Saturday,  March 23, 2013 • Vol. 14--No. 247 • 36 of 36 •  Other Editions

(Continued from page 35)

based fishing trawler Alaska Ranger sank in the Bering Sea, killing five crew members; 42 others survived. Al Copeland, founder of the Popeyes Famous Fried Chicken chain, died near Munich, Germany, at age 64.
One year ago: Urging Americans to "do some soul searching," President Barack Obama injected himself into the emotional debate over the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin in Florida, saying, "If I had a son, he'd look like Trayvon." The U.S. Army formally charged Staff Sgt. Robert Bales with 17 counts of premeditated murder in the deaths of 17 villagers, more than half of them children, during a shooting rampage in southern Afghanistan. Pope Benedict XVI landed in Mexico to throngs of faithful who gathered at the tarmac and lined more than 20 miles of his route into the city of Leon.

Today's Birthdays: Comedian Marty Allen is 91. Sir Roger Bannister, the runner who broke the 4-minute mile in 1954, is 84. Movie director Mark Rydell is 79. Motorsports Hall of Famer Craig Breedlove is 76. Singer-producer Ric Ocasek is 64. Singer Chaka Khan is 60. Actress Amanda Plummer is 56. Actress Catherine Keener is 54. Actress Hope Davis is 49. Comedian John Pinette is 49. Actor Richard Grieco is 48. Country musician Kevin Griffin (Yankee Grey) is 48. Actress Marin Hinkle is 47. Rock singer-musician Damon Albarn (Blur) is 45. Actress-singer Melissa Errico is 43. Rock musician John Humphrey (The Nixons) is 43. Actress Michelle Monaghan is 37. Actress Keri Russell is 37. Actress Anastasia Griffith is 35. Gossip columnist-blogger Perez Hilton is 35. Actress Nicholle Tom is 35. Country singer Paul Martin (Marshall Dyllon) is 35.

Thought for Today: "Having only friends would be dull anyway - like eating eggs without salt." - Hedda Hopper, American gossip columnist (1890-1966).

© 2013 Groton Daily Independent • To send correspondence, click here.