CITY DESK

Archives

Browse our City Desk archive for top ideas you can use to write stories with a local angle. Find ideas on hundreds of topics, ranging from gardening to boxing, from rating locally brewed beer to profiling an organ donor, from the Iraq war to identity theft. Browse by keyword, year and month.

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Publication Year: 2008
Publication Year: 2007
Publication Year: 2006

Publication Year: 2008

No.	Issue:	Contents include:
01	JAN 06	National Mentoring Month, school maintenance, holiday debt, online colleges, National Pie Day, National Soup Swap Day, National Hot Tea Month, new job
02	JAN 13	new leaders, vote, vanity plates, edible gifts, local airports, potato head, childcare
03	JAN 20	car survival, National Personal Self-Defense Awareness Month, Super Bowl, moving time, schools, senior entrepreneurs, tip jars, cold weather
04	JAN 27	Black History Month, medical insurance, study abroad, language certification, tipping, for rent, crossing guards, Valentine's Day
05	FEB 03	suing the city, recycling, liquour laws, Valentine's Day, divorce, office romance, volunteer, "regret" laws
06	FEB 10	Valentine's Day, CEO pay, firehouse pets, money movers, tow trucks, illness, pay phones
07	FEB 17	world equity markets, onine video, office politics, chiess, tax rebate, pets and foreclosure, Desert Storm
08	FEB 24	school beat, local dating, credit, sparkling wines, digital TV, 2008 Oscar night
09	MAR 02	tax time, creative classes, American Cancer Society, gym noise, kites, etiquette classes, pot holes
10	MAR 09	home building, classified ads, condo insurance, roadkill patrol, arts and culture, childcare
11	MAR 16	hate groups, National Doctor's Day, spring, Sunshine Week, local luxury, multitasking, National Women's History Month
12	MAR 23	National Garden Month, National Poetry Month, home schooling, diversity, traffic, curbside, small business, economy
13	MAR 30	Earth Day, job fairs, National County Governement Week, legal climate, public health, taxes, police departments, executive pay
14	APR 06	"staycation", last-minute taxpayers, Arbor Day, yard sales, pothole patrol, business couples, waterfront
15	APR 13	employment, National Library Week, prom night, city hall, same-sex unions, kid-friendly restaurants, cars
16	APR 20	IRS payments, wedding videomaker, seniors, moms, curb appeal, bad news, animal planet
17	APR 27	National Teacher Day, daycare centers, home improvement, browser history, National Day of Prayer, National Train Day
18	MAY 04	National Bike to Work Week, jailhouse food, High-school graduation, Mother's Day, working moms, barbeque safety
19	MAY 11	kids & foreclosures, dogs on duty, shrinking salaries, tax rebates, sandwich generation, National Association of Realtors
20	MAY 18	Wounded Warrior Project, making ends meet, drought, "Honey-Do" list, digital divide, graduation dress code
22	JUN 01	emergency-room, National Trail Day, strong neighborhoods, gardens, theft at the pump, for rent, smoking
23	JUN 08	air travelers, driver's license, runaway children, Father's Day, divorced dads, summer wedding season, school beat
24	JUN 15	prescription errors, home sales, local memories, summer solstice, freeloading, school vandalism, sandals, kids-at-work
25	JUN 22	guns in parks, salon safety, teens and cellphones, promotion, Livestrong.com, social networking sites
26	JUN 29	architecture at risk, summer theater, backyard chefs, delegates, working cats, purse confidential, biz websites
27	JUL 06	pets, July 4th, supervisor snooping, state legislatures, homes and the economy, teen drivers, summer camp, National Homebrew Competition
28	JUL 13	National Park and Recreation Month, garbage, successful local businesses, senior drivers, reunions, fire, healthy eats, public transportation, back to school
29	JUL 20	"drive-in" movies, special-needs children, hospital infections, pets and home fires, child mobile phones, dehydration
30	JUL 27	healthy neighborhoods, green counties, minimum wage, Freedom of Information Act, exercisers, booze
31	AUG 03	rental upgrade, city parks, doctor etiquette, hay-fever, backyard farmers, police beat, drop outs, moonlighting
32	AUG 10	voters, barber poll, get prepared, rental housing, sticker shock, eating out, end-of-summer
33	AUG 17	school schedules, laundry, women's health, cruising, teachers, summer business, first day of school
34	AUG 24	Labor Day, police beat, water, wrecker, school beat, credit check, student credit
35	AUG 31	National Run at Work Day, pet health, kids and excercise, book worm, fire watch, first day of school
36	SEP 07	courthouse beat, handwriting skills, prison inmates, hospitalists, social networking, college choices
37	SEP 14	college smoking, economy, bank robbery, emergency plan, school beat, budget dating, criminal background
38	SEP 21	costume concerns, Natoinal Wildlife Refuge Week, airport fitness, Family Trail Weekend, mental illness, National Estuaries Day
39	SEP 28	National Bsiness Women's Week, National Teen Driver Safety Week, teen poll workers, thrify Halloween, hospital Halloween, mental illness and students
40	OCT 05	Teen Read Week, gas up the car, Halloween treats, first car, collection agencies, loan forgiveness
41	OCT 12	National Fire Prevention Month, National Freedom of Speech Week, eat local, health insurance, public to priviate
42	OCT 19	holiday help, financial education, cost of college, renters and foreclosure, National Cat Day, identify theft
43	OCT 26	nonprofits, Halloween and allergies, RX prices, public library, free college classes
44	NOV 02	Election Day, American Diabetes Month, Ntaional American Indian Heritage Month, oliday get-togethers, green prisons

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Publication Year: 2007

No.	Issue:	Contents include:
02	JAN 07	money, food, crime, Cupid, City Hall, auto safety, energy resources, beer
03	JAN 14	new jobs, car sales, seniors and money, direct deposit, romance, auctions, substitute teachers
05	JAN 28	going green, organ donation, consumer protection, Valentine's Day, super bowl, snow day, income tax, cardiovascular disease
06	FEB 04	Super Bowl, retail employees, distracted drivers, family violence, break and buy, Valentine's Day, romance, Cupid's helper
07	FEB 11	take a walk, creative valentines, workplace love, pets, credit cards, pension plans, tow trucks, trans fats
08	FEB 18	Desert Storm, office dating, medical bills, fire-engine company, nursing home, literacy, dollar coins
09	FEB 25	arctic storms, tax tips, interfaith couples, employee morale, renter's insurance, car survival, hubcaps, crossing guards, Oscar night
10	MAR 04	kite festival, St. Patrick's Day, corporate recruiters, local colleges, retirement planning, odd jobs, elderly entertainment, identity theft
11	MAR 11	sex offenders, hospital nurses, military service, video games, beer connoisseurs, taxpayers, volunteers
12	MAR 18	underage kids, dna, National Agricultural Week, tax tutors, spring break, Census Bureau, Springtime
13	MAR 25	historic treasures, school buses, phony diplomas, traffic fines, art bias, freedom of speech
14	APR 01	economy, gun shows, polygraph, perfect job, war diary, asthma, recruiting, combatting clutter, taxes
15	APR 08	taxpayers, home stagers, assited living, advisory panels, at-will employment, night classes, debt, National Library Week
16	APR 15	National Library Week, Elvis Tribute Artist, self-checkout, rehabilitation, telecommuting, diet, most likely to, volunteer
17	APR 22	crime victims, seniors, assessors, school beat, postal service, cemeteries, Generation Y, decision day, jobs for grads
18	APR 29	VE Day, Mother's Day, last will & testament, hybrid cars, census, historic places, nasty neighbors, finders keepers?
19	MAY 06	Mother's Day, home swap, cash for clutter, paid internships, superfund sites, Cinco de Mayo, National Nursing Home Week
20	MAY 13	Mother's Day, graduation, police beat, organic gardening, parenting, hospital cost, summer outlook, disaster plans
21	MAY 20	year at midpoint, working moms, barbers, National Safe Boating week, lawn mowers, university patent licensing, hunting and fishing
22	MAY 27	air conditioners, gas prices, teens and money, foster care, Memorial Day, veterans, neighbors, too many pets
23	JUN 03	teen labor, teen drivers, green biz, physician pay, pandemic flu, debt, Alchoholics Anonymous
24	JUN 10	dog days, rental hell, nursing-home safety, mental illness, No Child Left Behind, home brew, Father's Day
25	JUN 18	summer solstice, Father's Day, house sitter, long-haul commute, retiring teachers, Neighborhood Safety Network, Take Your Dog to Work Day, doctors and patients
26	JUN 25	coupons, remarrying, 18th birthday, mailboxes, unisex bathrooms, push mower, hot dog
27	JUL 01	July 4th, best restrooms, home value, pediatric care, police beat, pet care, local writers
28	JUL 08	school beat, video resumes, military bases, abandoned buildings, HIV patients, wired vacation, teen drivers
29	JUL 15	gym babysitters, young marrieds, casual sunday, truck stop, health and geneaology, teen spending, summer vacation, summer camp
30	JUL 22	police beat, collection plate, illegal dumping, renovation insurance, r-rated movies, vacation, ice sculputure, summer reading
31	JUL 29	fine print, intern perks, do-it-yourself, summer gardens, garages, company e-mail, rainy day savings
32	AUG 05	auto repair, wilderness medicine, cubicle etiquette, kid fashion, farmers market, high-school coaches, student correspondents
33	AUG 12	youth drinking, college life, real estate, balcony gardens, student exchange, back-to-school, credit check, end-of-summer
34	AUG 19	back-to-school, college fitness, karaoke, disabled but working, chocoholics, teachers, summer business
35	AUG 26	substitude teachers, teacher of the week, reenactors, sobriety checkpoints, Drug Addition Recovery Month, grandparents day
36	SEP 02	foreclosure, do-it-herself, empy nesters, back to school, small business, coaches, archaeological guardians
37	SEP 09	mental health, kids in shelters, lost and found, hotel fees, family time, picture of health, child safety
38	SEP 16	tuition, economy, tailgating, blended families, referees, lawn care, nanny rights
39	SEP 23	river watchers, going green, church attendance, churches and health care, National Sewing Month, geography bee, cemetery personalities
40	SEP 30	tenant rights, class reunions, noise control, pta, social networking, prison, mental illness
41	OCT 07	breast cancer, school lunch, seniors, homeowners assistance programs, Levittown, N.Y., customer servece, tattoos, perfect pumpkin
42	OCT 14	Halloween safety, Halloween pets, skateparks, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, small wineries, energy bill, rent control, free speech
43	OCT 21	job seekers, credit cards, veterans, local hotels, chimney sweeps, dearly departed
44	OCT 28	Halloween stories, online classes, weather, toxic disposal, National American Indian Heritage Month, local fines, homeless, hunting season
45	NOV 04	medical school, rabies shots, Education Week, Autumn splendor, babysitters, survival kits, holidays alone
46	NOV 11	divorced couples, health literay, window dressing, flu season, holiday help, adoption
47	NOV 18	thankfulness, holiday custody, health holiday, arts & crafts, holiday mail, healthcare, profiling employees
48	NOV 25	financial literacy, holiday green, holiday blues, holiday parties, hunting and conservation, holiday shopping
49	DEC 02	National Audobon Society, Christmas trees, holiday budget, student visas, school video contest, farmers and stress, buying a new car, Fido fashions
50	DEC 09	pet presents, holiday history, U.S. Postal Service, mortgage crisis, holiday shopping, cold-weather heroes, school violence
51	DEC 16	holiday windows, wine picks, White House chef, poison control, McMansions, mall security
52	DEC 23	pictures of the year, Kwanzaa, baby sitters, parking tickets, charity, trash, baby names, New Year's Eve
53	DEC 30	jobs, romance, community, New Year's Eve, foreclosures, health, winter wrap

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Publication Year: 2006

No.	Issue:	Contents include:
01	JAN 01	military, adoption, crime, fitness, jobs, coal, retirement, warranties
02	JAN 08	NOT PUBLISHED
03	JAN 15	religion, laundry, pensions, clinical trials, secondhand, plastic surgery, community, Martin Luther King Day, nonprofits
04	JAN 22	entrepreneur, convention, mansion, jobs, child abuse, coffee shop, hybrid car, theft, hospital
05	JAN 29	heart disease, taxes, homeland security, privacy, mentor, trash, health, radon
06	FEB 05	valentine, nutrition, bridges, landlords, PTA, Harry Potter, college savings
07	FEB 12	valentine, wedding announcements, library languages, tow trucks
08	FEB 19	job, office, dating, disabled, pets, therapy, stress, candy, airport, crossing guard
09	FEB 26	Oscars, hunting, pizza delivery, pediatric, trash, wireless internet, movie theaters, gulf war
10	MAR 05	pothole, wildlife, job recruiters, tutoring, kites, home prices, consumer, police salary, information
12	MAR 19	Spring, home economics, medicare, taxes, military, theater, parks, energy
13	APR 02	spring cleaning, garage sales, weddings, truck accidents, airport security, historic road markers, police, dangerous jobs, redevelopment
14	APR 09	tax preparers, taxpayers, credit cards, yearbook, pink slip, nature, cheap travel, library publication subscriptions, tax deductions
15	APR 16	volunteering, personal training, spam lawsuit, home security, 'R'-rated movies, first job, immigration, stamp prices, pandemic flu
16	APR 23	Older Americans Month, choosing college, vaccinations, sleep disorders, independent politicians, security guards, police, weddings, class trips, adult braces
17	APR 30	summer travel, Mother's Day, organic gardens, golf, biking, animal welfare, barbeque, 'no' signs, prom
18	MAY 07	teachers, single mothers, college kids moving back in, military pets, library best books, storytelling, wedding etiquette, state medical boards
19	MAY 14	gas prices, graduation expenses, segregation, pet expenses, police guidelines, freedom of information, government websites, government meetings
20	MAY 21	wedding photography, sunglasses, night school graduates, outdoor dining, scooters, digging safety, travel health, local wildlife, school policies on mobile phones
21	JUN 04	new civic officers, allergies, first jobs, parking meters, inheritance, end-of-life care, cigarette tax, teen smoking, indigent defendant, summer photo contest
22	JUN 11	fathers-to-be, vacation, secondhand, teachers' summer plans, 401(k), National Safety Month, pets, summer school
23	JUN 18	childcare, alternative energy, martinis, gadgets, park activities, crime, air conditioning, firefighter tech
24	JUN 25	Hot Dog Month, town regulations, animal attacks, germs, arsenic-treated wood, doctors-in-training, city recreation programs, rain gardens
25	JUL 02	NOT PUBLISHED
26	JUL 09	NOT PUBLISHED
27	JUL 16	summer jobs, rent campus facilities, summer camps, jury duty, park maintenance, company parties, mall workers, oldest business
28	JUL 23	NOT PUBLISHED
29	JUL 30	NOT PUBLISHED
30	AUG 06	college jitters, curfew, safety checks, big move, grilling, farmers market, kid jobs, student achievement,
31	AUG 13	working women, data collection, office fashion, heatstroke, teen band, book club, home school
32	AUG 20	summertime, RVs, halfway house, art beat, booze, traffic jam, labor day
33	AUG 28	child killer, drunk driver, gas price, land easements, clinical trials, addiction recovery, grandparents day
34	SEP 03	Election Day, school beat, ROTC, health care, get-well gesture, cheerleading, Plan B
35	SEP 10	gridlock, backpacks, early bird, football violence, night-club attire, health department, school beverage policy, credit card
36	SEP 17	local economy, energy outlook, athletic injury, back-to-school, binge drinking, empty nesters, workers, personal information
37	SEP 24	voters, election day, cyber-campaigns, leaf pickup, weather prediction, tailgate, do-it-yourself, hunting season
38	OCT 01	election, entrepreneurs, hot dogs, perfect pumpkin, couch potatoes, financial obligations, domestic abuse, moving company, local doctors, depression
39	OCT 08	emergency nurses, book club, local bar, minimum wage, tech-savvy, aging, school bullies, firewood
40	OCT 15	local candidates, restaurants, kid internet, business women, pet prayers, mobile phone, weather, mortgage, baton twirlers, Halloween
41	OCT 22	absentee ballot, veterans, hospital chaplains, living standards, train safety, high school sports, Halloween hi-jinks, holiday gifts, pumpkin patch
42	OCT 29	election day, write-in, eggs, Halloween stories, TSA, seasonal jobs, money management, worship, transfer student
43	NOV 05	political debt, lame ducks, winter prep, animal shelter, human resources, library, restaurant survey, courthouse
44	NOV 12	veterans day, post-election, window dressing, holiday help, mom and pop, national family week, unemployment, thanksgiving turkey, credit freeze
45	NOV 19	holiday shopping, student proficiency, laid off, college, thermostat, turkey farms, turkeybird, thankfulness
46	NOV 26	foreclosure, homeless, teen fitness, singles, carbon monoxide, overweight pet, holiday shopping season
47	DEC 03	budget, wine, credit cards, hadicapped access, hunting, college debt, holiday gift policy, elderly drivers, Christmas mail
48	DEC 10	Audobon Society, holiday party, U.S. Postal Service, gifts, dog fashions, mobile phone ads, sick pay, freshman
49	DEC 17	street decorations, atm fees, handmade Xmas, romance, parking tickets, trash, bedbugs, baby names
50	DEC 24	gift wrap, Kwanzaa, baby sitters, first baby, auto leasing, student loans, dangerous intersection
51	DEC 31	local benchmarks, police beat, drunk driving, cyber-shopping, greenhouse, impound lot, fitness

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