West Hollywood
Fur sales banned: The City Council of West Hollywood this week unanimously approved an ordinance banning the sale of fur apparel, the first such law in the nation, according to proud city officials. The ordinance, which bans the sale of new clothing made in whole or part from the pelt of an animal with hair, wool, or fur, requires a second vote in October to set a date when it will become law. Local animal-rights advocates have applauded the decision, but others in this city of 36,000 are angry. “We feel it’s not only unconstitutional but arbitrary and capricious,” said Genevieve Morrill, president and chief executive of the Chamber of Commerce. In 1989, West Hollywood passed a resolution proclaiming a “cruelty-free zone for animals” within its city limits. The City Council has also banned cosmetic testing on animals, cat declawing, and the sale of cats and dogs in pet stores.
Reno, Nev.
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Airshow crash leaves 11 dead: At least 11 people were killed after a vintage plane crashed into a crowd of spectators during an airshow in Reno last week. The pilot, 74-year-old Jimmy Leeward, lost control of his modified World War II–era plane during the Reno National Championship Air Races. The P-51 Mustang pitched upward before plummeting into the crowd at a speed of around 400 mph, showering spectators with jagged pieces of shrapnel. Nine people were pronounced dead at the scene, including Leeward, and two more later died of their injuries. As many as 70 people were hospitalized after the crash, and some remain in critical condition. The cause of the accident is so far unknown, but investigators say a piece of the tail section may have fallen off the plane during the race. The tragedy marked the first time spectators have been killed since the races began in Reno in 1964.
Huntsville, Texas
Second execution blocked: Cleve Foster, a 47-year-old former Army recruiter condemned to death for rape and murder, did not get the chance to eat his last meal of two fried chickens and a five-gallon bucket of peaches. Two hours before Foster was scheduled to die by lethal injection, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked his execution for the third time, requesting a delay while it decided whether to hear his appeal. Foster was convicted of the 2002 murder of Nyanuer “Mary” Pal, a Sudanese immigrant he met at a Fort Worth bar. “He thanked God and pointed to his attorney, saying this woman helped save his life,” said prison spokesman Jason Clark. This decision comes less than a week after the court blocked the execution of convicted murderer Duane Buck, who contended that the prosecution wrongly used his race to persuade the jury to give him a death sentence rather than life in prison.
Cape Canaveral, Fla.
NASA unveils deep-space rocket: NASA officials unveiled a 30-story space rocket last week that will be powerful enough to take men to the moon and beyond. The Space Launch System boasts five rocket engines and strap-on boosters capable of lifting 77 tons of cargo into space. NASA said the $18 billion rocket would undergo an unmanned test flight in 2017 before carrying astronauts into space in 2021. It would carry a revised version of the Orion space capsule developed for the canceled Constellation space program. The rocket, the most powerful to be designed since the Saturn V rockets that flew 24 men to the moon, is expected to fulfill President Obama’s quest to send Americans to land on a passing asteroid before 2025. The rocket will “take American astronauts further into space than ever before,” said NASA chief Charles Bolden. “Tomorrow’s explorers will dream of one day walking on Mars.”
Washington, D.C.
DADT era ends: The “don’t ask, don’t tell” ban on gays serving openly in the military was lifted this week, ending a practice that led to the discharge of more than 14,000 service members over the last 18 years. “Patriotic Americans in uniform will no longer have to lie about who they are in order to serve the country they love,” President Obama said. Critics contended the change could undermine military readiness, but the Pentagon said it has thoroughly prepared for the new policy, which was welcomed by military personnel who have had to conceal their sexual orientation to keep their jobs. “I don’t have to worry about someone trying to ‘out’ me out of spite,” said U.S. Air Force Capt. Eddy Sweeney, a gay intelligence officer stationed in Germany. “I’m just glad that that burden is gone.”
New York City
Poker Ponzi scheme charged: The Justice Department this week accused celebrity poker players Howard Lederer, Christopher Ferguson, and others of defrauding thousands of online poker players out of more than $300 million. Full Tilt Poker, a gambling website the players managed, “was not a legitimate poker company, but a global Ponzi scheme,” said the U.S. Attorney in Manhattan, Preet Bharara. The government alleges that the site accepted online bets that were supposed to be held in secure accounts that users could access or close at any time. But the funds were instead used to pay nearly two dozen managers more than $440 million. As of March, Full Tilt allegedly owed $390 million to players around the world, but had just $60 million in the bank.
