LITTLE ROCK — QUOTE OF THE DAY

“We still have fiscal policy run amok.”

Ward McCarthy,

chief financial economist at Jefferies & Co. Inc. in New York Article, 1ADriver serves ‘only an idiot’ sentence

CLEVELAND - A woman caught on camera driving on a sidewalk to pass a Cleveland school bus that was unloading children stood in the cold Tuesday at an intersection holding a court-ordered sign.

The sign read: “Only an idiot would drive on the sidewalk to avoid a school bus.”

A Cleveland Municipal Court judge ordered 32-year-old Shena Hardin to serve the public sentence for one hour Tuesday and again today for the Sept. 11 citation.

She arrived bundled up against the 34-degree cold, puffing a cigarette and wearing head phones as passing vehicles honked. Hardin refused to comment.

Hardin’s license was suspended for 30 days, and she was ordered to pay $250 in court costs.

A message seeking comment was left for Hardin’s attorneys.

Day-care owner guilty in child’s death

HOUSTON - A Texas woman was convicted of murder Tuesday in the death of one of four children who died in a fire at her home day care after she left them alone with hot oil on the stove while she shopped at Target.

The fire killed 16-month-old Elias Castillo and three other children. Three more children were seriously injured.

Jurors found Jessica Tata, 24, guilty of one count of felony murder.

Tata’s attorneys argued that she never intended to hurt the children. But prosecutors did not need to show she intended to harm the children, only that the deaths occurred because she put them in danger by leaving them alone. Under Texas law, a person can be convicted of felony murder if he commits an underlying felony and that action leads to the death.

Tata still faces three more counts of felony murder in relation to the other children who died, and three counts of abandoning a child and two counts of reckless injury to a child in relation to the three who were injured.

Tata fled to Nigeria in the wake of the fire but was captured after about a month, returned to the U.S. in March 2011 and has remained jailed since. She was born in the U.S.

but has Nigerian citizenship.

Accuser of Elmo puppeteer recants

NEW YORK - A man who accused Elmo puppeteer Kevin Clash of having sex with him when he was underage has recanted his story.

In a surprising turnabout on Tuesday, the man described his sexual relationship with Clash as adult and consensual.

Clash responded with a statement of his own, saying he is “relieved that this painful allegation has been put to rest.”

The man, who has not identified himself, released his statement through the Harrisburg, Pa., law firm Andreozzi & Associates.

Sesame Workshop, which produces Sesame Street, soon followed up by saying, “We are happy that Kevin can move on from this unfortunate episode.”

The episode began Monday morning, when Sesame Workshop announced that Clash had taken a leave of absence from Sesame Street in the wake of allegations that he had had a relationship with a then-16-year-old.

Clash denied the charges of his accuser, who is now in his early 20s. Clash acknowledged that he is gay but said the relationship was between two consenting adults.

Neither Clash nor Sesame Workshop indicated when he might return to work on the show, on which he has performed as Elmo since 1984.

Two stranded snowboarders hike out

SEATTLE - Two snowboarders who spent two nights stranded on Mount Rainier were well enough to snowshoe out Tuesday after rescuers had to break a path through snow that was chest-deep in spots to reach them, national park officials said.

Derek Tyndall and Thomas Dale didn’t appear to have frostbite or other injuries when rescuers reached them around 11 a.m., park spokesman Lee Snook said.

The two had been stuck on the 14,410-foot mountain since Sunday after getting lost in whiteout conditions and digging a snow cave for protection. Rescuers first spotted the men Monday but couldn’t immediately hike to them because of darkness and avalanche danger.

Rescuers reached Tyndall, 21, and Dale, 20, on Tuesday and determined the two could snowshoe out with them.

Tyndall is from Sumner, Wash., and Dale is from Indiana, Snook said.

Front Section, Pages 4 on 11/14/2012