The Night Note: 11/13/09

News you need to know

By BRENDAN WILLIAMS-KIEF

Updated 6:30 PM EDT, Fri, Nov 13, 2009

Print Share

The following stories are brought to you by the fine folks on the News4 assignment desk.

WAR HERO'S REMAINS STOLEN FROM VAN
Bronze Star recipient and retired Army Col. Norbert Otto Schmidt was to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery today, but an apparent car theft has ruined those plans, reports The Post.

Col. Schmidt died in August at age 83 from pneumonia, and was cremated. His family had requested burial at Arlington, and traveled up with his remains this week in an urn from Satellite Beach, Fla., for the ceremony.

With the funeral set for today, the family yesterday visited the National Museum of the American Indian, driving in their rented van. While they were away, someone apparently broke into the van, stealing the urn and other items from the van. (NBC Washington)

50 STATES, 50 PLATES, 1 CAUSE
President Obama might not want to put a "Taxation Without Representation" license plate on the presidential limo, but if one committed voting rights advocate gets his way, it might not matter.

Today on WTOP's Politics Program with Mark Plotkin, Maryland resident Larry Ottinger described an initiative he's spearheading to find a resident in each of the 50 states who is willing to purchase a personalized license plate bearing the message, "DC Vote." Ottinger recently procured a personalized tag himself, and is hoping to get the 49 remaining plates by the November 2010 election. (DCist)

WATER FOUND ON THE MOON
Substantial water reserves have been found beneath the Moon’s surface, Nasa announced yesterday, paving the way for a permanent lunar base.

The discovery came from Nasa’s “moon bombing” mission, the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) probe, which was deliberately crashed into the lunar South Pole last month. An analysis of the dust thrown up from the impact revealed the presence of about 80 litres of water, or enough for a shallow bath. The results suggest that much larger, more accessible reserves are available at the poles.
(The Times)

MILLION DOLLAR CAR DRIVEN INTO MARSH
A man blamed a low-flying pelican and a dropped cell phone for his veering his million-dollar sports car off a road and into a salt marsh near Galveston.

The accident happened about 3 p.m. Wednesday on the frontage road of Interstate 45 northbound in La Marque, about 35 miles southeast of Houston.

The Lufkin, Texas, man told of driving his luxury, French-built Bugatti Veyron when the bird distracted him, said La Marque police Lt. Greg Gilchrist. (MSNBC)