WASHINGTON — The White House official who authorized a $328,835 photo-op of Air Force One soaring above New York City resigned under fire Friday as the administration tried to move past the embarrassing incident that sent panicked workers rushing into the streets amid flashbacks of Sept. 11. Caldera said he didn’t know Air Force One would fly at 1,000 feet during the April 27 photo promotion, according to the investigation findings. He also failed to read an e-mail message describing the operation and seemed unaware of the potential for public fear, the findings said.
Swine flu sickens 18 sailors
The number of sailors with swine flu now has jumped to 18 from just a handful earlier this week, the Navy said Friday. A Navy spokesman said the number spiked when 11 suspected cases from the USS Dubuque were confirmed. The Navy had announced Tuesday that it was canceling the deployment of the San Diego-based ship after one member of the crew fell ill. The 11 new confirmed cases were among 50 people the Navy said at that time were showing symptoms and being treated with the anti-viral drug Tamiflu.
Massachusetts: Trolley wreck
A trolley rear-ended another trolley that was stopped between two underground stations in downtown Boston on Friday night, injuring about 50 people, and one of the conductors told police he was texting at the time of the crash, officials said. About 100 people were evacuated, and 49 were taken to area hospitals, but officials said their injuries did not appear to be life-threatening. The 24-year-old operator of the moving trolley, who was the most seriously injured, admitted to police that he was sending text messages from his cell phone when the accident occurred, officials said.
California: Pageant ruling
The Miss California USA pageant said its co-directors plan to address whether current title holder Carrie Prejean will hold onto her crown amid allegations of contract violations. Keith Lewis said Friday that he and fellow co-director Shanna Moakler will make their case public Monday. The state pageant is investigating whether the 21-year-old old violated her contract by making public appearances with groups opposed to same-sex marriage and by failing to reveal that she had posed in her underwear as a teenager.
Florida: Hubble countdown
NASA began the countdown for its final trip to the Hubble Space Telescope on Friday as the astronauts who will attempt the daunting repairs arrived at the launching site. Space shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to blast off Monday afternoon, taking up hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of new cameras and replacement equipment for Hubble. Atlantis and its crew were supposed to show up last fall, but the mission was delayed seven months after a key part of the telescope broke.
Alaska: McKinley climber dies
The National Park Service said a 61-year old climber from upstate New York has died while climbing Mount McKinley in Alaska. The park service said William Hearne of Fairport, N.Y., died Thursday while ascending the West Buttress route of the 20,320-foot mountain. Officials with Denali National Park and Preserve said Hearne was part of a six-member expedition that began the climb on May 1. The park service said he collapsed after his team reached 13,500 feet and was pronounced dead soon after.
Utah: Fossil was pregnant
Paleontologists said a 75-million-year-old turtle fossil uncovered in southern Utah has a clutch of eggs inside, making it the first prehistoric pregnant turtle found in the United States. At least three eggs are visible from the outside of the fossil, and Montana State University researchers this week have been studying images taken from a CT scan in search of others inside. A student said the turtle was probably about a week from laying her eggs when she died.
Australia: Kangaroo shoot
Australia’s army has started shooting 6,000 kangaroos to thin their population on an army training ground near the capital, an official said Friday, outraging conservationists who have vowed to protest. The killings are intended to protect endangered plants and insects that share the grassy habitat with the kangaroos. A much smaller slaughter of 400 kangaroos on another Defense Department site in Canberra last year was disrupted by protesters.
From Herald news services
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