Proof that when you are feeling rotten, chances are someone else's day sucks more

Power Outage Traps 200 in St. Louis Arch
AP
Posted: 2007-07-22 20:04:32
Filed Under: Nation
ST. LOUIS (July 22) - Tourists could travel to the top of the Gateway Arch on Sunday, after a power outage Saturday night trapped roughly 200 people inside the landmark for up to three hours.


Mindy McCready Does it Again
Posted Jul 22nd 2007 8:12PM by TMZ Staff
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Train Wrecks

Country singer Mindy McCready (and apparent permanent train wreck) was arrested early Saturday morning in Florida and charged with battery and resisting arrest.

McCready, 31, was charged with the two misdemeanors, according to booking information. The Lee County Sheriff's Office would not discuss what happened or what led to her arrest.

McCready, who had a No. 1 hit in 1996 with "Guys Do It All the Time," has struggled in recent years, beginning with a 2004 conviction for fraudulently obtaining prescription painkillers. She was on probation for that offense when she was charged with driving under the influence in 2005.

She was found not guilty of the DUI charge, but guilty of driving on a suspended license.

McCready was released on $1,000 bail Saturday and is scheduled to appear in court August 14.


She Takes the Blame for Passport Mess
By MICHAEL J. SNIFFEN,AP
Posted: 2007-07-22 20:33:56
Filed Under: Nation
WASHINGTON (July 22) - The current passport mess is rare among government foul-ups: A top federal official has publicly taken the blame and expressed regret.

"Over the past several months, many travelers who applied for a passport did not receive their document in time for their planned travel. I deeply regret that," says Assistant Secretary of State Maura Harty, who is in charge of U.S. passports. "I accept complete responsibility for this."

The government started requiring more Americans to have passports on Jan. 23 in an effort to thwart terrorism. By summer, more than 2 million people were waiting for passports; half a million had waited more than three months since applying for a document that typically was ready in six weeks.

The massive backlog destroyed summer vacations, ruined wedding and honeymoon plans and disrupted business meetings and education plans. People lost work days waiting in lines or thousands of dollars in nonrefundable travel deposits.