Astronaut sets US record in space

Astronaut sets US record in space

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.

NASA’s yearlong spaceman, Scott Kelly, chalked up his first spacewalk Wednesday just hours before he set a record for the nation’s longest trip off the planet.

Kelly found himself repeatedly wiping away excess grease while lubricating the snares on the tip of the International Space Station’s big robot arm. The job was sloppier and more time-consuming than expected, and couldn’t be completed as time ran out.

“It’s so messy,” Kelly said.

Kelly and fellow spacewalker Kjell Lindgren spent seven hours outside tackling a long overdue list of maintenance chores.

In the wee hours of this morning, just after midnight Eastern time, Kelly broke the American record for NASA’s longest single space shot. That 215-day record – more than seven months – was set in 2007.

Study: Adults less interested in e-cigarettes

Teens may prefer electronic cigarettes to regular cigarettes, but the same is not true for their parents.

A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds that 12.6 percent of U.S. adults have tried an e-cigarette at least once, and 3.7 percent use them on a regular basis.

That’s far less than the 15.2 percent of American adults who smoke traditional cigarettes. It’s also well below the 13.4 percent of high-school students who currently use e-cigarettes.

The new figures, based on data from the 2014 National Health Interview Survey, offer the first comprehensive look at the popularity of electronic cigarettes among U.S. adults. The battery-powered devices vaporize a flavored nicotine solution that can be inhaled like a tobacco cigarette.

Dennis Hastert pleads guilty

CHICAGO

Dennis Hastert pleaded guilty Wednesday to evading banking laws in a hush-money scheme, averting a potentially lurid trial that could have dredged up sexual allegations by agreeing to a deal with prosecutors that recommended he serve no more than six months in prison.

In the written agreement, the Illinois Republican directly acknowledged for the first time that he sought to pay someone $3.5 million to hide misconduct by Hastert against that person dating back several decades, to around the time the longtime GOP leader was a high-school wrestling coach.

Before accepting the plea, the 73-year-old was warned by the judge that he could go beyond the recommendation and give Hastert up to five years behind bars when he is sentenced in February.

3 injured in mall shooting

INDIANAPOLIS

Indianapolis police said three people were injured in a shooting inside a shopping mall.

Deputy Chief of Operations Brian Mahone said all three of the victims were transported to hospitals, and one is in serious condition but expected to survive. He said the other two don’t have life-threatening injuries. Mahone said police do not have a suspect in custody.

Mahone said the shooting occurred Wednesday evening inside the Washington Square Mall on the city’s far east side.

He said the shooting wasn’t random and the gunman and primary victim knew each other. He said the other two people shot were nearby when the gunman opened fire.

Combined dispatches