STATUS UPDATES
A week in which a woman allegedly punched a horse, and a writer apologized for insulting a terrorist
HIRED
Ten goats, to work in Pittsburgh’s parks this summer. Wimpy, Angel Face and eight other voracious ruminants will graze on the invasive porcelain berry vine, which is strangling native plants and trees, Stateline.org reports. The animals are especially useful on steep hillsides and save workers from being exposed to thorns and possibly poison ivy.
ARRESTED
Alleged horse-puncher Karla Banegas-Banegas, part of a group arrested in a drug-smuggling bust near the delightfully named Arizona border town of Why. Along with suspicion of drug possession and transport, the 29-year-old Honduran is also facing an animal cruelty charge after allegedly striking a border agent’s horse with a “closed fist.”
DROPPED OUT
Little House on the Prairie star Melissa Gilbert, who abandoned her congressional run because of worsening head and neck injuries, some of which came from Dancing With the Stars. During her 2012 appearance, she told People, she suffered whiplash and a concussion. Not long after, the balcony of a house she was renting “collapsed on my head,” she said.
DEFIANT
Convicted stalker Christopher Nilan, who says he still intends to contact his victim when his probation ends in 15 years. The 32-year-old Pennsylvania man was arrested after repeatedly trying to contact a journalist on a CBS Eyewitness News team for a date. “I’m not going to give it up,” he said at his sentencing hearing.
FIRED
The bonus-laden security chief for the agency being blamed for the lineup chaos at U.S. airports. Kelly Hoggan was dumped this week by the Transport Security Administration, which, despite repeated security lapses, paid Hoggan $90,000 (U.S.) in bonuses on top of his $181,500 salary during his first year on the job, Vice reports.
ACCUSED
Lawyer Jose Baez, of being offered sex by Casey Anthony in exchange for legal services. The allegation was made by P.I. Dominic Casey. “I unequivocally and categorically deny exchanging sex for my legal services with Ms. Anthony,” Baez wrote in a statement to People, adding he had no sexual relationship with her whatsoever. In 2011, Anthony was acquitted in her daughter’s murder case.
SPELLED OFF
Six-year-old Akash Vukoti, the youngest contestant in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Despite missing his second word — could you spell “bacteriolytic”? — he got a standing ovation as he left the stage, USA Today reports. He clearly was not intimidated by his older competitors. “I’m not trying to get past the spellers,” he said. “I’m trying to get past the dictionary.”
APOLOGETIC
Pulitzer-winning author Lawrence Wright, who apologized for mocking a terrorist. In response to a letter from incarcerated “Unabomber” Theodore Kaczynski offering an exclusive interview, Wright tweeted, “Thanks, Ted, you’re not nuts at all.” After the web expressed disapproval, Wright conceded he was “unnecessarily snarky. His mental illness is sadly evident.”