Courted: Two doctors in New York said...

Courted: Two doctors in New York said hotel magnate Harry Helmsley, 81, is unfit to stand trial with his wife on state tax evasion charges, state Supreme Court Justice John Bradley announced Wednesday. He ordered both sides to return June 20 to determine whether to hold a full competency hearing. Helmsley’s wife, Leona, has been sentenced to a four-year prison term for federal tax evasion but remains free pending appeal.

*Can’t Top That: One trip to the top was enough for the son of the first climber of Mt. Everest. Peter Hillary reached the top of the 29,029-foot peak May 10. His father, Sir Edmund Hillary, scaled Everest 37 years ago. Peter Hillary said Monday in Katmandu, Nepal, he will now confine himself to smaller mountains. “If you don’t get down, you are a dead man. The summit is only half the way.”

* Is There a Book Here?: Writer Hunter S. Thompson was ordered Tuesday to stand trial in Aspen, Colo., on four felony drug and explosives charges. Thompson, 53, fidgeted during the hearing and muttered: “That’s bull” during testimony of Gail Palmer-Slater, 35, whose sexual assault allegations prompted a search of his home in February that led to the charges. Followed by reporters outside the court, Thompson said, “Let me do a Nixon,” and he raised his arms and flashed a two-handed victory sign.

* JFK Profile: The first John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award will go to Carl Elliott, the former Alabama congressman who was voted out of office in 1964 because of his equal rights stands. Elliott, 76, will receive the award in Boston Tuesday, the 73rd anniversary of the birth of late President. The award includes a $25,000 stipend and a trophy.