t's a problem all too common in American cities: As the outer, suburban areas expand, the inner, urban areas decay. A duo of lead stories explore the symptoms and solutions to this civic headache, as demonstrated in two medium-sized cities. Tucson's Holy War tells of the ongoing battle between Tucson, Arizona officials who want to annex more and more peripheral land (thus gaining additional taxes from "white flight" developments) and those who feel annexation only makes matters worse in the long run. The second story, Urban Ascention, almost seems to answer the questions posed by the first: by concentrating on rejuvenating Chatanooga, Tennessee's downtown area, local planners and philanthropists have successfully remade the city. But will music festivals, electric buses, and a cadre of downtown shops and restaurants be enough to stop future sprawl?

n other news: Columnist Molly Ivins once referred to the federal government's recent welfare reform legislation as "welfare deform." Now we may be finding out why. With only months left before their Supplemental Security Income payments are revoked, many legal immigrants are feeling the pinch more than ever. America the Brutal takes an in-depth look at the negative impact welfare reform is having on immigrants, whose harshly disproportionate reduction in benefits smacks of racist policymaking.

ditorialists at the papers who contribute to Weekly Wire have been working overtime lately, offering up pungent opinions on everything from flag burning to America's imminent class war. Helter Shelter contends that Southern Baptists are making a Space Mountain out of a mousehill over Disney's pro-gay policies, while Captain Opinion supports Dennis Rodman's right to say nasty things about Mormons and other residents of Utah. Another editorial criticizes lawmakers for wasting even more time on flag desecration laws, and the ever-vitriolic Jeff Smith waxes apocalyptic with predictions of a violent lower-class uprising against the insolent rich. Are you scared yet? If not, check out additional stories about UFOs, WWII medical experiments, and children stuck at home for days on end. Now that's scary.

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America the Brutal
Legal immigrants are less likely than U.S. citizens to end up on welfare, but are bearing the punishing brunt of welfare reform legislation. [2]
Kayte VanScoy

Who's In, Who's Out
A look at some cutbacks in immigrants' benefits. [3]

Residential Glossary
Natural citizen, legal immigrant, and illegal immigrant defined. [4]

Tucson's Holy War
A brief history of the city's 50-year crusade under the increasingly tattered banner of annexation. [5]
Dave Devine and Molly McKasson

Urban Ascention
Jack Neely visits Knoxville, Tennessee's southern sister, Chattanooga, and asks, "What has she got that we don't got?" The answers may surprise you. Or not. [6]
Jack Neely

Burn the Amendment
Flag burning amendment tests our dedication to freedom. [7]
David O. Dabney

Captain Opinion
The right to offend people shall not be abridged. [8]
Cap'n O

Disney Whirl
What's all the fuss about Disney World? At least they keep things running smoothly. [9]
Walter Jowers

The Coming War
For some time now, the rich have been getting richer at the expense of the poor. Guess where that's gonna end? [10]
Jeff Smith

Waiting To Exhale
As a promising young soldier, Charles Ashby's first big mistake was obeying orders. [11]
Emil Franzi

Flights Of Fancy
As Arizona Governor J. Fife Symington III pulls a UFO hoax in Phoenix, a group of skeptics in Tucson still can't explain Arizona's mysterious lights. [12]
Jim Nintzel

They CAN Learn
Interactive Computer Aided Natural Learning [13]
Gia Miller

Inside Job
Despite a mother's best efforts, a child canšt be entertained on a rainy day. [14]
Margaret Renkl

Odds & Ends
Leaking mystery fluids, world leaders, globetrotting corpses, and drunk driving iguannas. [15]
Devin D. O'Leary

Now What?
A Web link page chock full of resources, recommendations, and staff picks pertaining to the subject of this section. [16]