There were up to 10 stories in competition for Page One for tomorrow. After wrestling them down at our afternoon news budget meeting, here is the lineup Managing Editor Rich Luna selected:

-- Funeral and burial of Juan Venegas, the Simi Valley soldier killed last week in Iraq.

-- Details on the previously announced skyscraper project in Oxnard, a proposal for 31- and 48-story towers near the Esplanade mall. This is in advance of a hearing on the project Tuesday.

-- First day of the conclave of Catholic cardinals to select a new pope for their church.

-- Decision by the NFL to re-align its TV schedule, moving Monday Night Football to ESPN after 35 years on ABC and granting NBC the contract to televise Sunday night games. That means ABC won't televise any NFL games. The new contracts start in 2006.

-- Ebay sellers, a local story on some of the quirky things being sold now on the Internet auction site by Ventura County residents. A Moorpark woman is selling advertising space on her chest; an Ojai man is selling a small chest that he says contains the secret of life. Both have received high bids.

-- An examination of efforts by various states to make this country less inviting to illegal immigrants; and moves in the opposite direction by other states.

Among the stories that didn't make it to Page One (but will still run tomorrow):

-- Announcement by Lance Armstrong that he is retiring from racing after this year's Tour de France.
-- Conviction on murder charges in a Ventura court of David Zeismer in the death of 17-year-old Nichole Hendrix.
-- Study that raises questions about the heart safety of several over-the-counter pain killers.