In the news

Dov Hikind, a New York Democratic assemblyman, apologized for wearing blackface, an Afro wig and a basketball jersey to a costume party to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Purim, saying his actions were “not meant to in any way to hurt anyone,” issuing the mea culpa hours after dismissing the criticism as “political correctness to the absurd.”

Chhurim, 29, a Nepalese woman, has been recognized by Guinness World Records for climbing Mount Everest twice in the same climbing season.

Robert Smith, 32, a Westbrook, Maine, man charged in Portland with disorderly conduct for his loud whistling, which was audible a block away, has reached a deal with the city to allow him to keep whistling as long as he’s moving.

Michelle Obama

urged governors to pass legislation or take executive action to allow veterans to receive professional credentials or licenses based on their experiences in the military, making it easier for them to transfer their skills to civilian jobs.

Jalal Talabani, the Iraqi president who suffered a stroke in December, is able to speak and understand people around him, said Dr. Najmaldin Karim, who said he speaks daily with the medical team in Germany that is caring for Talabani.

Leon Panetta, the outgoing defense secretary who has been vocal about his desire to retire, is working from his Carmel, Calif., home and watching CSPAN as he awaits the expected Senate vote on the nomination of former Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel to take over the Pentagon job, said Pentagon spokesman George Little.

Ming Guang Huang, 28, was hospitalized for a psychiatric evaluation after his arrest in New York City on an attempted murder charge over allegations he attacked his wife with a meat cleaver on a street in the city’s Chinatown before firefighters tackled him.

Hugo Chavez, Venezuela’s ailing president, sent congratulations to Raul Castro on his re-election as Cuba’s president.

Kenneth Elton Whiteker, 65, a retired Pleasanton, Texas, school principal accused of exposing himself to an undercover officer at a San Antonio park, has been sentenced to one year of probation after pleading no contest to indecent exposure.

Front Section, Pages 1 on 02/26/2013

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