Even though it was already fairly safe to assume that Halo: Reach would be a prequel to Halo: Combat Evolved, it was never actually confirmed until now.  Frank O’Connor was recently interviewed by USA Today, and revealed that it is indeed a prequel to Halo 1:
“It’s a prequel to Halo 1,” says Frank O’Connor, creative director for 343 Industries, a division of Microsoft that handles all things Halo.
A first-person shooter [...]

Just as the title says, you can listen to someone read the entire book online over at YouTube.  So far he’s at chapter 28.  Give it a listen.

“Former Bungie man and now Microsoft’s Creative Director of 343 Industries (its dedicated Halo division), Frank O’Connor has stated that there is a six-year plan in place for the future of the Halo franchise that will see thegame series’ canon branch out across action figures, books, videos, and comics.
“We do have a plan that goes out at least six years,” O’Connor told USA Today. “Eventually, it will become very apparent [...]

Once in a while someone will pitch something, new or old, in order to spark interest and conversation. sarcasticgamer’s Lono recently wrote up a little article speculating That Halo: Reach may have class-based multiplayer. This isn’t a new theory, in fact, most theories were all mentioned days after the Halo: Reach e3 Trailer was announced. You may recall my own theory that Halo: Reach may be squad-based. Squad-based gameplay and [...]

Lead Game Designer Christian Allen has left Bungie Studios for AWB Games as Lead Game Designer. Chris talks on his blog about his experience working with the Bungie team and also gives his personal opinion on Halo: Reach.