The presidential election carries tremendous importance this year. More than most years, Americans track the Republican and Democratic races for the most information they can consume.

This forces major, and minor, news media to feed the public’s appetite for this news, pushing other stories to the background. Though we don’t question the presidential race’s importance, local, national and world news shouldn’t be set aside.

We know most, if any, students do not watch the evening news as their source of informtion. Many get their news from online sources. For students who rely on TV cable or broadcast news, other sources can quench your news appetite better than the week-old leftovers of a presidential primary.

The Drudge Report, an online hodgepodge of news, gives headlines and links to various media outlets. CNN. com always delivers interesting articles. More entertainingly, the “Weird News” tab at MSNBC.com provides offbeat but amusing news.

Searching around the sites, cluttered with campaign coverage, reveals some interesting headlines not related to politics.

With all the attention on the presidential candidates, some stories might have gone unnoticed. For example, the Vatican added to its list of sins, giving it a modern update. Some of the “new sins” include pollution and gene manipulation.

The current marathon world record holder said he might not run the event in the Beijing Olympics this year because of air pollution.

A recent study showed prescription drugs were found in the drinking water of at least 41 million American homes.

All these stories might be lost to the casual TV viewer or Internet browser. We may catch a brief on one of these or similar stories, but the only way to know the variety of news out there is to get it yourself.

The presidential election coverage provides good information, but it’s not the only information we need. A well-rounded society is better equipped to make such important decisions as electing a new president.

The mainstream news can present all the coverage about the election and even try to convince us a certain way. But seeking the news, no matter how serious or odd it may be, will eliminate the need for the presidential election overkill.