This week's top headlines

This week's Top Ten (1/11/08):

Chess champ dies at 64
By Bruce Weber of The New York Times
"Bobby Fischer, the reclusive chess master who became a Cold War icon when he dethroned the Soviet Union's Boris Spassky as world champion in 1972, has died. He was 64...Mr. Fischer died Thursday in a Reykjavik hospital, said his spokesman, Gardar Sverrisson. There was no immediate word on the cause of death..."

The biofuel debate continues
By Keith Bradsher of The New York Times
"Across the globe, huge demand for biofuels has created tension between using land to produce fuel and using it for food..."

Bush proposes $145 billion tax relief plan
By Sheryl Stolberg of The New York Times
"President Bush called Friday for roughly $145 billion in tax relief for individuals and businesses that he said would “provide a shot in the arm” for the economy, while Congressional Democrats, in a rare show of Washington bipartisanship, pledged to work with him to enact a plan quickly..."

Obama and Clinton trade attacks in Nevada caucuses
By Jeff Zeleny of The New York Times
"Senator Barack Obama sharply criticized Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton on the eve of the Nevada caucuses, declaring: 'The American people don’t want a president whose plans change with the politics of the moment...'"

Huckabee walks the religious line
By David Kirkpatrick and Michael Powell of The New York Times
"Mike Huckabee mentioned his faith only glancingly in his stump speech this week at North Greenville University in Tigerville. Discussing presidential decisions that will matter after he is long gone, he added: “By the way, I have made arrangements for what happens after that, and it’s all good. It’s all good...”

New apartment complex to be built in Harrisonburg, VA
By Jeff Mellott of The Daily News-Record
"A request to allow 1,000 residential units on Stone Spring Road to be developed in a high-density zone is a step closer to approval. The Harrisonburg Planning Commission voted Wednesday to recommend the City Council approve the request..."

Virginia superintendent supports Kaine's $1 billion education plan
By Jenny Jones of The Daily News-Record
"On Tuesday, City Schools Superintendent Donald Ford attended a conference in Richmond to voice support of Gov. Timothy M. Kaine's proposal to invest almost an additional $1 billion in K-12 public education..."

Uneasy neighbors prevents Harrisonburg hookah bar from opening
By Jeff Mellott of The Daily News-Record
"Plans for a hookah café at 1400 S. Main St. were put on hold on Wednesday. The Harrisonburg Planning Commission, at the property owner's request, tabled an application to rezone the site. The site had been used for professional offices and the café is requesting that its zoning be changed to allow a retail business there. The change would allow a grocery store operating there to comply with city zoning regulations..."

Plans for Stanley stake park underway
By Hannah Northey of The Daily News-Record
"A committee that raised more than $40,000 to build a skate park in Stanley hopes the town approves a construction site soon..."

I-81 negotiations end after four years
By Katie Prahlad of The Daily News-Record
"Part of a $13 billion project to address the long-term needs of Interstate 81 is dead, but spot improvements for the aging highway are still part of the Virginia Department of Transportation's six-year plan, VDOT officials said Thursday. VDOT announced that it ended a four-year negotiation process with KBR Inc. on Wednesday, after the company requested to withdraw from the project, department spokesman Jeff Caldwell said..."

That's it for this week. Leave a comment about any of these headlines, or post your own!