Measures

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Several years in the future, fathers will take sons to their first spring training games at Bright House Field and they'll share the story of the ball Domonic Brown hit that may have never actually landed. The home run ball Brown hit on Tuesday afternoon off New York Yankees righthander Zach Nuding cleared the batter's eye in dead center. The distance from home plate to the wall is 401 feet, so tack on at least another 50 feet. At least. The ball may have very well landed on Route 19 and hitchhiked out of town.

PITTSBURGH - A legislator has drafted a resolution that would be the first step in the possible impeachment of Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Joan Orie Melvin following her conviction on six counts of corruption, the lawmaker said Friday. Rep. Glenn Grell (R., Cumberland) said he would confer with fellow lawmakers Monday about whether and when to file the resolution, which would be unnecessary if Melvin resigned. If approved by the House, the resolution would give a subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee authority to take testimony and issue subpoenas as part of an investigation.

A pair of bills recently introduced in City Council are welcome chances to close two troubling loopholes in the city's campaign-finance laws. Although the 2015 mayoral and other local races may seem a long way off, preparations are under way, including the early-and-often ramping up of fund-raising. The new campaign-finance proposals are a potentially beneficial by-product of the already heated competition among possible mayoral candidates, including Councilmen Bill Green and James Kenney.

MOSCOW - Russia's lower house of parliament Tuesday passed a bill prohibiting smoking in public places, an extraordinary measure in a country where about 60 percent of men smoke cigarettes. The bill was proposed by the Ministry of Health and endorsed by Prime Minister Dmitry A. Medvedev in an effort to limit the harm caused by smoking. The measure is expected to be easily approved by the upper house and signed by President Vladimir V. Putin within two weeks. The lower house gave the bill overwhelming approval, passing it by 441-1.

WASHINGTON - Congress passed must-do legislation Thursday to permit the government to borrow hundreds of billions of dollars more to meet its obligations, averting a first-ever government default that had loomed as early as mid-February. The 64-34 vote in the Democratic-controlled Senate sent the measure to President Obama, who has said he will sign it. The Republican-led House passed the legislation last week. Among Philadelphia-area senators, only Pat Toomey (R., Pa.) voted no. The legislation would temporarily suspend the $16.4 trillion limit on federal borrowing, which experts say would allow the government to borrow about $450 billion to meet interest payments and obligations such as Social Security benefits and government salaries.

WASHINGTON - Banning some assault weapons and requiring background checks for all firearms purchases aren't a serious attempt to reduce gun violence, a top National Rifle Association official warned Tuesday as Congress geared up for the year's first hearing on the subject. Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the NRA, said the country must instead focus on boosting security at schools, enforcing existing gun laws and taking more steps to deny guns to people with mental illnesses.

SANTA MARIA, Brazil - There was no fire alarm. There were no sprinklers or fire escapes. And when a band member tried to put out a fire that had been started by pyrotechnics, the extinguisher didn't work. All the elements were in place for the tragedy at the Kiss nightclub early Sunday. The result was the world's worst fire of its kind in more than a decade, with 231 people dead and this southern Brazilian college town in shock and mourning. Funerals began on Monday, as reports continued to emerge about the accumulation of neglect and errors at the packed night spot.

The state House on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved a bill that would require those charged with animal abuse to either surrender their seized pets to shelters or pay for the cost of their care until the case is resolved. The measure is aimed at easing the burden of nonprofit shelters that pay thousands for food, housing, and veterinary care of animals removed from inhumane conditions, but that rarely receive restitution from those convicted of abuse. The bill passed by 163-34. It now goes to the Senate for consideration.

Take a seat. Whaddya mean, where? You could have one right there in your carry bag. Perhaps not the most ergonomic of chairs, the Grand Trunk Collapsible Micro Stool is nonetheless a fine alternative to standing. Just pull this little red stool out of its included 12-by-6-inch stuff sack, unfold, extend the aluminum legs, lock in, and plop down on the nylon seat. Expanded, the stool measures 9.5 inches by 9 inches by 10 inches high. It weighs just 10 ounces - and that includes the built-in mesh storage "shelf" under the seat.

President Obama returned to Washington Sunday and signed the legislation authorizing $9.7 billion for flood insurance to aid victims of Hurricane Sandy. Congress passed the measure Friday while Obama was vacationing with his family in Hawaii. The $9.7 billion for flood insurance is only a piece of the $60 billion sought by states hit hard by the October storm. Northeastern lawmakers, still angry that the full package was sent back to the legislative starting line earlier last week, are anticipating a much tougher fight over the remaining funds.