Chancellor named Citizen of the Year
Chancellor Mark Wrighton was named Citizen of the Year by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The selection was made by a committee of past winners. During his time at the University, Wrighton has been credited with increasing the University’s endowment and initiating campus construction projects since his arrival in 1995. The University has also become more competitive under his leadership.
Presidential Primaries
The Iowa caucus and the New Hampshire primary election were held over the winter break, the earliest they have been held in the modern electoral process. Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) and former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-AR) were victorious in Iowa on Jan. 3. Defying the polls, Senators Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and John McCain (R-AZ) won on the Jan. 8 primary. The candidates are now concentrating on several states that will vote in the next few weeks culminating on Feb. 5, the so called “Super Tuesday.”
Former Pakistani Prime Minister assassinated
Pakistani politician Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in a suicide bombing at a political rally for the Pakistan People’s Party on Dec. 27. After the assassination, rioting in Karachi killed 13 people and also damaged several businesses. Bhutto had been in exile due to corruption charges before returning to Pakistan in October, but had returned to much acclaim and was gathering support for upcoming elections. The elections will be postponed six weeks, until Feb. 18, because of unrest caused by Bhutto’s assassination.