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."
A Taxing Debate in the Twin Cities
Travelers returning to Minneapolis toting duty-free booze might want to consider other transportation options before trying to hail an airport taxi: Somali Muslim cabbies, who make up more than half the drivers serving Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, say the Koran forbids them from transporting alcohol. They've been refusing rides to passengers carrying wine or spirits. No one is happy, not customers left waiting on curbs, or the Muslim drivers, who go to the back of the taxi line when they reject fares. A proposal to equip the no-alcohol taxis with special roof lights failed in the wake of backlash over whether the cabbies' beliefs, not shared by all Muslims, should receive a special accommodation. So for now, the old system remains. But tension has been eased by another bureaucratic move: The federal rule that limits liquids on airliners has reduced the number of people coming home with libations.
Driving Nuts Farmers Nuts
The latest crime target in California's Central Valley? Nuts. Yes, nuts. About a dozen tractor-trailers carrying almonds have been stolen in California this year, the most recent one just last week in San Joaquin County. One area grower had 88,000 pounds of almonds taken from him this summer. What's behind it all? The cascading popularity of almonds, which have been linked to reduced risk of heart disease. California farmers are expecting a harvest of more than a billion pounds this fall, to be sold wholesale for approximately $3 a pound and shipped worldwide. Walnuts are targets, too. Thieves took two semis and trailers filled with processed walnuts from a Hughson, Calif., farm early last week. The semis were recovered. But there's been no sign of the trailers, or the nuts.
With Will Sullivan, Bret Schulte, Liz Halloran and Associated Press
This story appears in the October 23, 2006 print edition of U.S. News & World Report.