user: IN: March Madness, Cherry Blossoms: How to contribute
March has been an exciting month at The Washington Post. In addition to an array of breaking news stories, we’ve also got perennials such as March Madness, St. Patrick’s Day and the upcoming Cherry Blossom Festival on our minds.

We hope you contribute to our coverage of these events and more. We’ve rounded up some of the most exciting (and interactive) features on our site right now. There are lots of ways to participate, so have at it.

photo submitted by RAshC; haiku by andante825.The Cherry Blossom Festival starts next week, and we invite you to share your photos and, if you’re feeling particularly poetic, your cherry blossom haiku. Need inspiration? We’ve combined reader-submitted photographs and haiku here.

Click here for full coverage of the festival, complete with trivia, blossom-themed artwork from KidsPost readers and vintage photos.

In the spirit of good ol’ trash talk, we asked readers about the team they can never root for. The conclusion? Duke has a lot of haters. Vote for the most reviled team in college sports. Tell us about the team you can’t stand here.

If you want to up the trash talk ante, share your frustrations with your NCAA-obsessed friends/co-workers/family members, who boast about their brackets. Tweet your gripes using the hash tag #NoOneCaresAboutYourBracket.

If basketball isn’t your thing, try your hand at another college sport with our annual beer tourney.

Our Going Out Gurus have the go-to guide on D.C. area bar trivia nights . You can brush up on your skills with this well-rounded trivia quiz.

Are you a politics hound? Take this quiz to find out which GOP candidate most closely fits your beliefs.

We asked readers to caption this award-winning photo of President Obama raising a glass of Guinness at a pub in Ireland. Readers have submitted their witty suggestions in the comments — with more than a few dubbing the commander in chief President O’bama. [ Add your caption here ]

Still planning your St. Patrick’s Day festivities? Going Out Guide has you covered.

And that reminds us --.the weekend is just about here.We’ll toast to that!
What is a short summary of the above article?

OUT: A roundup of interactive and exciting ways for readers to contribute to our coverage of March Madness, the Cherry Blossom Festival and more.


IN: Alleged 'dentist of horror' goes on trial in France for mutilating mouths
The trial of a Dutch man dubbed the “dentist of horror” after allegedly mutilating the mouths of more than 100 patients in France is due to open on Tuesday.

Jacobus van Nierop, 51, ripped out healthy teeth and left dozens of patients in a remote French village with broken jaws, recurrent abscesses and septicaemia.

Related: Unregistered dentist 'may have exposed patients to blood-borne viruses'

He is charged with aggravated assault as well as fraud over claims that he tried to rip off patients and insurance companies, and faces up to 10 years in prison and a €150,000 ($165,000) fine if found guilty.

Van Nierop, who went by the first name of Mark, was hired by a headhunter in 2008 and was initially welcomed by locals in the rural area of Chateau-Chinon, who were sorely lacking in medical services.

Sylviane Boulesteix, 65, visited the dentist in March 2012 to have braces fitted.

“He gave me seven or eight injections, and pulled out eight teeth in one go. I was gushing blood for three days,” she said.

An 80-year-old, Bernard Hugon, said the dentist left “pieces of flesh hanging everywhere” after tearing out a tooth.

“Every time, he would give us what he called ‘a little prick’ and we were asleep, knocked out,” said Nicole Martin, a retired teacher who lost several teeth to abscesses caused by the horrific operations.

“When it was over, we would find a Post-it note saying to come back for an appointment the next day or the day after,” she added.

Martin set up a victims’ group in early 2013 to press charges, and it soon swelled to 120 members.

In June of that year, police arrested Van Nierop but left him free pending trial, and he fled the country the following December.

He was eventually tracked down to a small Canadian town in New Brunswick and arrested under an international warrant in September 2014.

Local media reported that he tried to slit his throat when police arrested him.

Van Nierop tried to block his extradition, first to the Netherlands and then France, claiming to suffer from “psychological problems” including gender identity issues and suicidal tendencies. But he was eventually placed in a prison psychiatric unit in the Loiret department, south of Paris.

“He claimed to have killed his first wife, he played crazy, he said he was transsexual. He tried everything” to avoid extradition, Martin said.

According to Dutch media, Van Nierop had already come under investigation at home over his working practices before coming to France.

The trial in Nevers is due to last until 18 March.
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OUT: Dutchman Jacobus van Nierop, 51, faces up to 10 years in prison after dozens of patients suffered broken jaws, abscesses and septicaemia


IN: US refinery shuts, leaks sulphur dioxide
A US refinery has sent plumes of orange and black smoke into the air after a power failure shut the plant down.

Authorities in Colorado are telling people within a 2.5km radius of the Suncor Energy, Inc plant to remain indoors.

The company said the plumes, seen from downtown Denver, were "visible emissions'' from the refinery in Commerce City which spokeswoman Nicole Fisher described as being from an uncombusted hydrocarbon. However, the Denver Fire Captain Greg Pixley said Suncor notified authorities that it was releasing sulphur dioxide, a gas created by the burning of sulphur.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said officials don't know enough yet about what was in the smoke to determine if it was hazardous.

Fisher said Suncor is monitoring the air around the refinery, which produces petrol, diesel fuel and asphalt.

The power outage occurred around noon on Friday and the smoke dissipated by mid-afternoon.
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OUT:

assistant: A US refinery has shut down after a power failure, with plumes of orange and black smoke being seen sent into the air.