Second Thoughts About Being First 

Curses, Foiled Again
When Damontay Wright, 19, drove himself unaccompanied to a road-test facility in Jonesboro, Ark., for his driver's license, a police officer approached to ticket him for driving without a license, but Wright sped off. He smashed into a state trooper's patrol car and then, with police in pursuit, lost control of his car and plowed through the wall of a house. Officers who charged Wright with felony fleeing added that the license plate on his car had been reported stolen. (The Jonesboro Sun)

• While Jose Lopez was being interviewed for a job in El Cajon, Calif., the business owner confronted him about showing up drunk. Lopez took offense and a fight ensued, during which Lopez stabbed the owner in the arm. Lopez fled, but police quickly located him because he'd left behind his completed job application. (San Diego's KNSD-TV)

Second Thoughts About Being First
After the crash of Virgin Galactic's space tourism rocket SpaceShipTwo in California's Mojave Desert during a test flight, "about 20" of the people holding tickets on the craft's initial space voyage requested a refund, company representative Jess Gilbert said. Tickets originally cost $200,000 each but later rose to $250,000. (The Hollywood Reporter)

Slightest Provocation
Korean Air executive Heather Cho delayed the departure of her flight from New York to Incheon by demanding the removal of a flight attendant who served her macadamia nuts in a bag instead of on a plate. The incident prompted Cho's resignation but boosted macadamia sales in Korea nearly 12-fold. (BBC News)

• Police said two customers at a Tim Hortons store in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, threw a garter snake at an employee during an argument that began because they wanted the onions diced for their breakfast order. (Saskatoon's The Star Phoenix)

• California authorities accused Kathy Rowe of harassing a couple who bought a house in a Carmel Valley neighborhood that Rowe had placed an offer on, calling it her "forever home." The criminal complaint said Rowe signed the wife up for sex ads online that encouraged visitors to drop by unannounced while her husband was at work. The couple also received unwanted magazines, books and junk mail, and Rowe allegedly sent romantic Valentine's Day cards from the husband to his female neighbors. "Losing that house was devastating to my family and broke our hearts," Rowe said, calling her actions "stupid pranks." (ABC News)

Second-Amendment Follies
Indiana conservation officers said that when a shooter in Martin County used modern smokeless powder in a muzzle-loading rifle designed for black powder, the weapon turned into a grenade, which exploded, causing the shooter to lose a couple of fingers. (Indianapolis Star)

Secret Secrets
American Scientists that a report to Congress on authorized disclosures of classified intelligence to the media is classified and thus exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. Congress requires government officials that authorize "disclosures of national intelligence" to notify it so congressional committees can tell authorized disclosures from unauthorized disclosures, or leaks. The NSA explanation was a response to a FAS FOIA request to learn which disclosures were authorized. (Federation of American Scientists)

Career Moves
Hoping to attract and retain more career women, Facebook and Apple began paying up to $20,000 for employees to freeze their eggs until they're ready to become parents. (NBC News)

Stating the Obvious
Steve Wadsworth won an "exciting competition" to name the new leisure center in Selby, England, scheduled to open this spring. "I was really surprised and excited," said Wadsworth, who came up with the name "Selby Leisure Centre." (Selby District Council News)

Loser of the Week
Police responding to an emergency call of screams at an apartment in Oslo reported the sounds came from a male chess player "frustrated by constantly losing against his own PC." (Norway's The Local)

Compiled from mainstream news sources by Roland Sweet. Authentication on demand.