Plane of medical patients crashes
On Feb. 21, a military plane carrying medical patients crashed near Tunisia’s capital killing 10 passengers and crew, according to The New York Times. Among the passengers killed aboard the Libyan Antonov aircraft was Sheikh Meftah Daouadi, undersecretary at the Libyan Ministry of Martyrs. Daouadi was a veteran Islamist fighter who took part in the revolt against Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. According to The New York Times, it is uncertain whether he was a patient onboard or if he was accompanying another passenger.
A spokesman for Tunisia’s defense ministry said that six crew members along with the patients and their companions died in the crash as a result of the pilot’s unsuccessful attempt to land in farmland near Grombalia, a town south of Tunis.

The Echo hosts new logo contest
Are you tired of the plain gold gumby statue Echo logo?
Well, we are too and that is why the California Lutheran University student newspaper is searching for a new look. We need help in redesigning our logo. Students are encouraged to be creative and design a look that best embodies CLU. They can submit their logo design to Kirstie Hettinga at [email protected] by March 7. Judges will select the design they think best represents the Echo and the winner will receive a $50 Visa gift card along with a T-shirt featuring the winning design.

Anne Frank book trashed in Tokyo
Anne Frank’s “The Diary of a Young Girl” and many other books about her have been vandalized in Tokyo public libraries since late January, according to MSN News. Librarians in Tokyo have discovered at least 265 damaged books at 31 libraries. In most cases, the damage was in the form of dozens of torn pages in the books. The motive for the damaging of the young Holocaust victim’s books is unclear at this time, although police are investigating. In an effort to protect these books, one library has moved all Anne Frank-related books behind the counter, although they can still be checked out.

Giants fan beaters plead guilty
Two men involved in the beating of Bryan Stow outside of Dodger Stadium on March 31, 2011 pleaded guilty in the Los Angeles Superior Court on Feb. 20, according to The New York Times. Louie Sanchez, 31, pleaded guilty to the charge of mayhem and was sentenced to eight years in state prison while Marvin Norwood, 33, was sentenced to four years for assault. Stow, a San Francisco Giants fan, was jumped, beaten and left with permanent brain injuries. After the attack, he spent two months in the hospital in a medically induced coma.
After the game, Sanchez confronted Stow in the parking lot. Sanchez came up behind Stow, who had walked away, and hit him in the side of the head, knocking him unconscious, and continued to kick him several times in the head. Stow, who is now 45, is under the care of his family as he continues rehabilitation.

Terminal child becomes a princess
Claire Lankford, a 5-year-old-girl with terminal cancer lived out her dream of becoming a princess a week ago in her hometown of Dickinson, Texas, according to Fox News. Lankford’s family and friends organized a “princess parade” for her, in which a horse-drawn carriage rode around the neighborhood while Lankford and her mother dressed up as Belle from the animated film, “Beauty and the Beast.” According to Fox News, Lankford has been battling rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare and incurable cancer, since she was 3 years old. Last month doctors discovered five tumors on her lungs and lymph nodes. “She went through 42 weeks of chemotherapy and four weeks of radiation on her chest and six weeks of radiation on her spine,” said Patricia, Lankford’s mother. Hundreds of people lined the streets of the family’s neighborhood, carrying signs and tossing flowers to cheer Lankford on.

Lindsay Hunter
Staff Writer
Published Feb. 26, 2014