Representatives of five of the nine democratic candidates for president tried to get student votes last night at Centennial Hall with their candidatesÎ plan to make college education affordable.

Frank Costanza, representative of former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, said that Dean plans to increase financial aid funding to ensure that students will be able to afford tuition.

"Loans and grants will be available for every student that wants to go to college," Costanza said. "That program will cost over 10 years the same as what we spend over one year in Iraq." [Read article]

If students hear rumors about a major disaster tomorrow, they shouldn't be alarmed.

Tucson law enforcement, UAPD and local emergency aid agencies will test how quickly they and administrators can respond to a disaster during a four-hour drill held on campus tomorrow.

Police are keeping event details and scenarios secret until hours before the drill. At least 20 students will take part in the event as role players, said UAPD Cmdr. Brian Seastone. [Read article]

More than 800 family and friends of UA student Josh Howard, 21, and his father Randy Howard, 47, gathered at Ironwood Ridge High School Saturday to mourn the loss of the two who died after a tragic boating accident.

Pictures hung in the lobby area during the memorial service to remember the two.

"Josh was real friendly and outgoing," said Jeff Pagan, a friend of Josh Howard's from church. "He was real caring and wanted to listen to what you had to say." [Read article]

All that remained Friday night of the sixth annual Milton Marathon was brown crumbs from an eaten cake and a trashcan overflowing with coffee cups and McDonald's paper bags.

About 200 people attended the Milton Marathon reading in the Rincon Room of the Student Union Memorial Center on Friday. Students and faculty read through all 12 books of John Milton's famous poem "Paradise Lost" from 8 a.m. to nearly 8 p.m. [Read article]

Weekend conference focuses on Chicano culture, identity

More than 200 Tucson high school students visited the UA on Saturday for a youth leadership conference that focused on Chicano/Hispano culture and identity.

The conference, titled "Unite: Revolution through Identity," was hosted by the UA's chapter of MEChA, a Chicano organization that promotes education and cultural and political awareness. [Read article]

Senior reminisces about passing notes in middle school during Milton Marathon reading

Wildcat: Hi my name's Nathan and you're On the Spot. Isn't this scandalous, writing my On the Spot in the middle of a Milton Marathon reading?

Medina: Yes. Scandalous is exactly the word.

Wildcat: Are you having recurrent flashbacks of your days in middle school, passing notes while Professor Ulreich watches over us? Sneaky sneaky. [Read article]

Today

1800 ÷ Congress held its first session in Washington in the partially completed Capitol building.

1869 ÷ The Suez Canal opened in Egypt, linking the Mediterranean and the Red seas.

1970 ÷ The Soviet Union landed an unmanned, remote-controlled vehicle on the moon, the Lunokhod 1.

Tomorrow

1928 ÷ The first successful sound-synchronized animated cartoon, Walt Disney's Î'Steamboat Willie,'' starring Mickey Mouse, premiered in New York. [Read article]

· The average human heart beats about 100,000 times every 24 hours. In a 72 year lifespan, the heart beats more than 2.5 billion times.

· During menstruation, the sensitivity of a woman's middle finger is reduced.

· False teeth are often radioactive.

· Approximately 1 million Americans wear some form of denture; half of these dentures are made of a porcelain compound laced with minute amounts of uranium to stimulate fluorescence. Without the uranium additive, the dentures would be a dull green color when seen under artificial light. [Read article]