In brief: Fighter jet in Nevada crash ‘total loss’

FALLON, Nev. – A fighter jet that crashed during a training exercise in western Nevada is a total loss and the pilot’s condition is unknown, a spokeswoman for the Naval Air Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, said Sunday.

It took rescue crews several hours to reach the site after the 3 p.m. Saturday crash because of a snowstorm and mountainous, remote terrain, Lt. Reagan Lauritzen said.

The F/A-18C, a U.S. Marine jet on loan to the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center, went down on a Navy range training complex about 70 miles east of Naval Air Station Fallon, she said. The Navy reported incorrectly on Saturday that the jet was one of its Hornets.

The name of the pilot was being held for 24 hours, she said.

The cause of the crash was under investigation.

There were no reports of any other injuries or damage as a result of the crash and the jet was not carrying any weapons or munitions on the training flight, the Navy said.

Pipeline protesters arrested in D.C.

WASHINGTON – Police arrested hundreds of people who strapped themselves to the White House fence on Sunday to protest the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline.

The protesters were mostly college students who participated in a peaceful march that began at Georgetown University and ended outside the White House. They chanted “climate justice now” and carried signs with slogans such as “don’t tarnish the earth” in an effort to persuade President Barack Obama to reject the pipeline. They say it will worsen global warming.

Protesters were passionate but orderly. Police were waiting for them with buses and vans to speed the process. Protesters cheered as U.S. Park Police warned them that blocking the sidewalk or strapping themselves to the fence would lead to their arrest. In all, 372 were arrested, police said.

Brown: Marijuana perhaps not so great

SAN FRANCISCO – California Gov. Jerry Brown said he is not sure legalizing marijuana is a good idea in his state because the country could lose its competitive edge if too many people are getting stoned.

Brown said that if pot smoking gains more legitimacy in the nation’s most populous state, he worries it could have negative ripple effects.

“The problem with anything, a certain amount is OK. But there is a tendency to go to extremes,” he said in a wide-ranging interview aired Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “And all of a sudden, if there’s advertising and legitimacy, how many people can get stoned and still have a great state or a great nation?”

Californians voted to legalize medical marijuana in 1996. But Brown said he is watching closely to see how Colorado and Washington handle their new laws that go a step further by regulating the growth and sale of taxed recreational marijuana at state-licensed stores. Colorado’s pot shops opened Jan. 1, and Washington’s are expected to open later this year.

“The world’s pretty dangerous, very competitive,” he said. “I think we need to stay alert, if not 24 hours a day, more than some of the potheads might be able to put together.”