Six In the Morning

1 CRUNCH TIME It's budget-band-aid day at the marble palace as Finance Minister Rod Gantefoer announces Saskatchewan's spending cuts. Hey, it's a Friday--hardly anyone will notice bad news and everyone will forget by Monday, right? (No link yet because no actual news yet.)

2 WAR CRIMES The United Nations endorses a report saying Israel and Hamas have committed them. (Guardian)

3 HELP FOR AT-RISK FISH As a well-known conservative, I always like to hear about conservation efforts like this. It's great that the endangered sturgeon is getting some help. We conservatives are strong believers in preserving animals and ecosystems like forests and lakes and tundra and grasslands for future generations. (CBC)

4 DOESN'T SEEM LIKE ENOUGH A 14 year-old kid who acted as lookout for a gang buddy who raped a woman gets a young offender, 16-month slap on the wrist. The 16 year-old rapist got two years. It's true that revenge-based sentences don't help anyone but this still sucks. (Leader-Post)

5 JURORS FOR JESUS A Texas jury who sentenced a killer to death inspired themselves by reading bible verses. Will Texas Governor Rick Perry commute the sentence since it's clear religious zealotry was involved? Probably not--he's been content to let almost certainly innocent men die before, why would he save an actual murderer? (Guardian)

6 QUEBEC CITY MAKES A PLAY FOR THE NHL Mayor announces a $400-million arena to woo one of these deadbeat American-market teams back to Canada . You can bet this story is getting a lot of play in Winnipeg. (Montreal Gazette)