The Independent News was not admitted as an AAN member this year, but its representatives decided to stick around Little Rock anyway, "to meet as many people as we could, learn as much as possible and have as much fun as we could stand." Judging by this week's cover story, mission accomplished. Editor Duwayne Escobedo includes trivia (the Rolling Stones stayed in the same hotel in March, and didn't tip well) and advice gleaned from seminars (alt-weeklies can go too far!?). "There's no question about it," Escobedo says. "Our next road trip is to Portland, Ore., in 2007 for the next AAN annual convention."

"The greatest thing about not being president anymore is I can say whatever I think," Clinton told AAN members at a luncheon this afternoon. And he said quite a lot, talking well beyond his scheduled time. Clinton commended alt-weeklies for "filling a void" created by two-dimensional portrayals in mainstream publications. He also took questions from the unusually well-behaved audience.

When not pelting AAN members with New Orleans souvenirs, Michael Tisserand (pictured) announced the order of finish in 20 different categories and two circulation divisions at a luncheon held in Little Rock, Ark. this afternoon as part of AAN's Annual Convention. The Coast was the biggest winner, taking three first-place awards. Creative Loafing (Atlanta) and OC Weekly each won two, with the Orange County paper topping both column categories. First-place winners, a good mix of familiar names and newcomers, will be collected in a book, Best AltWeekly Writing and Design.