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As previously reported by AAN News, John Strand sued North Dakota's Cass County in February 2003, which resulted in a temporary restraining order that halted demolition of an old jail. The county countersued for $39,000, the amount of damages attributed to the delay. On Monday, Strand took the stand for about 35 minutes, reports In-Forum. His attorneys argue that the countersuit is the county's attempt to intimidate Strand for his activism. (High Plains Reader is applying for membership to AAN.)

The Casey Journalism Center, a nonprofit program at the University of Maryland, has awarded its 2005 Casey Medals for Meritorious Journalism in honor of distinguished coverage of disadvantaged children and families. The winning story in the "Nondaily Newspaper" category is "Good Kids, Bad Blood," written by Lauren Gard for East Bay Express. The runner-up and honorable mention in that category are from Gambit Weekly and Westword, respectively.

The association’s Annual Meeting will be held Saturday, June 18, at the Westin Horton Plaza in San Diego. A notice and agenda for the meeting, and a proxy assignment form, were mailed to every AAN publisher on Friday. To download a PDF file of the agenda and proxy form, click here.