The news focus today returns to Iraq. A suicide car bomber has killed more than 115 people and wounded 132 in an attack outside a medical clinic near Baghdad. It is the single deadliest attack in the two-year insurgency. Look for stories tomorrow that will detail the attack and will also put the insurgency into perspective for us.
Local news is our raison d'etre, but we know that stories outside our county lines -- like today's bomb blast, or the health of the pope, for instance -- are of concern for all of us and will always be a critical part of our news coverage.

Here are the local news stories we're working on to start the week.
The merger announced today of Federated Department Stores and May Department Stores could have an impact on the malls in the county, particular the new Simi Valley mall under construction and the expansion of The Oaks mall in Thousand Oaks. The question for us, of course, is whether Macy's and Robinson-May will continue to co-exist in malls under the same ownership. Business writer Jim McClain (jmclain@VenturaCountyStar.com) is reporting that story today.
We will follow up on the recent storms, as Marjorie Hernandez (mhernandez@VenturaCountyStar.com) will assess how the flooding in the fields has affected local farm workers.
Stephanie Hoops (shoops@VenturaCountyStar.com) exposes some of the scams that are out there targeting high school students seeking college financial aid. Companies are charging money for information on financial aid that is free and easy to obtain. Other wire stories that might make it to Page One tomorrow: the Bush administration idea of offering Iran economic incentives to give up it nuclear fuel program; and opening arguments in the Michael Jackson trial up the road in Santa Maria.