WASHINGTON, D.C. (Bennington Vale Evening Transcript) -- The U.S. Secret Service is struggling to recover from a scandal that broke around April 14 when agents were discovered taking prostitutes to their hotel rooms just days before President Obama's visit to Colombia. The Secret Service is one of the nation's most regarded and elite squads, tasked with ensuring the security of the president. But the Cartagena investigation has not only embarrassed the United States, it has also prompted a series of new allegations by unnamed sources who claim that federal agents and military officers regularly solicited sex workers in foreign countries. One subcontractor testified that Secret Service advance teams received sexual favors in the VIP room of a San Salvador strip club. Despite the attention the scandal has generated, President Obama urged the public not to consider the disgraced employees representative of the wider organization. "This isn't an investment firm. It's the Secret Service. A couple of knuckleheads shouldn't detract from what they do," Mr. Obama added, startling reporters with the harshest language he's used since calling Osama bin Laden a "jerk face" and Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi "a stinky doo-doo head." But Wednesday's Senate hearing was focused on discovering whether Obama was ever at risk because of the situation.

SAN NARCISO, Calif. (Bennington Vale Evening Transcript) -- On weekday afternoons along Man-of-War Boulevard, people heading home for the evening are often treated to a variety of street performances put on by aspiring artists from San Narciso College. But Monday, glee quickly turned to terror as a young mime suffocated to death before horrified spectators who were helpless to act. The incident took place around 5:30 p.m. in front of McNulty's Creamed Sweets Emporium. The mime, whose name is being withheld by authorities until family members can be notified, began his act with simple magic tricks and aping members of the crowd. Somewhere between being pushed to the edge of a cliff by gale-force winds and clawing his way back on a mystical rope, the mime stumbled into an invisible box. According to witnesses, the young clown struggled valiantly to escape the transparent prison but ran out of air before he could locate the latch.

RIP Jonathan Frid (1924 - 2012)

SAN NARCISO, Calif. (Bennington Vale Evening Transcript) -- The passing of Canadian actor Jonathan Frid last Friday -- Friday the 13th, appropriately enough -- came as sad news to millions of "Dark Shadows" fans, some of whom undoubtedly hoped Frid, like his character Barnabas Collins, would return from the grave to creep out a new generation of heirs. Frid's portrayal of Collins was somewhat of a revolution. He defined the idea of the lost, lonely and reluctant vampire -- a mortal cursed to a life of painful eternities, unsavory needs and a fair amount of self-loathing. Frid's Barnabas was the venerable bloodsucker; he was not evil, he was a tortured soul and a victim of fate, not desire. He did not have enormous fangs or glitter in daylight. Even more appealing to audiences, he was beaten down by a secret. But if the trailers for the new Tim Burton/Johnny Depp version of "Dark Shadows" offer any clues, Barnabas Collins' secret was that he was flamboyantly gay. Frid clearly missed the mark by attempting to project a serious, conflicted Victorian anti-hero instead of a foppishly effeminate drama queen made over by Tammy Faye Bakker. Burton and Depp have finally corrected that long-running oversight.

Courtesy Getty Images

SANFORD, Fla. (Bennington Vale Evening Transcript) -- Mark O'Mara, George Zimmerman's new attorney, told reporters Thursday that his client will likely be freed from protective custody after his bond hearing on Friday. But sitting behind bars may be the safest place for Zimmerman now. O'Mara said that Zimmerman has received numerous death threats and will need to find safe lodging after his release. Others worry about Zimmerman's response to these threats. "The guy is easily spooked and hair-triggered," one attorney said. There are also concerns with the ever-growing "We Are All Trayvon Martin" movements, in which people of diverse backgrounds rally around the cause of gun control in symbolic hooded sweatshirts. After Zimmerman's release, being confronted with thousands of "Trayvon Martins" could result in a bloodbath on the scale of a small genocide. State lawmakers and public safety officials have warned people in hoodies not to provoke a reaction. "More than making a point, you're just making yourself a 'Stand Your Ground' statistic."

Although Zimmerman faces second-degree murder charges, most experts agree that he will be granted bond. In Florida, a defendant is entitled to bond unless the state can establish that he is both a flight risk and a danger to the community. Authorities throughout Florida said that with Zimmerman -- who gunned down an unarmed teenager and then went into hiding -- "there is little or no evidence to support such allegations."

(c) 2012. See disclaimers.

RIP Dick Clark (1929 - 2012)

SAN NARCISO, Calif. (Bennington Vale Evening Transcript) -- Dick Clark, the iconic personality behind "American Bandstand," died Wednesday at the age of 82. Doctors credited the cause of death to a heart attack. Throughout his career, Clark remained an influential force in popular music. He introduced generations of Americans to megastars from Buddy Holly to Michael Jackson to Madonna. He translated his success into the creation of a pop culture media empire. But Clark truly solidified his presence as a cultural touchstone after becoming the host of the eponymous New Year's Eve specials that ran on ABC for four decades. To viewers around the globe, Dick Clark owned New Year's Eve. Investors agreed. But as millions today mourned the passing of "the world's oldest teenager" and reflected on his legacy, millions more flooded government offices and churches in sheer terror, demanding to know if 2013 would come without Clark. Authorities have refused to comment for fear of setting off a chain of riots and suicides.