• OK, it may not solve all your problems, but those federal economic stimulus payments are starting to arrive. Many local folks, reporter Scott Fontaine discovers, are planning to do just what the government wants – spend the money fast.

• There's no sign yet of the person or persons unknown who vandalized the long fir on the Chambers Bay golf course. But an arborist believes the tree can be preserved.

• Waiting for your test results can be agonizing when you suspect you may have cancer. Now a joint screening clinic being set up in Tacoma should dramatically cut the waiting time for possible breast cancer patients.

A couple of readers posted comments on the story about the attempt to chop down the only tree at Chambers Bay Golf Course. They wonder why we put it on the front page.

Lots of factors go into deciding what to put on the front page. The list includes - but isn't limited to - such categories as breaking news, impact, how many people it affects, a heartwarming tale, an appalling tale, local news and food groups (meaning, we try not to put three state government stories on the front page, or three military stories or three of any type of similar content).

But there's another category that I'd call the "Oh my gosh!" category. As in, "Oh my gosh, did you hear that someone tried to cut down the only tree at Chambers Bay?!"

That was the reaction throughout the newsroom yesterday as word of the vandalism spread. It's also the top story on our Web story today (in terms of page views), so that's often an indication that we picked a good one.