports Editors president for 2006-07, left his position as the sports editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer to become a vice president and executive producer at MLB.com, focusing on broadband initiatives. (Dec. 12)

Garry D. Howard: The first four lines of Invictus, a masterpiece written by William Ernest Henley, could very well have been a description of Larry Whiteside, the indefatigable former baseball writer for The Boston Globe who this week was elected by the Baseball Writers' Association of America to receive the 2008 J.G. Spink Award for his incredible contributions to the sport. (Dec. 7)

Larry Vaught: Sometimes when I have attended the summer convention, there were some sessions I just didn't think would appeal to me and I didn't attend them. (Dec. 7)

Lynn Hoppes: We're a few months away from the APSE judging in Orlando and a few days away from the end of December. It might be a little late to start writing and publishing the Pulitzer-winning story (but we know we're trying before Dec. 31 hits), but here's some tips from APSE winners on how to start thinking contests year-round. (Dec. 7)