Cross Country
An Astronaut's Final Flight?
Astronauts have been heroes of American mythology since the dawn of the space age, so it seemed especially jarring last week when one of those heroes was accused of some decidedly unheroic behavior.
By week's end, astronaut and Navy Capt. Lisa Nowak was back in Houston after a 1,900-mile there-and-back journey led her to a jail cell in Orlando. Nowak had driven from Houston to Orlando to allegedly confront Air Force Capt. Colleen Shipman, in what authorities describe as a dispute over the affections of another astronaut. After following Shipman to her car in the parking lot of the airport, Nowak reportedly attacked her with pepper spray. Nowak says she just wanted to talk to Shipman. An Orlando prosecutor is calling it attempted murder.
The case is based on a heavy knife, steel mallet, and BB gun all discovered in Nowak's car. Even more bizarre was the news that Nowak apparently wore diapers during the drive so that she didn't have to stop along the way.
Nowak, the mother of three, recently separated from her husband of 19 years. She was released on $25,500 bail and returned home, covering her face from photographers as she exited the plane in Houston.
Snow, Ice, and Bracing Cold
Irony is a cruel mistress. Just as Congress was bellowing hot air about cutting greenhouse gases, an arctic blast promptly froze much of the country, reminding millions that Mother Nature still has a mind of her own. Bitter cold, ice, and snow contributed to at least 19 deaths in seven states. In Minneapolis, temperatures dropped to minus 17. In Chicago, officials received 1,000 reports of frozen pipes. But perhaps no one suffered more than the denizens of Oswego, N.Y., where weeklong snowfall frustrated efforts to clear streets and fire hydrants, while causing an epidemic of fender benders. Oswego Mayor Randy Bateman called the accumulation "almost an unreal amount." Try 94 inches for the week.
Hizzoner's Troubled Personal Life
Three years ago San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom burst on the national scene when he authorized the city to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Last week, the young politician with matinee-idol good looks made marriage news again, but this time the stakes were more personal. Newsom, 39, whose own opposite-sex marriage to a glamorous former Court TV commentator went down in flames in early 2005, admitted to an affair with the wife of his campaign manager. The highly successful former restaurateur and winery owner then joined a growing club of disgraced politicians who have sought treatment for alcohol abuse. But despite last week's sordid revelations and his campaign's disarray, Newsom appears to have little worry about retaining the mayor's office this fall in the City by the Bay-his campaign coffers are bulging, and there appear to be no viable challengers on the horizon.
Rolling the Dice on the Lottery
Texas Gov. Rick Perry faced long odds but a potentially huge payoff in Austin last week, where he pushed for the sale of the state's lottery for 40 years to a private operator. Perry, a Republican, estimated that such a sale could net $14 billion, which would be put into separate trust funds for public education, cancer research, and healthcare for the uninsured. At least four states have considered leasing their lotteries, and the governors of Illinois and Indiana have actually sought bids. But no state legislature has approved a lease plan so far, and an actual sale would be a hard sell in Texas. "By privatizing the lottery, you legalize private-run gambling operations in Texas," says Republican state Sen. Steve Ogden. Others complain that the yearly $800 million promised Texas public schools falls short of the approximately $1 billion the lottery is contributing now.
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