Cross Country
A Tragedy Amid the Skyscrapers
In a place where 9/11 memories are still vivid, what happened late last week was especially chilling. A single-engine plane smashed into a high-rise New York apartment building, starting a fire, sending debris cascading to the street below, and killing both occupants, one of them a New York Yankees pitcher.
It quickly seemed clear the crash was an accident, not an act of terrorism, but the U.S. Northern Command scrambled jets nevertheless, to patrol the skies above New York, Washington, and several other cities. For New Yorkers, the shock of what happened and the plumes of smoke created an unsettling sense of déjà vu.
The single-engine Cirrus SR20 aircraft carrying Yankees hurler Cory Lidle, 34, and his flying instructor left a suburban New Jersey airport Wednesday afternoon on what was supposed to be a relaxing flight around New York City. The plane circled the Statue of Liberty, flew past Lower Manhattan, and headed north along the East River. But then, as it tried to make a U-turn, the plane crashed into a condominium building on the Upper East Side. More than 20 people were taken to hospitals, many of them firefighters. And by late last week, a team of National Transportation Safety Board investigators was on the scene, trying to figure out just what went wrong.
Reaching Out for the Amish
The Amish buggies of Nickel Mines, Pa., seem part of a different world from Bill Smaltz's motorcycle, but last week the owner of a Harley-Davidson dealership saw similarities as well. "Every kid that we lose, they're our kids," he said. In response to the shooting that killed five Amish schoolgirls, Smaltz is organizing a charity bike ride and expects 1,000 bikers. Since the shooting two weeks ago, more than $700,000 has been raised for the shattered Amish community. The money will go toward medical costs for the five survivors of the shooting and may help replace the West Nickel Mines Amish School, which was razed last week. Richie Lauer, the director of the Anabaptist Foundation, which is helping administer some of the funds, said the Amish were initially hesitant about accepting outside help. But now, says Lauer, "they are humbled by it."
A Scandal's Continuing Fallout
After taking the Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport, Iowa, into bankruptcy last Tuesday, Bishop William Franklin said his prayers were answered when the Vatican accepted his retirement two days later. Franklin guided the diocese through its darkest days after revelations that as many as 11 diocesan priests had abused children since the 1950s. Since 2004, the diocese has paid more than $10.5 million to settle claims. The Davenport Diocese became the fourth in the nation to file for bankruptcy since the abuse scandal broke in 2002.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Archdiocese remains in negotiations with more than 40 victims. Reports of a $60 million agreement proved premature, but Archdiocese spokesman Tod Tamberg said he expects $60 million to be "in the ballpark" of a settlement. "We have not," he said, "contemplated bankruptcy."
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