Ivan Weiss will be glad to celebrate at the wake of these:

“In the wake of:” How about “after” or
“since?”

“As many as” when used with a specific number.
It’s totally meaningless. “About” or “an estimated”
usually will do.

“Spearheaded” for “led”

“Underscored“: my pet peeve — It’s muddy. Emphazised,
pointed out, demonstrated, illustrated, reinforced are all more specific.

“Announced” for “said”

“Blue-ribbon commission.” Dead on arrival at my
desk.

“A pair of” for the simple “two”

“Burgeoning:” Another yuppie trendoid buzzword.
How about “fast-growing?”

“Crafted” for an abstract concept. A wood-carving
is “crafted.” Legislation is “drafted.”