The one thing that stood out with him is the fact that he has playing experience under some outstanding coaching. He's learned from the best, so we're thrilled with getting someone from that program.

The ongoing decrease in the number of people smoking in California is a major public health achievement. With California adults smoking 25 percent less than the rest of the nation, our state continues to benefit from lower rates of tobacco-related illnesses.

The ongoing issues are the strength of the economy and whether or not the pace of the recovery is in fact slowing down. One of the important things this week will be to see the extent of the damage.

The online consumer is becoming more of a mirror, or cross-section, of the public at large.

The only big races that all North Carolinians will have to judge will be our court races. And they should be interesting.