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ON THE TRAIL

July 8, 2008

Barack Obama will accept the Democratic presidential nomination at Invesco Field at Mile High, a 76,000-seat stadium, rather than at the site of the party's national convention across town. Obama, speaking to reporters in St. Louis, said he was excited about the move. "Sometimes our conventions don't feel like they are open to everybody," Obama said. "For us to be able to do it in Invesco Field is an opportunity for 80,000 people who might otherwise not have been able to participate to get involved."Obama's acceptance will come on the last night of the convention, which runs from Aug. 24 to 28.

John McCain opens a handful of political offices this week in California, the historical turf of Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon that in recent years has become a Democratic fortress in presidential contests. McCain boasts that he can win California's 55 electoral votes, the biggest prize on Nov. 4, but a Republican hasn't carried the state in two decades. But as evidence of an opening, McCain supporters point to Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. They see McCain as sharing some of his traits - a willingness to work across party lines and centrist appeal.

Federal officials said they planned to investigate an incident yesterday in which the airplane carrying Obama made a precautionary landing in St. Louis after the crew had a problem keeping the nose up on takeoff from Chicago. The plane, an MD-80 Midwest charter, struggled to keep the nose at the necessary angle as it left for Charlotte, N.C., the pilot said. Later, Midwest Airlines said the problem developed because an emergency slide located in the tail cone of the plane deployed in flight, but never threatened the safety of the flight. The National Transportation Safety Board said it planned to investigate the incident.