Hatchet editor up for national award

Hatchet senior editor Will Dempster is one of six finalists for the Associated Collegiate Press’ editorial of the year award. Dempster was nominated for an October 2004 column that questioned the manner in which the University handled an off-court incident involving members of the GW men’s basketball team. The winner will be announced in November.

“This is an award that puts my writing up against comparable writing all over the country,” said Dempster, a senior who was The Hatchet’s opinions editor from January 2004 through last May. “It’s nice to know the hard work I put into my editorials has yielded such a result.”

In his ACP-nominated editorial, Dempster urged the GW Athletics department to be more forthcoming about details surrounding an altercation at Lulu’s Mardi Gras in which three basketball players were accused of assaulting club bouncers. Dempster called on the basketball team to behave in a more professional manner in light of their prominence on the national college sports scene.

“I was fortunate last year to have an editorial board who had a really firm grasp on what was happening on campus,” said Dempster, who can often be seen around the newspaper’s G Street office sporting his amazing brown woven-leather belt.

In 2004, Dempster won first place for his editorial writing and second place for column writing in the regional Society of Professional Journalist contest. The Hatchet won the SPJ’s best non-daily paper in the nation award last year, and was one of three finalists for the award this year.

Cheney has surgery at GW Hospital

Vice President Dick Cheney underwent successful surgery at the GW Hospital Saturday to repair aneurysms behind each of his knees. The Washington Post reported that Cheney was “alert and comfortable” after the six-hour procedure.

Cheney went under local anesthesia for the surgery, which was necessary to repair the popliteal aneurysms, or ballooning arteries in both of his knees, that could eventually burst if left untreated. The aneurysms were discovered during Cheney’s annual physical in July.

Cheney, who has a history of heart problems, was expected to spend up to 48 hours at the GW Hospital in recovery. He left Sunday morning.

-Marissa Levy