Virginia: Washington’s papers online

A 37-volume collection of George Washington’s papers is now available online, giving unprecedented access to the Founding Father’s personal documents and correspondence.

More than 17,400 papers in John C. Fitzpatrick’s “The Writings of George Washington from the Original Manuscript Sources, 1745-1799” were recently posted on the University of Virginia’s Electronic Text Center, a searchable Web-based database.

The papers describe everything from weighty political matters during the American Revolution to squabbles over the ranks Washington assigned to members of his army. They were written over a period contemporary with the French and Indian War, the Continental Congress and Washington’s presidency.

¢http://etext.virginia.edu/washington/fitzpatrick

Boston: Archdiocese considers filing for bankruptcy

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston is preparing to file for bankruptcy rather than face a costly legal battle that could drag on for years, according to a published report. A spokeswoman for the archdiocese called the report “speculative and premature.”

Senior advisers to Cardinal Bernard Law favor filing for bankruptcy, and any decision must be approved by the cardinal, according to The Boston Sunday Globe, citing an unnamed senior church official and two unnamed sources close to the archdiocese.

An archdiocese spokeswoman said Sunday that a decision on bankruptcy had not been made but that every option is being considered.

Gaza Strip: Palestinians elude missile

Israeli helicopters fired missiles Sunday at a car near Gaza City, reducing the vehicle to a heap of smoldering metal seconds after three Palestinian militants inside jumped out, witnesses said.

During two years of Palestinian-Israeli violence, Israel has killed dozens of suspected militants in what it calls “targeted attacks,” claiming that it is preventing terror strikes. Palestinians charge that the practice amounts to assassination of their leaders, and human rights groups call it summary execution without judicial process.