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Monday,

Aug. 29

Ill winds blow Wall Street good: Lower-than-expected damage toll from Hurricane Irene pushes insurance company stocks higher … Hurricanes … in Vermont? Flooding from Irene creates worst natural disaster in Vermont since 1927; at least three killed … Shelter from the storm: Algeria gives asylum to 31 members of Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi’s family and aides … Mum’s the word: Redmond School District announces Redmond High Principal Brian Lemos on leave, won’t say why … Encore for the Murdochs: Rupert Murdoch and son James to testify under oath about phone hacking in front of Britain’s Royal Court of Justice … Let the birds keep it: Mutant bird flu strain not vulnerable to vaccines appears in Vietnam and China.

Tuesday, Aug. 30

Too fast, too furious: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Director Kenneth Melson reassigned in flap over “Operation Fast and Furious,” anti-gun-trafficking campaign in which US Border Patrol agent was killed … Blasts from the past: Darryl Hannah, actress who won fame playing a mermaid, arrested in environmental protest at White House … Christine O’Donnell, Tea Party Senate candidate who won fame for denying she’s a witch, barred from Tea Party event in Iowa featuring Sarah Palin … Call your dad, Steve: Abdulfattah John Jandali, 80, biological father of Steve Jobs, says he feels guilty about giving him up for adoption and would love to see him but is afraid to call … Is he old enough to drive? Justin Bieber unhurt after his Ferrari involved in fender-bender in LA; millions of teenyboppers shed tears of relief.

Wednesday, Aug. 31

Temper tantrums: House Speaker John Boehner turns down President Obama’s request to address to Congress on economy because Obama scheduled it on same day as GOP presidential debate; Obama backs down, reschedules … Pause for refreshments: Libyan rebels say they have Muammar Qaddafi trapped in a desert stronghold, but son Seif al-Islam el-Qaddafi denies it. “Our leadership is fine. We are drinking tea and coffee,” says he … Storm fronts: Hurricane Irene called one of 10 costliest natural disasters in US history; estimated damages $7 billion to $10 billion … Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Katia revving up into a hurricane … Not as bad as it seemed: Dow Jones Industrial Average finishes slightly in the black for 2011 … Absent-minded nerds: Apple employee apparently loses prototype of iPhone5 in San Francisco bar; same thing happened with iPhone4 prototype last year.

Thursday, Sept. 1

Worser and worser: List of people whose phones authorities believe were hacked by Rupert Murdoch’s newspapers in Britain swells to 3,870, including Prince William and “schoolboy killer” Robert Thompson … Tasteful: Republican organization in home county of assassination target Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) auctions off Glock handgun in fundraiser, same make used by alleged attacker Jared Lee Loughner … This is awkward: California solar panel manufacturer Solyndra, recipient of $535 million in federal loans and touted by President Obama as example of successful renewable energy enterprise, folds … Revolutionary idea: Republican presidential hopeful Jon Huntsman reveals his economy recovery plan. It involves tax cuts for billionaires … But wasn’t he English? Archaeologists think they’ve found remains of King Arthur’s Round Table near Stirling Castle in Scotland.

Friday, Sept. 2

Shameless tease: Sarah Palin tells adoring fans in Iowa “there’s room for more” in GOP presidential field but won’t say if she’ll run … High-flyer: Texas Gov. Rick Perry, another Republican presidential contender, is frequent flyer aboard private jet of Brian D. Pardo, currently under investigation by SEC … Low-flyer: Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day kicked off Southwest Airlines flight after refusing to hike up his low-slung pants; airline later apologizes … Non-flyer: Latest jobs report shows US economy generated no new jobs in August. That’s right – zero, zip, zilch, nada.

Saturday, Sept. 3

Here we go again: Tropical Storm Lee moves ashore in Gulf Coast, spawning heavy rain, tornadoes … Maybe we could learn something from this? More than 400,000 Israelis demonstrate to protest social injustice, high cost of living and decline of middle class … Still their girl: Chanting “Run, Sarah, run!” Tea Partiers at Iowa rally plead with Sarah Palin to say she’s running for president. She doesn’t … Pretty hairy: Paleontologists discover 3.6-million-year-old fossil of giant hairy rhinoceros in southwestern Tibet, possible ancestor of the wooly mammoth … Even hairier: Human feet (in running shoes) keep washing ashore in Vancouver, BC, 11 of them in past four years … The less said the better: A football game takes place somewhere in Texas between University of Oregon Ducks and LSU Tigers.

Sunday, Sept. 4

I’m from the government and I’m here to help you: President Obama travels to storm-battered New Jersey, promises residents, “We’re going to do everything we can to help” … Dubious endorsement: former Vice President Dick Cheney says Hillary Clinton “might have been easier to work with” than Obama … Can’t get a break: Typhoon Talas slams western Japan, leaving 20 dead and 55 missing … They love him back home: Dominique Strauss-Kahn, arriving in France after being cleared of sex assault charges in NYC, cheered by crowd at airport … Up and running: After almost 40 years of delays, Iran’s first nuclear power plant goes operational … Somehow we guessed that: David Senk, 54, of Sacramento, CA, charged with biting and severely injuring live python, tells police he doesn’t remember doing it because he has alcohol problem.