Kissinger praises TSA after patdown

Kissinger praises TSA after patdown

NEW YORK

When former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger flies, he gets patted down by security agents — just about every time.

The 88-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner was stopped again a few days ago as he passed security at New York’s LaGuardia Airport on his way to Toronto.

But the elder statesman released a statement Tuesday, saying it’s “not unusual” for him to be patted down during airport-security screening. He said he wears a brace on his foot and cannot remove his shoes.

Kissinger praised agents of the federal Transportation Security Administration for both their “professionalism” and “courtesy” while performing what he called “an important job.”

New French leader, Merkel have meeting

BERLIN

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande agreed Tuesday to spend the coming weeks discussing proposals for generating economic growth in Europe, a first step to bridging their differences over how to tackle the eurozone debt crisis.

The conservative Merkel and Hollande, a Socialist who took office Tuesday, talked up their commitment to building a solid relationship after an election campaign in which Merkel backed then-President Nicolas Sarkozy, her key ally so far in tackling Europe’s financial troubles.

Zimmerman injuries described

MIAMI

Court records show George Zimmerman had a pair of black eyes, a nose fracture and two cuts to the back of his head after the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.

The medical records were part of evidence released Tuesday that prosecutors have in the second-degree murder case against Zimmerman. He has entered a plea of not guilty and claims self-defense in the Feb. 26 shooting. A message left Tuesday evening with Zimmerman’s attorney was not returned immediately.

Zimmerman was treated Feb. 27 at Altamonte Family Practice. A phone call made Tuesday evening to the practice rang unanswered.

ABC News first reported Zimmerman’s injuries from the medical records.

Goodwill seeks owner of $14,505

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo.

Will the real mystery donor please stand up?

It may take a bit more detective work — and end up in St. Louis County court — before the person who inadvertently “donated” $14,505 to a Goodwill store is reunited with the money.

MERS Goodwill officials announced last Thursday that a stack of cash was found inside a box of Christmas donations that had been donated to the Goodwill store on Baptist Church Road.

Video surveillance showed two men unloading several boxes from a white trailer being pulled by a Ford truck. The vehicle’s license plate wasn’t visible on the surveillance, so Goodwill turned to the public for help, and the hunt was on.

As soon as the news hit, the telephone calls began coming in to Goodwill’s headquarters.

Army opens combat jobs to women

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky.

Female soldiers this week are moving into new jobs in once all-male units as the Army breaks down formal barriers in recognition of what already has happened in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The policy change announced earlier this year is being tested at nine brigades, including one at Fort Campbell, before going Army-wide. It opens thousands of jobs to female soldiers by loosening restrictions meant to keep them away from the battlefield.

Combined dispatches