Winners

Kevin Ford: Blackford County native and Notre Dame grad is scheduled to take command of the international space station. It will be the second space flight for Ford, brother of the late David Ford, a state senator whose district included part of Allen County.

Wall Street: Almost half of Wall Street employees surveyed say their year-end bonuses will be higher this year than in 2011. Most optimistic are hedge-fund and asset managers, according to eFinancialCareers.com.

Bicentennial plate: New standard license plate pays tribute to Indiana’s 200-year birthday in 2016.

Tossups

DeKalb County: Engineers estimate the cost of repairing the Spencerville Covered Bridge after a truck damaged it at $89,000 – far less than originally feared, and an amount the truck driver’s insurers will likely pay. But the bridge built in 1873 will be closed until repairs can be made.

Losers

Kelly Rindfleisch: Former top aide to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker pleads guilty to felony charge of campaigning on taxpayers’ time. Prosecutors accused her of using a secret email system to do campaign work.

Jon Hubbard: Arkansas legislator defends case he made in 2010 self-published book arguing that slavery was a “blessing” for blacks because they enjoy a better quality of life than they would have had in Africa.

Lance Armstrong: After demanding hard evidence that caused the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency to bar him for life and strip away his seven Tour de France bicycling victories, he gets it. The evidence describes details of witness testimony along with the names of 26 witnesses – including 11 former teammates – who accused him of using performance-enhancing drugs.

J.C. Brizard: Chicago Public Schools chief, hired by Mayor Rahm Emanuel, leaves “by mutual agreement” after a nine-day teachers strike ended with a deal widely believed to be a victory for the union.

Milestones

Organized religion: Number of Americans describing themselves as Protestants dips below 50 percent as number of adults with no religious affiliation climbs to 20 percent.

New Orleans: City officials begin fining tour operators leading tourists through Katrina-ravaged Lower Ninth Ward, aimed at putting an end to disaster voyeurism seven years after the deadly storm.

Alex Karras: Gary native was one of the NFL’s most feared defensive linemen in the 1960s before becoming an actor, notably in the 1974 comedy classic, “Blazing Saddles,” where he punched a horse. He was the subject of much attention in two key football books from the 1960s, “Paper Lion” by George Plimpton and “Instant Replay” by Jerry Kramer. He died at 77.