Black Watch: Today’s Top Stories

Substantive issues this week include a ruling on whether the identities of the jurors in the case should remain sealed. The Chicago Tribune appealed Judge Amy St. Eve’s original ruling, and Black et al. have weighed in on the other side. As for the issues at trial, Paul Waldie reports on the Globe’s Web site this morning that the main topic will be the various non-compete arrangements between Hollinger and other media companies. “Prosecutors will call four witnesses who played roles in some of the deals. Among them will be Michael Reed, former head of Community Newspaper Holdings Inc., and David Paxton, head of Paxton Media Group. Both CNHI and Paxton bought dozens of newspapers from Hollinger and prosecutors have said that they will testify that the non-compete payments, which were part of the deals, were supposed to go to Hollinger International.”

Beyond that, the press over the weekend focused on the sideshows. Breathless reports about secret interviews Black gave to Toronto broadcasters about his upcoming biography of Richard Nixon (interviewers had to agree beforehand not to ask questions about the trial); lots and lots about why Barbara Amiel wore brown; Donald Trump telling Conrad to hang in there (presumably so he can borrow money from him later); Joanna Walters, the vermin in Babs’ vermin-and-slut two-step, holding forth in the Observer. Oh, and Peter Worthington—surprise, surprise—has already decided that Black’s going to get off.

Odds are Black will go free [Toronto Sun]Executive ‘balked’ at wiring millions to Black [Globe and Mail]Jurors’ identities an issue in Black trial [Globe and Mail]His trial looming, Black hit the book-promo circuit [Globe and Mail]‘Marie Antoinette’ chooses trouser suit to escape guillotine [Times]Trump pulls in a crowd of 25,000 [Toronto Star]Report is “elephant in room” at Conrad Black trial [National Post]”