Baltimore
A medical first: Surgeons at Johns Hopkins Hospital performed six simultaneous kidney transplants this week, in what doctors say was the largest-ever “domino” kidney swap. Five of the six transplant recipients had friends or relatives willing to donate a kidney, but those organs were incompatible with their intended recipients. When an “altruistic donor”—someone willing to donate a kidney to anyone—came forward, surgeons realized they were able to match all six patients with compatible kidneys. Nine surgical teams in six operating rooms performed the 10-hour procedures. “All 12 are doing great; the six kidneys are performing well,” said Dr. Robert Montgomery, who supervised the transplants.
Prince George, Canada
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AIDS activists harassed: Seven members of an AIDS activist group were detained last week at Prince George Airport in British Columbia by a security guard who ordered that their WestJet Airlines plane be disinfected to protect other passengers. AIDS prevention worker Alison Paul said the guard told her that the seven—members of an organization called Positive Living North—were carrying “diseases.” The group was en route to an AIDS conference in Vancouver. The plane’s pilot, when informed of the guard’s concerns, called them “ridiculous,” and the flight took off after an hour’s delay. Airport authorities are investigating the incident.
Eldorado, Texas
Polygamist ranch raided: Texas authorities last week raided a 1,700-acre compound housing members of a polygamous Mormon sect, removing 416 children who police say were in danger of abuse. Police launched the raid after receiving a phone call from a 16-year-old girl at the Yearning for Zion ranch who claimed she had been forced to marry a 50-year-old sect member and bear him a child at age 15. The ranch was founded by Warren Jeffs, 52, leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which broke from the mainstream Mormon Church back in 1890 when it renounced polygamy. Jeffs is now serving a prison sentence in Utah for contributing to the rape of a minor at another sect enclave.
Washington, D.C.
Clintons publish tax returns: Bill and Hillary Clinton, who left the White House eight years ago with little money in the bank and owing millions in legal fees, staged a remarkable financial turnaround, their tax returns revealed. The Clintons’ federal tax returns from 2000 through 2007, which the couple released last week, indicate that together they have earned more than $100 million since 2001. They paid taxes of $33.8 million and listed charitable contributions of $10.3 million. The biggest portion of their income, $51.9 million, came from speaking fees paid to former President Clinton. He also earned $12.5 million from an investment fund run by Ron Burkle, a longtime Clinton fund-raiser. Hillary Clinton had been under pressure to release her returns since lending her campaign $5 million in February. Her Democratic rival, Barack Obama, has already published his returns from 2000–2006 and said he will release his 2007 return in mid-April.
New York City
9/11 remains identified: Medical examiners in New York this week identified the remains of four more victims of the 9/11 terror attacks. The remains of Ronald Milstein, 54, were found beneath a service road built for trucks removing debris from the wreckage of the World Trade Center. On nearby Liberty Street, crews found the remains of Alejandro Castano, 35, who had been delivering office supplies to a securities firm on the 97th floor of the trade center’s south tower when it was struck by a hijacked passenger jet. The names of the other two victims were not released. More than 21,000 body parts have now been discovered near ground zero, 1,800 of them in the past two years.
Xapuri, Brazil
Rain forest rubbers: The Brazilian government this week unveiled a new line of “rain forest condoms,” made using rubber from trees in the endangered Amazon rain forest. The condoms, said a spokesman for the Brazilian health ministry, will help preserve the rain forest and lessen dependence on imported condoms, which the government distributes free to prevent AIDS. The rain forest condoms are made of rubber drawn from trees in the Chico Mendes reserve, named for a conservation activist gunned down by area ranchers in 1988. A factory in nearby Xapuri will provide at least 150 jobs for local workers. The Brazilian government is the world’s largest buyer of condoms, purchasing more than a billion in recent years.
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