"Chris Dixon, the project manager at Seattle Tunnel Partners [...] said he felt pretty confident that the blockage will turn out to be nothing more or less romantic than a giant boulder, perhaps left over from the Ice Age glaciers that scoured and crushed this corner of the continent 17,000 years ago. " ~ The article.
"Mystery Object Found to be Benign, Everyday Rock" does not make for a great headline.
Edit: I may be underestimating NYT's ingenuity a bit. I suppose "Big Bertha Resumes Drilling After Penetrating Ancient Glacial Super Rock" would serve the purpose.
(wait for it)
"... One Weird Trick ..."
(ah, there it is)
"... To Conquer Ancient Mega Boulder Behemoth"
Yep. That's a headline.
WAR BEGINS... with a w (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6H6OULO5R4Y)
Now every article needs to make money, so every article is a cover story with all its drama and embellishments.