Welcome to the Democratic National Convention in Denver!

OK, so you probably aren't there -- neither am I. But with the Internet's ever-expanding number of politically active bloggers, you don't have to look far for coverage that will make you feel like you're on the DNC convention floor. Here's a look at some alternative ways of finding out what's happening in Denver.

It looks like a baby boom, or at least a boomlet. Business is up at baby boutiques; the number of hospital maternity beds is growing. And births have increased -- to 4.31 million in 2007 from 4.26 million in 2006. But demographers say it's too early to know for sure just how real the baby boom is.

Hello! My name is Amanda Montee. I am a Missouri at-large delegate, and I am pledged to Sen. Barack Obama. I am from St. Joseph, but I attend the University of Kansas where I plan to graduate this May with a Bachelor's degree in political science. Next fall I hope to attend law school. My name may be familiar to you. My mother, Susan Montee, is the state auditor.

As the Democrats kick off their national convention in Denver, a special guest will undoubtedly steal some of the spotlight from the ticket toppers and other assorted political stars. Sen. Edward Kennedy, taking a break from cancer treatment, arrived Sunday. Kennedy made a surprise appearance at the convention Monday evening after a special video tribute that was introduced by his niece, Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg.

Click here for compete story from the Boston Herald

Click here for Monday's complete schedule.

McCaskill will appeal to Missouri common sense | Kansas City Star

We marvel at the records set by such swimmers as Michael Phelps (left). We are astonished by the seemingly effortless speed of Usain Bolt. But how long will these records hold? Look at the speeds and distances that were recorded at Francis Field in 1904 and imagine what will happen in the next 100 years.

SPRINGFIELD, IL – A crowd of 35,000 on Saturday got the nation's first glimpse at the man U.S. Sen. Barack Obama tapped as his running mate.

News broke early Saturday morning that U.S. Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., would join Obama on the Democratic ticket. The pair united hours later in Springfield, Ill., on the same stage that Obama used to launch his presidential campaign 19 months ago.

I am a junior at Missouri State University where I major in broadcast journalism with a minor in public administration. But I grew up in University City and went to high school at McCluer North.

Although Biden (at left with wife, Jill) came to the Eagletons' house in Washington for dinner a couple of times, he was very much not a rider on the Washington social merry-go-round, Eagleton said. With few exceptions, she said, "He went home to Wilmington every night to be with his kids."