Newspaper articles are great research tools. They can keep you up to date on current affairs. They can also serve as primary sources and enable you to put events into historical context.  The University of Iowa Libraries have numerous resources that will allow you to locate news materials on a local, national and international scale. You can find information on politics, business and finance, sports, pop culture, etc. Regardless of your topic - the Obama administration, the Iowa flood of 2008, movie reviews for Star Wars from 1977, the Spanish American War or Y2K - newspapers are valuable resources.

New York Times

Bardach, Ann and Susan Lydon. 1979. A COOL BLONDE AND: A HOT BAND BLONDIE. New York Times (1923-Current File), Aug 26.