Heroes Are at Top of Queen’s List

--In an unusual addition to Queen Elizabeth II’s New Year’s honors list, gallantry awards went to 10 Britons and four Belgians for their bravery after the ferry Herald of Free Enterprise capsized off the Belgian port of Zeebrugge on March 6, killing 188 people. An additional 17 people were honored for meritorious service in the aftermath of the disaster, nine of them Belgian citizens. Bank employee Andrew Parker, who stretched his 6-foot, 3-inch body across a flooded chasm in the ferry to become a human bridge, and waiter Michael Skippen, who died helping people out of the boat’s submerged restaurant, both received Britain’s highest peacetime civilian award for bravery, the George Medal. This year’s honors list of nearly 700 people included George Martin, the arranger and record producer sometimes known as “the Fifth Beatle,” Lt. Cmdr. Barry Kirby, who taught Prince Andrew to fly helicopters, actors Diana Rigg, Judi Dench and Denholm Elliott and author Anthony Powell.

--Texas couples who can’t wait to get married are out of luck beginning Friday. That’s the effective date of a new state law, sponsored by Democratic state Rep. Bill Arnold, that requires couples to wait 72 hours after obtaining a marriage license before they can be wed. Arnold said his intent was to provide a cooling-off period. “We’ve been told by some justices of the peace who wholesale these marriages that (newly married) couples often call back and say they want to call the whole thing off,” Arnold said. Noting that Dallas has the reputation of being the “divorce capital of the world,” Arnold said he hoped the law would lower the divorce rate. Austin Justice of the Peace David Crane said 72 hours is usually not long enough for a couple to decide their true feelings. “I’ve had experiences where people call back and want to annul the marriage, usually two to three weeks down the road,” he said.

--Outgoing San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein is sending thank you notes to residents in the form of billboards. And the message is not costing her--or the taxpayers--a dime because the Gannett Transit Shelter Co. is putting them up without cost. The signs will go up by the end of the week and will say: “I (love) you, San Francisco. Thanks for the honor of serving.” The word love is indicated by a heart. Each will be signed with a giant Feinstein autograph. The mayor, who will be succeeded by Art Agnos, said that she wanted to tell residents she appreciated the “substantial vote of confidence they have given me at the polls.”