Nicely done. Kinda looks a little like the Chicago Tribune, pre-Zell, doesn't it?

please tell me that image is the "before" and not the "after." =/

Looks utterly horrible.

Looks utterly horrible.

some of those bits look very similar to my old paper's redesign. i think what i dislike most is the little tags above the headlines -- they are unnecessary. it's one thing to have them on an inside page, but on a cover, they just take up valuable space. and jeez, everyone and their brother is doing a side-rail now.