Martin Richard is the face of Boston’s tragedy

Tease the day: A nation mourns an eight-year-old boy

<p>This undated photo provided by Bill Richard, shows his son, Martin Richard, in Boston. Martin Richard, 8, was among the at least three people killed in the explosions, Monday, April 15, 2013, at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. (AP Photo/Bill Richard)</p>

Bill Richard/AP

Bill Richard/AP

Martin Richard, an eight-year-old boy, won the most tragic sweepstakes imaginable. Richard died in the bombings near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, and he’s since become the human face plastered onto all that carnage and sadness. You’ll see various snapshots of him on the front of the National Post and the Toronto Star, and smaller thumbnails on The Globe and Mail, the Wall Street Journal, the Boston Globe and the Washington Post. The juxtaposition of Martin’s image with the brutal, raw crime scene where he met his fate might be absent of the gore that so proliferated in the wake of the bombings, but that’s the point. After all the chaos, after all the carnage, even after all the investigations and convictions and justice, there will always be the tragedy of Martin Richard.


What’s above the fold this morning?

The Globe and Mail leads with the investigation into the Boston Marathon bombings, which U.S. President Barack Obama labelled a terrorist attack. The National Post fronts more information about the improvised explosives that caused so much carnage in Boston. The Toronto Star goes above the fold with Martin Richard, the eight-year-old boy who died in the Boston blast. The Ottawa Citizen leads with the aftermath of the bombings. iPolitics fronts Obama’s declaration that the Boston bombings were acts of terror. CBC.ca leads with the death of 68-year-old Cape Breton singing legend Rita MacNeil. National Newswatch showcases Tim Harper’s column in the Star that argues every attack on Justin Trudeau’s celebrity only amplifies his celebrity.


Stories that will be (mostly) missed

1. Climate change. Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver backed away from comments last week that climate change had been “exaggerated” and called the file “an urgent matter.”2. Union transparency. A number of Senators, including Conservative Hugh Segal, are criticizing a Commons-approved bill that would force unions to publicly disclose financial information.
3. Airport scanners. New software at dozens of full-body scanners at Canadian airports will show only stick figures, a far less revealing picture than security personnel currently receive.4. Justice. An Ontario trial judge, Robert Scott, was admonished by a panel of peers for improperly interjecting in a pair of trials that “tarnished” the integrity of the justice system.