"Eat the Lawn," a Carleton student project that turned an expanse of lawn between Olin Hall and Boliou Hall into a working garden, is featured in City Pages. The project, organized and carried out by the student group Food Truth, tore up a small area and planted all kinds of different vegetables, herbs and flowers. The garden has a plethora of green tomatoes at the moment, and when produce is ready for harvest, is available to all members of Carleton's community. The project is the result of Katie Blanchard's '10 independent study, Growing Public Art.

Aaron Kaufman '09, who graduated this past June, is the subject of one of eight profiles by CNN Money/Fortune Magazine titled "Eight summer interns who beat the recession." Kaufman, an accomplished musician, read about the music therapy program Purple Songs Can Fly at the Texas Children's Hospital in the New York Times. Though the organization didn't have an official internship program, Kaufman managed to arrange a position jointly funded by the hospital, Carleton, and outside donors for the summer of 2008, and he returned this summer. Kaufman will start a new position as a business analyst with Target Corporation this fall.

Steven Schier, the Dorothy H. and Edward C. Congdon Professor of Political Science, gave the Reuters.com his opinion on how President Barack Obama might fare in his chances to push through his proposed health-care legislative reform package since Congress is controlled by Obama's Democratic party. "A big majority is a diverse majority, and Democrats do not have the ideological homogeneity to just march in lock step with the president," Schier warns. "A big majority can be a blessing or a curse -- and in this case it's a curse for Obama. A lot of Democrats are getting nervous about this."

Martin Miller '07, an English major, is profiled by the Northwest Arkansas Times regarding his new position as managing director of TheatreSquared, the area's only professional theater company. Miller, who was very active in the theater scene during his time at Carleton, returns to his hometown of Fayetteville, Ark., after a two-year stint as an associate producer for the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, one of the largest nonprofit theater companies in the country. The company won a regional Tony Award and raised $1.5 million for the theater's arts-in-education programming during his time there.

Christopher "Kit" Young '68, owner and president of Kit Young Baseball Cards, is profiled in the July 22 edition of the Star Tribune. The story tells of Young's decision to forego the family banking business and start his own baseball card shop. "There was a little consternation on my family's part," said Young, now 63. "After that fancy college education, I was going to sell bubble gum cards." In the 30 years since opening his store -- one of the first full-time baseball card stores in the country -- Young has done OK. His San Diego-based company, which focuses on vintage (pre-1975) sports cards, is one of the most influential and honored in the sports memorabilia business, the Star Tribune says.

The Carleton career center's "Engagement Wanted" program is the focus of a Northfield News feature in its Saturday, July 18 edition. The article uses Kyle Kingsbury '09 as an example, as he utilized a connection with Mark Hall '85 to secure a job. “Broadening the group of people you know may be the only way for you to find those very few opportunities out there,” Manager of Mentor Relations Brent Nystrom '92 said. “Once you’re getting yourself out there and beginning to netowrk, you don’t really know how far it’s going to go.”

Katie Visco '07, who is running across the United States to inspire others to embrace their passions, arrived in her hometown of Glen Ellyn, Ill., and her arrival is covered by the July 15 edition of the Chicago Tribune. Visco, at 24 years-old, is attempting to become the youngest female to make the 3,200-mile trek from Boston to San Diego. She started in late March and plans to arrive in San Diego by December. Along the way, her goal is to raise $32,000 for the nonprofit group Girls on the Run, which educates preteen girls about the health benefits of running and encourages them to develop self-respect through the sport. Her recent stop brought her to her hometown, where she ran in the Glen Ellyn Park District's Freedom Four run on July 4 and also spent time with family, according to the Tribune. "I've never felt that feeling so intensely of coming back to a place where people have supported you your entire life," she said. "It's very hard to describe."

The Carleton career center's "Engagement Wanted" program is featured in an article about networking in the Financial Times' website, FT.com. “These new graduates sure drew the short straw and so we wanted to show them the power of networking,” says Richard Berman, director of career services at Carleton. The article also describes the experience of Rikka Wommack '09 and how she made a connection that led to a job at Raven Productions, a children’s book publisher with an environmental focus based in northern Minnesota. “I ended up getting this great opportunity that I never would have found otherwise,” she said.

Chantel Johnson '10 of Chicago is quoted in a July 8 story on insidehighered.com regarding her involvement in The Posse Foundation. The program gruops students, or "posses" of 10 to 12 students from underprivileged schools. Those groups of students receive full rides to mostly selective liberal arts schools, attending the same school. Once there, they help each other maneuver in the demanding environment and become leaders for their peers. "If it was not for my posse I would have left Carleton after my freshman year" Johnson stated in an e-mail to insidehered.com. "Don’t get me wrong Carleton College is a great place, but it is difficult and it is a lot different from being at home in Chicago. I love my posse and we have such a strong bond. If I had to give advice to any future scholar it would be to develop a strong relationship with your posse and remember that communication is key." The story focused on the announcement that Posse will begin recruiting students from Miami-Dade public schools to go to the University of Pennsylvania.

Hugh McTavish '84 is profiled in the July 6 edition of the Star Tribune regarding his new business, IGF Oncology, that's developing a drug that tries to kill only cancer cells. McTavish, a biochemist, started the company after needing chemotherapy seven years ago to treat his non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. "It may cure some people of cancer," McTavish said. "I don't really think it will be a cure for everyone. But you never know. The results may be more spectacular than I expected. There's no reason why they can't be, I guess."

Admission Possible founder and CEO Jim McCorkell '90 was praised by President Barack Obama during a June 30, 2009, White House event in the East Room in support of Obama's proposed social innovation fund. "We've got Jim McCorkell here from Admission Possible, a group that helps promising young people from low-income families attend college," Obama said during his speech. "Ninety-nine percent of the Admission Possible class of 2008 got into college - 99 percent. The vast majority of students stay in college and earn their degrees. Admission Possible operates in just two states now, so imagine if it were ten or 20 or 50." The event also drew coverage in the Pioneer Press, as Khullani Abdullahi '07 reflected on how the program helped her find Carleton. "Maybe you find your way and maybe you don't," said Abdullahi, who is starting her third year at the University of Minnesota Law School. "But with Admission Possible, you're almost guaranteed to find a way."

Steven Schier, the Dorothy H. and Edward C. Congdon Professor of Political Science, is quoted in the July 5 edition of the Star Tribune about how newly-elected Senator Al Franken might change a bit now that he's finally taken office, eight months after the election following a lengthy but orderly recount. "We're going to see a new Al Franken," he said. "Or at least the same Al Franken we've seen in recent months, an Al Franken on Valium, so to speak -- very low-key." Of course, prior to the Senate election, Franken was more well-known for his comedy career, which included two strints on the NBC show Saturday Night Live, first as a writer from 1975-80 and then as a performer from 1985-95. His most notable skit on the show was that of self-help 'guru' Stuart Smalley. "What each party needs is a piñata from the other side," Schier said. "Clearly the Republicans are looking for a flamboyant, inviting target for their fundraising and media strategy, and Franken probably suits that role better than anybody on the Senate side."