Unkindest Cuts: The NY Times reports today that federal budget cuts might hit hardest in Northern Virginia where much of the population lives on federal spending. The Pentagon is set to furlough as many as 90,000 civilian employees, cutting their pay by 20% this year. Budget cuts will take effect gradually, but already have had some impact. Both the Navy Blue Angels and the Air Force Thunderbirds precision flight teams have announced the cancelation of shows.

World: The man behind the takeover of the Algerian gas plant in January has been reported killed by Chadian forces fighting in Mali. Moktar Belmoktar was an Algerian who lost an eye while fighting in Afghanistan. He is known as “the one-eyed”, also as “The Marlboro Man” because he used to be a cigarette smuggler. Soldiers from Chad are working with the French to fight Islamic rebels in Mali.

National: Florida authorities gave up trying to find the man whose bedroom fell into a sinkhole three days ago. The hole is now 20 feet wide and 60-100 feet deep. Rescuers say it’s impossible to recover the body of 37-year-old Jeff Bush. Nearby homes have been evacuated and Bush’s home is being demolished today. Sinkholes are somewhat common in Florida, caused by the erosion and dissolution of the native limestone rock. Florida has many underground streams, caverns and voids that occasionally collapse.

• Bodybuilder, actor, governor, and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger is returning to the world of muscles again as a columnist and executive editor of Muscle & Fitness and Flex magazines. He previously worked with the magazines, but as Governator, Schwarzenegger was pushed to resign because political critics considered it bad form to be associated with publications that advertised “dietary supplements”.

Mush: Dogs, sleds and people hit the trail yesterday in the opening of the 41^st Iditarod dog sled race in Alaska.  Sixty-six racers were at the starting line. Snow had to be trucked into the streets of Anchorage for the start, although at several points along the rout it’s minus 10 degrees. The race is about 1,000 miles, but the route has never been accurately measured.

The Price of Beauty: Miss Delaware resigned after she was discovered in a pornographic video on the Internet. When Melissa King denied it’s her, the website revealed a video of her reading her release out loud. She was paid $1,500 for her performance in the video which ends her career as a beauty queen, but she has since been offered a $250,000 porn contract.

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