Cross Country
Knocking Heads on Immigration
Police in Los Angeles found themselves in a familiar position last week-facing complaints of excessive force after officers used batons and rubber bullets to disperse May Day immigration demonstrators. Police union leaders argued against a rush to judgment, but Chief William Bratton expressed distress about the tactics. Investigations have already begun, and the FBI announced that it would look into possible civil rights violations.
Los Angeles was only one of many cities where supporters staged rallies calling for a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. But crowds were smaller than at similar protests last year. Chicago, where 400,000 marched last year, had the largest turnout, with an estimated 150,000 demonstrators.
Burned, Yes, but No Commuter Hell
Freeways in the earthquake-prone San Francisco Bay area are built for the worst, but 8,000 gallons of burning gasoline proved too much for an Oakland overpass, which collapsed onto a highway ramp last week after a tanker truck crash. The collapse, near the bridge linking Oakland to San Francisco, threatened to snarl traffic in both cities. But backups were light as drivers either changed their routes or took advantage of public transit. The lower ramp could be open as early as this week, officials said, but fixing the fallen overpass will likely take months. After the crash, public scrutiny focused on the hospitalized driver, James Mosqueda, who was allowed to operate the truck despite drug arrests. Drugs and alcohol are not suspected of causing the accident.
Virginia Closes a Fatal Loophole
"Gun control" might as well be a four-letter word in Virginia, but Democratic Gov. Tim Kaine signed an executive order last week requiring that anyone directed by a court to get mental health treatment be added to a database of those prohibited from purchasing firearms. The order closes a loophole that allowed Virginia Tech gunman Seung Hui Cho to pass background checks and buy the two guns he used in the April 16 attacks that killed 32 people. A judge ruled in 2005 that Cho was a danger to himself and ordered him to get outpatient treatment, but he was not added to state databases because he was not committed to a mental institution. Though generally cool to gun regulations, Virginia was already the national leader in adding mental illness records to the federal database.
Pilot Error Ruled in Yank's Crash
Government investigators say pilot error was the likely cause of a plane crash that took the life of New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle last October. It could not be determined if it was the veteran right-hander or flight instructor Tyler Stanger at the controls when the plane crashed into a New York City apartment building.
The plane was cruising north over the East River on a sightseeing trip days after the Bronx Bombers were eliminated from the playoffs. While banking sharply, it suddenly lost altitude and crashed into the 30th floor of the Upper East Side building. An examination of the wreckage found no evidence that the engine or flight controls failed.
A lawyer for the Lidle and Stranger families has disputed the findings, claiming that he has found problems with the plane. Investigators dismissed that theory. Thayne Stanger said it "defied logic" that his son and Lidle would have flown into the building.
Tossed Out at a Tender Age
Oh, the folly of youth. In 2003, Jason West made headlines outside the small village of New Paltz, N.Y., when, at 26, he was elected mayor. In 2004, he found the spotlight again when he performed 25 same-sex marriages in the Village Hall parking lot, though the state never recognized them. But last week, West was solidly defeated by village Trustee Terry Dungan, who attributed West's loss to an autocratic style that alienated village officials. But youth may have its advantages. Asked how he felt after winning, Dungan, 60, replied, "I was too tired to react."
With Will Sullivan, Alex Kingsbury and Associated Press
This story appears in the May 14, 2007 print edition of U.S. News & World Report.
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