Jolene Nenibah Yazzie, who works in the alt-weekly's production department, has three digital prints on display at the National Museum of the American Indian, as part of the Comic Art Indigene exhibition. Yazzie talks to Smithsonian.com about her work, her skateboard company and how she got started as a comic artist. "I had two older brothers. They were really into skateboarding and comic books, and I think I was trying to impress them," she says. "That's pretty much how I got into it."

Continue ReadingSanta Fe Reporter Designer’s Work Featured at a Smithsonian Museum

In a blog post on Monday titled "I'm Running for Mayor," The Stranger's editorial director threw his hat in the mayoral ring, saying "my entire platform is this: If elected I pledge to resign the office of mayor 24 hours after I'm sworn in." Seattle officials are trying to figure out if Savage is really mounting a run or just joking around. City rules say candidates must file paperwork with the city clerk within two weeks of publicly announcing an intention to run. "We've got to figure out whether he's serious or not," Ethics and Elections Commission chairman Wayne Barnett tells the Seattle Times.

Continue ReadingIs Dan Savage Really Running for Mayor?

Attorney General Eric Holder has approved new guidelines, expected to be released today, fleshing out President Obama's Jan. 21 order to reveal more government records under FOIA. The new standard essentially returns to what was in place under the Clinton administration, in which federal agencies are told to release records to the public unless foreseeable harm would result. It would replace the Bush administration policy of presumptive nondisclosure. MORE: Read the Sunshine in Government Initiative statement on the changes.

Continue ReadingObama Administration Set to Release FOIA Reform Memo

Following up on its story last month in which business owners said that sales reps from the popular user-generated review site promised to move or remove negative reviews in return for advertising, the East Bay Express talks to six more business owners who allege similar practices. Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman complained about the original article's use of anonymous sources (even though "Yelp is a review site based entirely on anonymous sources," as reporter Kathleen Richards notes) so this time the Express relied only on sources who were willing to go on the record. "Several said that the reps would offer to move negative reviews if they advertised; and in some cases positive reviews disappeared when they refused, or negative ones appeared," the Express reports. "In one case, a nightclub owner said Yelp offered positive reviews of his business in exchange for free drinks."

Continue ReadingMore Business Owners Step Forward with Accusations Against Yelp

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson has until midnight to decide whether to sign a bill that would repeal the death penalty, and today the Santa Fe Reporter ran an exclusive interview with accused police killer Michael Astorga, who might face the death penalty if he's convicted. Last Friday, the Reporter teamed up with the New Mexico Independent to live-blog the state Senate as it debated the death penalty repeal.

Continue ReadingSFR Interviews Alleged Killer as State Weighs Repeal of Death Penalty

Columbia Free Times won nine 2008 South Carolina Press Association awards, and Charleston City Paper won five. City Paper placed first in four categories (Feature Writing, General News Photo, Lifestyle Feature Writing and Photo Series or Photo Story), while Free Times took home first-place wins in three categories (Critical Writing, Illustration and Reporting in Depth). The awards were officially announced at the association's winter meeting last weekend.

Continue ReadingTwo AAN Members Fare Well in S.C. Press Association Awards