Dreamhost is an easy way to get a self-hosted blog, this video shows a piece of how to do it. Check out: http://www.techmindset.net/2008/06/10/how-to-set-up-wordpress-part-2-hosting for additional information on this topic.
Bring Google News to your WordPress website. Make the search niche specific, and allow visitors to get instant news on any specified keyword with a single click.