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E L L I O T T ' S TRAVEL NOTES
Travel news, opinion and analysis

August 11, 2004

Gun-Toting Congressman Pleads Guilty
An Indiana congressman pleaded guilty today to a charge he brought a loaded gun to Louisville International Airport in April. Rep. John Hostettler did not appear in Jefferson County District Court to enter the plea to a misdemeanor charge of carrying a concealed deadly weapon. Hostettler agreed to a 60-day sentence that would be suspended for two years, said Bill Patteson, a spokesman for the Jefferson County Attorney's office. Hostettler would not have to serve the sentence if he meets the terms of the plea agreement, Patteson said. Attorney David Schuler entered the plea today on Hostettler's behalf. Judge Donald E. Armstrong agreed that Hostettler would not have to be present for an Aug. 23 sentencing. As part of the plea today, Hostettler agreed to surrender the pistol that was found in his luggage on April 20. AP | Posted 6:30 a.m.
• Rep Says He 'Forgot' Gun Was In Luggage (WAVE)
• Bullets Found In German's Luggage (BBC)

Excuses aside, I think there's a case to be made that airline passengers don't feel completely safe and are not afraid of taking matters into their own hands, should they experience a 9/11 sequel. Can't say I blame them.

Vegas Limos Surprised By Warnings
Fears that terrorists could use limousines as rolling bombs caught Las Vegas limo industry insiders by surprise Monday, though some said that hotels already are wary of stretch cars for hire. Late Friday, the FBI had issued a pair of warnings to 18,000 police agencies nationwide that al-Qaida could try launching attacks in the United States by packing explosives into rental limos or helicopters, which could help terrorists sneak near targeted buildings. None of the half-dozen limo firms contacted Monday said they'd received any sort of a warning from the FBI or other law enforcement agencies. "No, we haven't," said Bill Shranko, operations director for Yellow-Checker-Star Transportation, which oversees Star Limousines. He referred further questions to other company officials who were unavailable for comment. Review Journal | Posted 6:35 a.m.

Enterprise Named in ACLU Suit
The American Civil Liberties Union has started a campaign to ask businesses, including Enterprise Rent-A-Car, to reject government requests to turn over information on customers and their transactions. The action is based on a report issued by the organization claiming that government "is piggy-backing on the increasing availability of private sector-data collection." The Patriot Act also forces companies to disclose its customers' private financial transactions," the ACLU report stated. Business Journal | Posted 6:45 a.m.

What's Next For CAPPS II? - More than two years and millions of dollars ago, it seemed like a good idea: develop a computerized system that checks airline passengers' backgrounds to make sure they're not terrorists. But so many people objected to one part of the plan or another that the government is scrapping major portions of the project, the Computer-Assisted Passenger Pre-screening System, commonly known as CAPPS II. AP | Posted 7 a.m.

Trump Back In Bankruptcy Court - You could call it Trump: The Art of the (Bankruptcy Restructuring) Deal. Donald Trump's casino businesses, which have failed to share in his highly publicized successes in other realms in recent years, are being restructured under a bankruptcy protection plan that would strip The Donald of his majority stake. Under the plan, announced late Monday, Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts plans to enter Chapter 11 bankruptcy next month, emerging within a year. AP | Posted 7:05 a.m.

Cruise Wastewater Bills Headed For Passage - Two major bills that prohibit the discharge of sewage and wastewater in California's coastal waters took another crucial step toward becoming law, passing through the state Senate Appropriations Committee. International ocean conservation group Oceana praised the committee's action today and called for swift final passage of the legislation. Green Media | Posted 7 a.m.

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• Off the Record ... this could have been a real cat-astrophe. A SN Brussels airliner made an emergency landing yesterday after an "agitated" cat managed to get into the cockpit and attack the co-pilot. Apparently, the pet escaped from a kennel and somehow found its way to the front of the plane. The plane turned around after 20 minutes and headed back to the airport, according to the BBC. No word on whether the disruptive passenger was armed - although those of us who are owned by cats know that their claws could pass for deadly weapons. Posted 7:10 a.m. | Send us your comments.

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