Last week's larger, more deadly explosion

Yesterday I heard the NPR news desk transition from its top story, Boston, to the latest from West, Texas. Here's how they did it: "Let's check in on another major story that dominated our attention last week."

That's not quite how I remember it. I don't think the ammonia-fertilizer plant explosion in small-town Texas dominated the news media's attention even when the story first broke Wednesday. It was almost entirely overshadowed by the marathon bombing—even though both tragedies centered on horrific explosions, even though both included powerful stories of volunteers helping out at great risk to themselves, even though more people died in Texas.

Even though the industrial accident in West—unlike the low-tech violence of two murderous young men—could have been prevented.