CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A massive piece of space junk drifted toward the shuttle-station complex and its 13 astronauts Wednesday, though NASA officials said the threat would not delay an upcoming spacewalk. Mission Control kept close tabs on the piece of European rocket because there was a chance, however unlikely, it could come too close or even hit the linked space shuttle Discovery and international space station if their path is not altered. As of Wednesday night, the debris was expected to pass within two miles of the outpost on Friday, officials said.
Texas: Southwest Airlines fees
Your bags still fly for free on Southwest Airlines, but if you want a better chance at a window or aisle seat it’s going to cost $10 each way. Southwest announced Wednesday that customers can pay extra to reserve a spot in the boarding line right behind elite fliers and ahead of families and other travelers. Unlike other airlines, Southwest doesn’t offer assigned seats. The new offering comes after Southwest introduced new fees for minors traveling alone and for bringing a small pet on board.
Minnesota: Traficant freed
Former Ohio Rep. James Traficant, 68, walked out of a prison Wednesday morning after serving a seven-year sentence for bribery and racketeering. The nine-term Democrat from Youngstown left the Federal Medical Center in Rochester and stepped into a waiting cab. Traficant, who and had his famously wild hair pulled back, ignored a shouted question. He hasn’t said whether he will retire or try to return to public life.
Colorado: Conservative cuts
Focus on the Family announced Wednesday it is laying off 8 percent of its work force, casualties of the latest budget shortfall at the influential conservative Christian group. Seventy-five employees will lose their jobs and an additional 57 vacant positions will remain unfilled, a spokesman for the evangelical ministry founded by child psychologist James Dobson said. The cutbacks are necessary because projections show the group will fall 5 percent short of a $138 million budget for the fiscal year ending this month, he said.
California: Tots wander off
State regulators want to revoke the child-care license of an Anaheim YMCA day-care center after two toddlers wandered off during an outing last month and were found on nearby railroad tracks. In a complaint filed this week, the Department of Social Services said the YMCA Children’s Station violated state health and safety laws by failing to adequately supervise and protect the 2-year-old boys, who were discovered missing during a routine head count. They were returned unharmed.
Georgia: Slap from stranger
Police said a 61-year-old man annoyed with a crying 2-year-old girl at a suburban Atlanta Walmart slapped the child several times after warning the toddler’s mother to keep her quiet. A police report said after the stranger hit the girl at least four times, he said: “See, I told you I would shut her up.” Roger Stephens of Stone Mountain is charged with felony cruelty to children. The police report said Stephens approached the mother and said, “If you don’t shut that baby up, I will shut her up for you.”
Malaysia: ‘Spiderman’ fined
A French climber nicknamed “Spiderman” has been fined $570 for climbing the 88-story Petronas Twin Towers. A Kuala Lumpur court official said Alain Robert pleaded guilty Wednesday to criminal trespass. A day earlier, Robert sneaked past security to reach the top of Tower 2 of the landmark buildings. He was arrested right after his feat. He was quoted by the national Bernama news agency as saying, “Climbing is my passion, my life, my addiction.”
Germany: Jihad moniker OK
A Berlin court has upheld rulings in favor of parents who sought to name their son Djehad, a variation on the Arabic “jihad,” or holy war. The superior court upheld lower court rulings allowing the name on grounds that it is recognized for males in Arabic-speaking countries. The court said in a ruling Tuesday that the name’s meaning is rooted in the requirement to spread the Muslim faith, although it has recently become linked — especially since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks — with radical Islam.
From Herald news services
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