RETARDED HEADLINE

Romenesko's Obscure Store uncovered this eye-popping headline from the Democrat-Reporter, a newspaper in Marengo County, Ala.:

Residents reject retard housing

Yes, "retard." As in "retarded." The cutline accompanying a photo described the house as a place where "retarded and mentally unstable people would live." A proponent is quoted as assuring people that the home's residents -- "other than giving strange looks or constantly staring" -- were harmless.

By the way, this story was written in April 2006.