While the campaign for the U.S. presidency has dominated the news, the contest for a local office with at least as much relevance to the lives of ordinary DeKalb County residents has spooled out quietly in churches, front yards and living rooms.

During Pope Benedict XVI's visit to New York, he spoke about vocation during a youth rally in Yonkers. It is an important issue to the church as the number of priests continues to decline and fewer men are called into the priesthood.

Leaders of the Miami-Dade teachers' union will sit down with school district officials Wednesday for their second high-stakes meeting this week, and things could get contentious again.

This is the text of the speech as prepared for delivery. Thank you, Bridget Vinson, for that wonderful introduction. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, Federal, State and local officials, honored guests and friends.

Falling real-estate values and voter-demanded tax relief have done something not accomplished since Hurricane Andrew shredded the county more than 15 years ago: lowered the taxable value of Miami-Dade's property.