Names and faces

LITTLE ROCK — There’s an especially starry knight in Britain’s latest round of royal honors. Patrick Stewart - Star Trek: The Next Generation’s Capt. Jean-Luc Picard - becomes Sir Patrick in Queen Elizabeth II’s New Year honors list, which also includes a knighthood for theater and film director Nicholas Hytner. “This is an honor that embraces those actors, directors and creative teams who have in these recent years helped fill my life with inspiration,companionship and sheer fun,” said 69-year-old Stewart, who recently returned to the British stage after a long career in Hollywood that included playing Professor Charles Xavier in three X-Men films. Erich Reich, a refugee from Nazi-occupied Europe who organized last year’s 70th anniversary reunion of the Kindertransport, which took 10,000 children to wartime Britain, also received a knighthood. Hytner, 53, was honored for his work as artistic director of the National Theatre, where his hit productions have included Alan Bennett’s The History Boys and War Horse. The honors are bestowed by the queen, but recipients are selected by committees of civil servants from nominations made by the government and the public. A separate honors list in New Zealand bestowed a knighthood on Lord of the Rings filmmaker Peter Jackson. The New Zealand award also is approved by the queen, the country’s head of state.

A former Ohio police chief was sentenced to prison Wednesday in connection with a break-in at the home of the surrogate who bore twins for actors Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick. Barry Carpenter was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison and immediately was taken into custody after the hearing. He was convicted last month on charges of receiving stolen property, theft in office and evidence tampering but acquitted of other counts, including burglary. His attorney, Dennis McNamara, vowed to appeal. Carpenter resigned two weeks ago as chief in Martins Ferry, where the celebrity couple’s surrogate lived. Prosecutors said he broke into Michelle Ross’ home in May, took items related to her pregnancy and the surrogacy, and conspired with Police Chief Chad Dojack of neighboring Bridgeport to sell the items to celebrity photographers. Dojack is scheduled to go on trial in January on two counts of complicity to burglary and one count of complicity to receiving stolen property.