“We’re back as we came,” said shuttle commander George Zamka. “It’s dark outside.”
This was the 23rd space shuttle landing in darkness. The last time was in 2008, also by Endeavour.
“What a phenomenal flight that we had,” said shuttle pilot Terry Virts. “It’s going to take some time to digest all that we did.”
The two-week trip had the crew add the Italian-built Tranquility, a new room that will house life-support equipment, exercise machines and a toilet; as well as unique seven-windowed dome dubbed Cupola, which will be used as a control room for robotics.
The two new compartments were supplied by the European Space Agency at a cost of more than $400 million.
Fan dies after being hit by flying debris in NHRA crash in Ariz.
By Gary Graves, USA TODAY
Troy Buff crosses the finish line as the dragster of Antron Brown crashes behind him, with the loose wheel from Brown’s car bounding into the track’s service lane.
A female spectator died Sunday evening after being hit by a tire that broke loose from a Top Fuel dragster after it wrecked during a first-round race in the NHRA Arizona Nationals in Chandler.
The dragster driven by Antron Brown went out of control and crossed into the left lane of opponent Troy Buff before hitting the wall, turning on its right side, bursting into flames and sending the left rear tire into the crowd and striking the unidentified woman at Firebird International Raceway. The woman was flown by helicopter to Good Samaritan Medical Center in Phoenix and was pronounced dead several hours later.
“NHRA is investigating the incident,” said a statement by the sanctioning body. “The entire NHRA community is deeply saddened by today’s incident and sends its thoughts and prayers to the woman’s family and friends.”
Said Brown, who was examined and released from Chandler Regional Medical Center, “It felt like the back end just dropped out and the car started pitching end-over-end. At that point, I was upside down, and in my mind, things were going crazy. I was just hoping I didn’t go into Troy or into the other lane.
“The next thing I knew, I hit the wall. I saw a little burst of flame come around my head and I saw sparks. The Safety Safari guy was right there, and the next thing I knew somebody was trying to help pull me out of the car.”
Brown’s dragster was brought back to his pits and immediately covered with a black tarp.
Brandon Bernstein, one of Brown’s closer friends and the son of drag racing legend Kenny Bernstein, was returning to the pits after losing his matchup against David Grubnic. He didn’t see the incident.
“He’s a great friend of mine,” Bernstein said of Brown. “The first thing I want to know is, ‘Is he OK?’ Then it goes to another level: Why did it happen? We’re in the seat, too, so we need to make sure.
“Emotionally, it weights on your heart. These cars are dangerous. We know that. We love to do this, but you want to make sure people are OK. That’s what you think about.
“It’s the worst that a fan got hurt. I know Antron; it’s hurting him because it’s off his race car. That’s weighing on him. It’s an accident, and we can’t predict accidents. The bottom line is the fans are our lifeline and they love coming to watch us.”
Members of Brown’s team declined to comment.
Rain postponed the remainder of the event. Racing will resume at noon ET Monday with the finals of Top Fuel and Funny Car.
Currently it is snowing like all get out! Coming down fast, visibility is crap.
Anyway, as you have noticed I changed the site’s theme to a dark look. To me it is easier on the eyes. If you find anything not showing properly, let me know. There were a lot of setting I had to find and change to get the look I wanted. Enjoy! /MM
Fire at Adventureland Amusement Park. (Rodney White/The Des Moines Register)
(Rodney White/The Des Moines Register)
Adventureland, Iowa’s largest and oldest amusement park, caught fire today at about 5 p.m.
Fire crews battled a blaze on the park’s north side with black smoke billowing above the rides in the Altoona sky. The fire was believed to be in the park’s shop and games area near the main entrance.
The flames and smoke were visible from miles away. Check back with www.DesMoinesRegister.com for more details on this developing story.
FBI investigates after school district denies monitoring students
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: FBI will try to determine whether wiretap, computer intrusion laws were violated
Pennsylvania family claims assistant principal watched boy through laptop’s webcam
Official: It was mistake not to tell families of feature allowing school to monitor hardware.
District only accesses laptop if it’s reported lost, stolen or missing, school spokesman says
(CNN) – The FBI has opened an investigation into allegations that a Pennsylvania school official remotely monitored a student at home, a law enforcement official with knowledge of the case told CNN on Saturday.
The official, who asked not to be identified, said the FBI became involved in the case after a family filed a lawsuit against the Lower Merion School District, located outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The family accused an assistant principal at Harriton High School of watching their son through his laptop’s webcam while he was at home and unaware he was being watched. The family also says the school official used a photo taken on a laptop as the basis for disciplining the student.
A tribute to the 29 men who died November 10, 1975, aboard the Edmund Fitzgerald in Lake Superior.
Announcer (0:04): An air and sea search is continuing for possible survivors of the Edmund Fitzgerald, a 729 foot ore carrier, which apparently broke apart and sunk last night on Lake Superior. The ship and its 29-man crew vanished in a storm with 80 mile-an-hour winds and wave heights up to 25 feet. All that has been found is an oil slick and some debris.
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song begins at 0:17
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Radio Transmission (3:11): “We last had contact with ‘em, the mate had talked to him … at about 10 minutes after 7, 19:10, and he said he was going along fine and no problem.”
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Radio Transmission (3:21): “But it looks from the information that we have that it’s, uh, fairly certain that the, uh, Fitzgerald went down.”
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Radio Transmission (4:04): “Uh, no, I didn’t have him, uh, visually, I had him on radar; he was, uh, exactly 10 miles ahead of us. I asked him how he was making out with his problems and he said he was holding his own, but I, uh, lost contact after that.”
A change in the way prisoners are counted by the Census Bureau this year could affect the way Lee County receives federal funding and change how the county is represented in Des Moines.
States are getting new leeway in tallying their prisoners in the 2010 census – a move that could reshape the political map, increasing urban population numbers while reducing the figures for rural voting districts where inmates are being held.
The Census Bureau said recently it would release data on prison populations to states when they redraw legislative boundaries next year.
Previously, the agency provided the breakdowns on group quarters, like prisons, after states finished redistricting. That resulted in districts with prisons getting extra representation in their legislatures, despite laws in some states that say a prison cell is not a residence.
Dr. Eugene Watkins, director of the Old Fort Complex, is constantly digging in search of information on the old fort. Recently, he took a research trip to West Point, New York, where he found some daily logs, as well as court martial briefs, providing information he feels shows a bit more of what day to day life was like at the fort in 1812-1813. Dr. Watkins is pictured here going through Muster Rolls he photographed in West Point.
It appears that Old Fort Madison was once a hot bed of troublemakers, or on the other hand, maybe it was operated by officers who felt it was their duty to instill discipline in their soldiers – through punishment.
On a recent research trip to West Point, New York, Dr. Eugene Watkins, director of the Old Fort Complex, brought back findings that shed additional light on the personalities of those stationed at Old Fort Madison from 1812-1813, as well as the daily goings on, and the punishments doled out to soldiers failing to fall in line.
“A number of questions were raised and a few have been answered,” said Watkins of his research. “Predominantly, what I found was a collection of court martial findings. It’s a real fascinating look into the personalities of those who were stationed here.”
In 1812, the federal government banned flogging as a form of punishment for two years. Watkins said in the past the question of whether or not Fort Madison followed that law has been up in the air.
Governor Culver Signs Consumer Protection Bill into Law
Senate File 2108 allows remedies for deceptive practices by automobile repair shops
DES MOINES – Governor Chet Culver signed Senate File 2108 into law, allowing the Attorney General to require automobile repair shops to return vehicles to their owners upon violation of existing consumer protection laws. The bill passed the House and Senate unanimously.
“This is a common-sense approach which will allow relief for automobile owners who have been subject to illegal behavior by repair shops,” said Governor Culver. “This does not apply to the vast majority of auto repair businesses in Iowa, which behave in the letter and spirit of the law.”
Senate File 2108 requires businesses to return vehicles to owners, upon receipt of written notice by the Attorney General that a deceptive act has occurred. This does not affect existing liens against vehicles held by repair shops against owners.
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