Seems Like Old Times

By Sora Song With Reporting by Melissa August

It is, perhaps, just a line in the sand, but the change of the calendar year gave the country a chance--an excuse--to shake off the somber shadow cast by the events of Sept. 11. The war in Afghanistan has subsided, we've had our holiday breather, and life is returning--as much as it can--to something closer to the way it once was. At least it is trying to, judging from a few recent signs.

--By Sora Song

AFTER RUDY He follows in the footsteps of New York's favorite hero, but newly installed Mayor Michael Bloomberg is hardly basking in the glow. On Jan. 1 he got right down to painful business as usual, asking city officials to cut their staffs 20%, to help balance the budget.

WHAT REALLY MATTERS Boos, hisses and signs that read "Benedict Rick" welcomed onetime Kentucky basketball coach Rick Pitino when he returned to face his old team as coach of its archrival, Louisville.

THAT OLD EXUBERANCE After a steep three-month decline, the Consumer Confidence Index jumped more than 8 points in December, its biggest gain since February 1998.

LOOSENING UP Concrete barricades aside, security has been eased at the Statehouse in Boise, Idaho. IDs are no longer required of all visitors.

CHALLENGE MET A Nation Challenged, a special section of the New York Times devoted to Sept. 11 and its aftermath, was retired on Dec. 31, after running for 105 days.

FRIENDLIER SKIES Closed for nearly a month after the terrorist attacks, Reagan National Airport in Washington moved closer to full operation, daily flights to 14 new cities authorized last week.

POLITICS AGAIN President Bush told reporters he will be campaigning in 2002: "One of my goals will be to see that Denny Hastert remains the Speaker and...that Trent Lott becomes the [Senate] majority leader."

THE THRILL OF THE CHASE What to do when the war news dries up? CNN last week had live coverage of a "hockey dad's" murder trial. Fox News followed an L.A. woman inexplicably fleeing police in a minivan.

--With reporting by Melissa August