Peyton Manning, one of the two or three best quarterbacks in recent years and one of the greatest ever, is close to signing a contract to play for the NFL's Denver Broncos, according to multiple reports.

ESPN's Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter say the deal is done "barring a snag during intensified contract negotiations" between the team and Manning's agent, Tom Condon. They cite "multiple sources."

Russians continue to take to the streets to air their grievances against the government of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. But now, after Putin's election this month to a six-year term as president, the crowds number only in the hundreds — not the tens of thousands that turned out before the vote.

In the words of writer Boris Akunin, a popular speaker at the earlier rallies: "The civic movement has entered a new phase. The first phase, romantic and euphoric, is over."

Now is the time, Akunin says, for power to develop from the bottom up.

While most of the country has been enjoying spring-like temperatures for weeks now, parts of Arizona got a pretty significant visit from a waning winter: CNN reports that "the city of Flagstaff is still digging out of 10 to 14 inches of snow from the weekend, which prompted school closings in the city for Monday. The city of Prescott received 8 to 12 inches."

Last month, Tell Me More used audio of storyteller Mike Daisey, who had been featured in a public radio story on the show This American Life. Last Friday, This American Life host Ira Glass retracted the story, saying it "contained numerous fabrications." Host Michel Martin notes the use of part of the retracted story on Tell Me More.

A New Jersey jury found 19-year-old Rutgers University student Dharun Ravi guilty of a hate crime for using his webcam to spy on his roommate Tyler Clementi. Clementi was having an intimate encounter with another man in their dorm room and a few days later he committed suicide. Host Michel Martin discusses the case with law professor Jessica Henry.

There's somebody like him in every workplace.

The know-it-all who just has to show how smart he is about the NCAA men's basketball tournament.

So, if you're like us and don't have a lot of time to pay attention to March Madness, might we suggest a proactive approach now that the field is down to the "Sweet 16?"

Pick one of these teams — North Carolina State, Ohio or Xavier.

Mitt Romney won Puerto Rico's Republican presidential primary Sunday, adding the commonwealth's 20 delegates to his commanding lead over the other candidates as they compete to reach the 1,144 needed for the nomination. Rick Santorum hurt himself with the island's voters by saying English had to become its official language before it could achieve statehood.

Good morning.

Our early headlines:

-- Killing Of Fla. Teen Trayvon Martin Becomes National Story About Race.

-- Apple To Buy Back $10B In Shares; Pay Dividend Of $2.65 Per Share.