MASSACHUSETTS
Giffords receives Profile in Courage award
Former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords received the 2013 Profile in Courage award at the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston on Sunday in recognition of the political, personal, and physical courage she has demonstrated in her fearless public advocacy for policy reforms aimed at reducing gun violence. Giffords, who was seriously wounded in a 2011 shooting when a lone gunman opened fire as she met with constituents in a Tucson, Ariz., shopping mall, and her husband, former astronaut Mark Kelly, have been lobbying for more gun control legislation. Caroline Kennedy, president of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, presented the award to Giffords.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Sale features EKG of Armstrong on moon
A New Hampshire auction house will soon accept bids on space and aviation artifacts, including an electrocardiogram of Apollo 11 Commander Neil Armstrong’s heartbeat taken when he first set foot on the moon. Amherst-based RR Auction will take bids on the EKG, which registered a normal heartbeat, and other artifacts during an online auction from May 16 through May 23. Other artifacts include the joystick controller operated by Apollo 11 astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins in the Apollo 11 command module. Auction officials say over 85 lots of Apollo 11 material will be featured in the auction.
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Feds: Hepatitis B no barrier to health practice
The federal government has moved to protect hepatitis B-positive health care providers and students studying for a career in medicine or dentistry from being targeted because of their diagnosis. The U.S. Department of Justice recently declared in a legal settlement that hepatitis B patients are protected by federal disability law. Separately, federal health officials have issued a revised set of guidelines that make it clear that health care workers and students who carry the hepatitis B virus generally pose little or no risk to patients. Advocates say the new health guidelines and the Justice Department settlement give health professionals and students a pair of powerful tools to combat discrimination.
NEW MEXICO
Church members start victims fund after attack
Members of a Catholic church in Albuquerque, N.M., where three people were stabbed during Mass a week ago launched an effort Sunday to raise money for victims hurt in the attack. The start of the campaign came as Sunday services resumed at St. Jude Thaddeus Church. Police said Lawrence Capener stabbed three people on April 28 as Mass was ending because he thought a choir leader was a Mason. Santa Fe Archbishop Michael Sheehan re-consecrated the Albuquerque church on Wednesday by sprinkling holy water and spreading incense through the building.
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