Looking Ahead

Sept. 30 American Amanda Knox and her former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito face a retrial today in Italy in connection with a gruesome 2007 murder. The two were acquitted of the crime in 2011, but Italy’s highest court ordered a retrial due to errors by a lower court. Knox is now in the United States, and Italian officials may find extradition of the 26-year-old difficult even if she is convicted in absentia.

Oct. 1 A Maryland gun control law passed in the wake of the Newtown, Conn., school shooting goes into effect today. The law adds 45 more guns to the state’s banned weapons list and also prohibits handgun magazines that carry more than 10 rounds.

Oct. 1 The most powerful part of the president’s healthcare law goes into effect today. Under the 2010 law, Americans can begin shopping for healthcare through state-run healthcare insurance exchanges. But the rollout of the insurance exchanges has been fraught with difficulty. Anecdotal stories about customers’ compromised private information and technical glitches with the exchange websites abound.

Oct. 7 The Olympic Torch Relay begins today ahead of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia. The lighting ceremony will take place in the ancient Greek village of Olympia. From there, the 4-pound, aluminum torch will begin its 34,000-mile journey to Sochi, a Russian resort town on the Black Sea.

Oct. 8 The stately $100 bill, redesigned once again in the government’s campaign to stymie counterfeiters, debuts today. It features a disappearing Liberty Bell in an inkwell and a new 3D security ribbon. But in keeping with tradition, Benjamin Franklin’s face still graces the bill.