Passing: The colorful and outspoken former Mayor of New York Edward Koch has died at age 88. Koch served three terms from 1978-1989. 

Confirmation: In confirmation hearings to be Secretary of Defense, Former Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel said that, “Our war in Iraq I think was the most fundamentally bad, dangerous decision since Vietnam.”  Sen. John McCain pressed Hagel to say the “surge” was not a successful strategy to turn the war but the nominee said that is for history to decide.

National: Retired Cardinal of Los Angeles Roger Mahony has been relieved of all remaining duties by his successor following the release of thousands of pages of documents regarding sex abuse by priests in the Archdiocese. Previously released documents showed that Mahony covered for molesting priests rather than turning them over for prosecution.

• The standoff continues in Southern Alabama where a 65-year-old man is believed to have shot and killed a school bus driver before taking a 5-year -old boy hostage. The man and boy are holed up in an underground bunker on the gunman’s farm. The two are not related. Police are talking to the man through an air vent.
• Following the announcement by the NY Times, The Wall Street Journal says it too was targeted by Chinese hackers.

World: In Mexico City at least 32 people are dead and more than 100 injured after an explosion at the high rise headquarters of Pemex, the Mexican state oil company. There were reports of a possible gas leak in the basement but the cause of the blast has not been determined.

In Extremis: A freestyle snowmobile rider who crashed attempting a backflip at last week’s X Games in Aspen has died of his injuries. Caleb Moore walked away from the crash but later was found to have bleeding around his heart and a brain injury. His brother Colton crashed that same night suffering a separated pelvis and his machine ran into the crowd. Some now question whether the extreme X Games are a little too extreme. 

On the Rocks: A 224-foot US Navy minesweeper hung up on a pristine coral reef in The Philippines will be dismantled on site to minimize damage to the reef in recovering the ship. The ship is worth $277 million and you can bet that captain’s career is over.

Fresh Breeze: That 15-year-old Icelandic girl who sued to use the name her mother gave her at birth has won. Known on official documents as “Girl”, she can now call herself Blaer, which means “light wind” in Icelandic. Iceland keeps a list of legally acceptable names and Blaer was not on it.

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