The week at a glance...United States

Bend, Ore.

Open mic suicide: A troubled 19-year-old shocked a crowd at a coffee shop last week by stabbing himself to death on stage at an open mic night. Kipp Rusty Walker had just finished performing an original song called “Sorry for the Mess” at the Strictly Organic Coffee Company in central Bend, when he pulled out a 6-inch blade and repeatedly plunged it into his chest. Some members of the 15-strong audience clapped, believing it was all part of the act. “You know it is an open mic,” said the shop’s co-owner, Rhonda Ealy. “People at first thought it was some sort of theater.” Once the crowd realized what had really happened, though, Walker was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he died of his wounds. A friend told local TV news that he wasn’t surprised by the suicide, as Walker had last month threatened to take his life and had received treatment for psychiatric problems.

Phoenix

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Birther bill blocked: Calling it “a bridge too far,” Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer has killed a so-called “birther bill,” which would have required specific and detailed proof of U.S. citizenship from presidential candidates. In the absence of a “long-form birth certificate,” the state attorney general would require baptismal or circumcision certificates, hospital birth records, or a postpartum medical record signed by the person who delivered the child. The Arizona state legislature, the first in the nation to pass such a bill, can now try to override the governor’s veto with a two thirds majority in each house, but the move appears unlikely. In a letter explaining her decision, Brewer wrote that she could not support “designating one person as the gatekeeper” for candidates, since such a move could lead to “politically motivated decisions.” Coming on top of Brewer’s veto of a bill that would have allowed firearms on college campuses, the move this week surprised the Republican governor’s conservative supporters.

Austin

A state ablaze: Wildfires raging in 252 of Texas’s 254 counties have destroyed 240 homes and 1.6 million acres, as beleaguered firefighters battled blazes stretching “from border to border.” Gov. Rick Perry has asked for more federal help to control dozens of fires burning across the state, fed by high temperatures, low humidity, and racing winds. “The conference calls we’re on every day paint a bleak picture, with no relief in sight,” said Tomball Fire Chief Randall Barr. The tinderbox conditions have produced unusual “crown fires” in the East Texas pine barrens, with 100-foot-tall treetops exploding into flame. A blaze near Austin broke out when a homeless man left a campfire burning unattended to go on a beer run. The majority of the state’s 8,000 wildfires this year were of human origin, prompting Perry to call for tougher penalties for arson. “Someone, I don’t care if they’re homeless or what, if they set a fire, the punishment needs to be stiff,” he said.

The South

Deadly weather: At least 47 people were killed this week by devastating storms that swept across the South. As many as 250 tornadoes ravaged 14 states in the region, leaving some communities completely destroyed. Worst affected was North Carolina, hit by 62 tornadoes that killed 24 people, destroyed 439 homes, and left thousands without power or running water. Eighteen counties have been declared federal disaster areas by President Obama. In rural Bertie County, 12 people died, and more than 50 were seriously injured. A larger death toll was narrowly averted in Sanford, where a 160-mph tornado struck a busy Lowe’s Home Improvement store. A manager quickly herded 100 customers and employees to safety in a windowless storeroom at the rear of the building. The storm also killed seven in Arkansas, seven in Alabama, seven in Virginia, two in Oklahoma, and one in Mississippi. A tornado damaged a nuclear power plant in southeast Virginia, cutting off electrical power to thousands in the state. The plant’s safety system automatically shut down its two nuclear reactors, said federal regulators, and no radiation was released. This storm cluster was the worst to hit the region since March 1984, when 57 people were killed by tornadoes in North and South Carolina.

Indianapolis

Planned Parenthood defunded: Indiana’s state Senate this week voted to cut off federal grants to Planned Parenthood, putting it on track to be the first state to do so. The bill passed 35-13, largely supported by Republicans, who also control the House, virtually ensuring that the state’s Planned Parenthood chapter will lose $3 million in federal funds. “We’re not going to grant or supply money to an organization such as Planned Parenthood that provides abortions,” said Sen. Scott Schneider. Fellow Republican Sen. Vaneta Becker broke ranks, calling the measure a political statement, the effect of which will be to “deny access to health care for low-income women throughout the state.” Abortion is one of the services provided by Planned Parenthood, which also delivers birth control, pap tests, STD testing, and annual exams to more than 22,000 low-income women in the state. The bill will be sent back to the House and is expected to be signed by the governor.