Bob Simon, 73: CBS News “60 Minutes” Correspondent Bob Simon, one of the best reporters and most felicitous writers in the history of television news, was killed last night in a car accident in New York City. Simon was a passenger in a livery cab that smashed into a Mercedes on 12^th Avenue before hitting a walkway. He had to be pried out of the Lincoln Town car he was riding in and was declared dead at the hospital.

A true gentleman who was interested in what other people had to say, Simon was 73 and still trotting the globe for a story. He joined CBS in 1967, covering the disturbances of the 60s before going on to become a war correspondent in Vietnam and later a resident expert on the Middle East.

He faced great danger many times and did it with grace. He spent the 1991 Persian Gulf War as a prisoner of the Iraqis, and was clearly rattled by it, but went back to doing some of the best work of his life.

Bob Simon had an elegance with words that only his own words could describe. His use of the English language in a television story was matched only by those moments when he knew he didn’t have to say anything at all. He was the real thing.

Ukraine: A ceasefire and a plan to end the war in Ukraine were announced overnight by the leaders of France, Germany, Russia, and Ukraine. France’s President Francois Hollande said, “We have arrived at an accord on a cease-fire and a global end to the conflict.” The ceasefire takes place at midnight Saturday, but there’s no telling whether it will hold.

In the Pipeline: The House yesterday passed a bill approving the Keystone XL oil pipeline, sending it to President Obama’s desk for a promised veto. The Senate previously passed the bill. Knowing that he promised to reject the bill, Congressional Republicans made it their first order of business this session in an attempt to make him and the Democrats look bad.

Nation: The killing of three Muslim college students in Chapel Hill, NC was the result of a long-standing argument over a parking space, not a hate crime, according to the local police. A young man, his wife, and his wife’s sister were each shot in the head.

A neighbor, 46-year-old Stephen Hicks, has been charged with the triple murder. Hicks is an avowed atheist and gun enthusiast. Neighbors said he had an anger problem.

>On its third try, the Deep Space Climate Observatory was successfully launched from Cape Canaveral last night. It is programmed to take up a position a million miles from earth.

The Obit Page: Legendary basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian, AKA “Tark the Shark,” who built the University of Las Vegas into a powerhouse, has died at age 84. Tarkanian was a colorful, rule-bending coach who racked up 700 wins in 31 years. He took UNLV to the Final Four four times and won the national championship once. But all three of his teams, Long Beach State, UNLV, and Fresno State were placed on probation for NCAA violations. Tarkanian didn’t take it sitting on the bench. He sued the NCAA twice for denying him due process, and once was awarded a $2.5 million settlement.

The Sports Page: Golfer Tiger Woods announced yesterday that he’s taking an indefinite leave from competition. This winter he’s been playing the worst golf of his career, failing to make the cut in three of his last eight outings, and pulling out three times with injuries. Woods has been tinkering with his swing, evidently with little success, but he’s also got nagging back problems.

The Bad Sports Page: Little League baseball has stripped its 2014 winners of the national title because the grownups cheated. The Jackie Robinson West team from Chicago, which became one of those heart-warming stories about boys from the inner city rising to a challenge, was found to have stacked its roster with players who came from outside the team’s geographic area of eligibility. Their coach has been suspended.

League officials admitted that the punishment falls hardest on the kids, who were even honored by President Obama in a ceremony at The White House. It would be hard to tell them now that it’s not whether you win or lose.

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