Tuesday, January 24, 2006

 

Around Pennsylvania ...

Didn't pay to wear wrong jersey

A 17-year-old high school student said he was humiliated when a teacher made him sit on the floor during a midterm exam in his ethnicity class - for wearing a Denver Broncos jersey.

The teacher, John Kelly, forced Joshua Vannoy to sit on the floor and take the test Friday - 2 days before the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Broncos, 34-17, in the AFC Championship Game. Kelly also made other students throw crumpled up paper at Vannoy, whom he called a "stinking Denver fan," Vannoy told the Associated Press yesterday.

Kelly said Vannoy, a junior at Beaver Area Senior High, just didn't get the joke.

From The Philadelphia Daily News

And ...


Tossed Case

If you're used to hurtling half-eaten apples from moving cars, you might want to avoid Lower Nazareth Township.

A judge there fined a Pennsylvania woman $173.50 for launching lettuce from her car window.

For some reason this is about the most popular story on the San Francisco's The Gate site. (Probably the same reason we post about it here, except it's far closer to home, near Easton.)

The AP report states that Dawn Higgins, 47, tossed the salad item while parked outside a Wal-Mart on Oct. 18. She'd stopped at a McDonald's first. She finished her meal, but didn't want the pieces of lettuce atop her salad. She got caught.
She missed a court date, and was convicted in absentia. The report quotes her as making the old biodegradable defense.

From the Philadelphia Inquirer

Around the Country ...

Man Has Cardiac Arrest at Cardiologist Ball

An elderly man collapsed from cardiac arrest in a ballroom packed with cardiologists and other doctors attending an American Heart Association fundraiser.

"If you have to go down, that was the place, I guess," said Dr. Richard Westerman, a cardiologist who helped save the man.

From Forbes


Around the World ...

Miffed Wife Reportedly Snips Hubby's Penis

A Cambodian man received 25 stitches on his penis following a dispute in which his wife attempted to sever it with a pair of scissors, a newspaper reported Tuesday.

Khay Kaing, a 40-year-old villager in Kampong Cham province, is now receiving treatment for his wound, said Koh Santepheap (Island of Peace) newspaper.

From the Houston Chronicle

posted by Anne 1/24/2006 05:00:00 AM (0) comments

Sunday, January 22, 2006

 

Around Pennsylvania

Sisters to turn unwanted mail into profit

The Sisters of St. Francis of the Providence of God have found a good use for that endless stream of junk mail that arrives each day.

They are trying to make a little money from it while helping the environment.
The religious community in Whitehall is one of the newest participants in a regional campaign started by a Canadian company that recycles newspapers, catalogs, junk mail, magazines and office paper into newsprint.

From the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader


Around the Country ...

Suspected robber leaves his name, address

A man who held up banks by claiming he had a bomb in a bag was arrested after police found the bag actually contained books, including a phone book that had a mailing label with the man's full name and address.

"It was clearly not his best move," Lawrence Police Chief John J. Romero said.

George Melendez was arrested Thursday at his home in Lowell and charged with the Jan. 6 robbery of a bank in Dracut. Police said he is also likely to face charges in bank robberies in Lawrence and Salem, N.H.

From The Boston Globe

Around the World ...

Transsexual Drug Dealer Spared the Cane

A court has spared a Thai transsexual drug dealer from caning because Singaporean law does not allow women to be sentenced to that punishment, a newspaper reported Friday.

Thai prostitute Mongkon Pusuwan, who underwent a sex change from male to female a decade ago, was instead sentenced on Wednesday to six years in jail after a medical report concluded that she was a woman, The Straits Times reported.

From the Los Angeles Times

posted by Anne 1/22/2006 02:29:00 PM (0) comments

Sunday, January 15, 2006

 

Technorati Profile

posted by Anne 1/15/2006 04:41:00 PM (0) comments

 

Around Pennsylvania ...

Tom Uberti's ready to become the ‘Big Wind Maker'

Really, on what better street for the newest member of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club's Inner Circle to live than Woodland Avenue, the lane that boasts Punxsutawney Phil's painted pawprints leading to Gobbler's Knob?

Wearing his top hat and tuxedo and seated at the breakfast nook of his home along 303 Woodland Ave., John Thomas Uberti, known to family and friends as Tom - and soon to be known to Groundhog Day attendees as the “Big Wind Maker” - agrees with a laugh.

From the Punxsutawney Spirit



Around the Country ...

Rubik's whiz sets record

A 20- year-old Caltech student set a new world's record Saturday for solving the popular Rubik's Cube puzzle, turning the tiled brain-twister from scrambled to solved in 11.13 seconds.

Leyan Lo is part of Caltech's Rubik's Cube Club, a brainy clutch of students who hosted the competition at the Exploratorium museum in San Francisco. Lo's record-setting time came early in the day, among his first five tries in the preliminary rounds.

The record-setting solve caught Lo and his competitors by surprise.

From the Pasadena Star-News

Around the World ...

Paris bakery caters to high-end dogs

An award-winning pastry chef from the United States has gone to the dogs in Paris, selling gourmet biscuits and cookies for canines.

Harriet Sternstein moved to Paris from the United States and noticed how Parisians love their dogs. Pets are welcome everywhere, and even eat from restaurant tables.

So she opened Mon Bon Chien, where every day she bakes as many as 300 bacon or garlic and cheese biscuits in the shape of a cat, and bone-shaped cookies made of real foie gras.

From New Kerala.com

posted by Anne 1/15/2006 07:32:00 AM (0) comments

Saturday, January 14, 2006

 

Around Pennsylvania ...

Man Accused of Shooting Mother-in-law

An Overbrook man accused in the shooting death last month of his mother-in-law was ordered held for trial on homicide charges at a preliminary hearing yesterday.

Christopher Mbewe, 28, is charged in the Dec. 15 death of Carol Tollan, 61, whose body was found in her car in New Homestead.

District Judge Richard D. Olasz Jr. ordered Mr. Mbewe returned to the Allegheny County Jail, where he is being held without bail to await trial.

Mr. Mbewe lived with his wife, 3-year-old daughter and mother-in-law in Ms. Tollan's home on Provost Road.

Residents in New Homestead discovered Ms. Tollan's body slumped at the wheel of her car in front of an abandoned house in the 900 block of Girder Street.

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Around the Country ...

Man Convicted of Biting Girlfriend's Face

A man who bit off part of his girlfriend's face and spit it out on the sidewalk was convicted of assault.

Gareth Whyte's lawyer contended prosecutors could not prove his girlfriend was seriously injured or disfigured. But the prosecutor argued Whyte should not get a break just because the woman had a talented plastic surgeon.

From Forbes


Around the World ...

Burglars Fall Asleep on the Job

Two burglars were arrested after they fell asleep in the house they had broken into after raiding the fridge.

Police found the men fast asleep on a settee of the home in Malaysia’s southern Johor state, reports Berita Harian newspaper.

The burglars had broken into the house and stolen jewellery and other valuables before deciding they were hungry.

After their meal, they fell asleep on a couch in the hall where they were found by the woman who owns the house.

From the Mumbai Mirror


Bonus News Item of the Day

Taiwan breeds green-glowing pigs

Scientists in Taiwan say they have bred three pigs that "glow in the dark".
They claim that while other researchers have bred partly fluorescent pigs, theirs are the only pigs in the world which are green through and through.

The pigs are transgenic, created by adding genetic material from jellyfish into a normal pig embryo.

The researchers hope the pigs will boost the island's stem cell research, as well as helping with the study of human disease.

From BBC News

posted by Anne 1/14/2006 08:24:00 AM (0) comments

Friday, January 13, 2006

 

Bonus Item ...

Woman rescued from blackberry bramble after five days

VANCOUVER, Wash. -- An 88-year-old woman, trapped in her car for six days after driving off the road on the way home from the grocery store, sustained herself by wiping condensation off the windshield with a towel and sucking the moisture, her son says.

Mary Lillian Anderson was in satisfactory condition Thursday at Southwest Washington Medical Center.

She was rescued Wednesday by a delivery truck driver who noticed the car stuck in blackberry bushes just off Interstate 5 and peered inside. He says he was braced for the sight of a body.

"She was sitting right there, staring back at me," said Andrew Thompson, who delivers propane in rural Clark County. "She looked very happy."

From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer

posted by Anne 1/13/2006 08:14:00 AM (0) comments

 

Around Pennsylvania ...

Man convicted of killing friend over jerseys

An East Hills man faces a maximum 20 to 40 years in prison following his conviction yesterday on charges that he shot and killed his friend during a fight with other young men over "throw-back" sports jerseys.

A lawyer for Walter H. Harris, however, said he is hopeful that his client will get some leniency when he is sentenced March 1 by Common Pleas Judge Kevin G. Sasinoski.

A jury of seven women and five men deliberated for about half a day yesterday before finding Mr. Harris, 27, guilty of third-degree murder in the death Feb. 27 of Duane Williams-Brown, his friend, on Park Hill Drive.

Mr. Brown and another man had been arguing at about 3 a.m. over two replica professional sports jerseys.

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Around the Country ...

3 court workers fall ill after shaking hands with defendant

A man has been jailed on assault charges after a prosecutor, police officer and courtroom bailiff became seriously ill after shaking hands with him.

In a Dec. 21 court appearance on a traffic charge, John Ridgeway pulled out a vial of an unknown liquid, rubbed his hands with the contents and insisted on shaking hands with the three people, authorities said.

All got sick within an hour, suffering from nausea, headaches, numbness and tingling that lasted about a day. Two sought treatment at a hospital.
The FBI was running tests on the substance to identify it.

From the Houston Chronicle

Around the World ...

Man aims for new snake-kissing record

A Malaysian snake charmer announced Thursday that he would attempt to kiss a poisonous snake 50 times in 10 minutes in an attempt to break a current world record.

Shahimi Abdul Hamid, 33, said he planned to attempt the feat in March this year at the hill resort of Genting Highlands, but said he had not decided which snake he would choose to be locking lips with.
The current record for snake kissing is held by an American citizen who reportedly kissed the reptile 30 times without a time limit, the official Bernama news agency said.

From the Khaleej Times

posted by Anne 1/13/2006 08:02:00 AM (0) comments

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

 

Around Pennsylvania ...

Egg farm cited for animal cruelty

The owner and the manager of a Lancaster County egg farm were charged yesterday with 35 counts of animal cruelty in a case reflecting a national battle between animal-rights advocates and agribusiness over the treatment of laying hens.

Video shot by an animal-rights activist employed at Esbenshade Farms in Mount Joy for 10 days last fall showed hens impaled on loose wires, hens unable to eat or drink because they were entangled in the wire cages, and hens left to die in aisles without food and water.

From the Philadelphia Inquirer


Around the country ...

March of penguins ends at eye doc

Three of the Detroit Zoo's aging penguins should be waddling a little straighter today.

They're scheduled to undergo surgery this morning at a Southfield veterinary center to remove the cataracts that have left them bumping into walls and other penguins, and made it harder for them to find food.


From the Detroit News


Around the World ...

Charge over Elvis song stabbing

A woman who allegedly stabbed her partner overnight after he repeatedly played an Elvis Presley song will face a West Australian court today.

The woman will appear in a magistrate's court in Northam, 97km north east of Perth, charged with unlawful wounding, WA police said.
Officers will allege the woman stabbed her 35-year-old partner with a pair of scissors during an argument over him playing Burning Love over and over again.

From The Australian

posted by Anne 1/11/2006 06:30:00 PM (0) comments

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

 

Around the Pennsylvania ...

Nun Hit, Killed by Hit and Run Driver

An anti-crime group held a vigil this morning, for the Philadelphia nun who was killed by a hit and run driver.

Sister Paul Mercedes was on her way to early morning mass when she was struck at that intersection Monday. The nun had been on leave from teaching so she could tend for her ailing parents.

From ABC 6


Around the Country ...

Cat owner turns to DNA to implicate dog

A cat owner, frustrated that officials couldn't prove a neighbor's dog had killed her pet, took a cue from television legal dramas and used DNA evidence to pursue the case herself.

A lab that analyzed the DNA concluded that the dog was linked to the cat's death, but officials said they still can't make a case because there were no witnesses.

From the Centre Daily Times


Around the World ...

Man Chained in Kennel

A 75-year-old Polish man was chained up by his wife in a dog kennel because she was fed up with him coming home drunk.

Zdzislawa Bukarowicza was chained up by his wife Helena and fed on dog food and water because she was sick of him spending all their money on vodka.

He survived almost three weeks living on an old blanket in the dog kennel and being fed from the dog bowl despite temperatures of minus 20 degrees at his home in Scinawa.

He was eventually freed when friends, who had not seen him at their local for several days, called the police.

From Ananova

posted by Anne 1/10/2006 06:13:00 AM (0) comments

Monday, January 09, 2006

 

Around Pennsylvania ...

Scouts take a hit on lightning safety

More than a million Boy Scouts head into the woods for summer camp each year, and experts say lightning safety should be a mandatory and detailed component of training for Scout leaders.

John Magyar, of Eighty Four, Washington County, was 56 when he died from a lightning strike near Ligonier five summers ago. He is one of seven Scouts or Scout leaders who have been killed in the United States by lightning since 1995.

Local Scout leaders and officials say lightning safety already is part of the group's extensive training.

From the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review


Around the Country ...

Home burglars take staircase, kitchen sink

Home burglars who literally made off with the kitchen sink hit the jackpot with another odd item stolen in the same heist: a wrought-iron staircase banister worth $120,000, police said.

The two-story banister and other home furnishings disappeared sometime around Dec. 19 from a Gilroy home that was being remodeled, Deputy Serg Palanov, spokesman for the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department, said Thursday.

The total value of the items was about $150,000, authorities said

From the San Jose Mercury-News


Around the World ...

Twin brothers who sneaked out of their 18th birthday party to rob their grandmother, have been convicted of her manslaughter.

Jonathan and Robert Maskell broke into the home of 74-year-old widow Anjelica Hallwood, known as Mari, with their sister's boyfriend Dwane Johnston.

Her body was found the following day. She had been beaten and asphyxiated.

From Ireland On-line

posted by Anne 1/09/2006 08:13:00 AM (0) comments

Sunday, January 08, 2006

 

Around Pennsylvania...

Women's group, upset by Paterno comments, asks him to resign

Women's rights advocates who say Joe Paterno made outrageous remarks about an alleged sexual assault want the Penn State football coach to resign

The coach's remarks came a day before the Orange Bowl, when a reporter asked a question related to Florida State linebacker A.J. Nicholson. Nicholson was accused of sexual assault and sent home before Tuesday's game.

Paterno replied by talking about past suspensions of Penn State players, according to an official transcript from the Orange Bowl.

He then added: "There's some tough - there's so many people gravitating to these kids. He may not have even known what he was getting into, Nicholson. They knock on the door; somebody may knock on the door; a cute girl knocks on the door. What do you do?"


~~ FromThe Centre Daily Times


Around the County ...

Cow flees packing plant, dodges vehicles, train

A cow that escaped a slaughterhouse here dodged vehicles, ran in front of a train, braved the icy Missouri River and took three tranquilizer darts before being recaptured six hours later.

Police tried to catch the cow, and had her wedged between a stock trailer and a fence, but the heifer barreled through the fence toward the river, nearly being hit by a Chevrolet Suburban.

It was the first of many near-death experiences.

With the police in pursuit, the cow ran toward the railroad tracks and darted in front of an oncoming locomotive, briefly giving the police the slip again.
Crossing another road, the cow was nearly struck by a semi tractor-trailer.

~~ From The Billings Gazette


Around the World...

Shop assistant found naked with mannequin

A Turkish shop assistant was arrested after he was found lying naked with a mannequin in a store window.

The 30-year-old man was discovered by colleagues opening up the department store in Antalya for the day. They called police after noticing bite marks on the mannequin. Two other mannequins that showed signs of abuse were also taken in as evidence. The shop assistant allegedly hid in the toilets while the store was being locked up for the night. The man has been charged with damaging property.

~~ From the Pakistan Daily Times

posted by Anne 1/08/2006 01:53:00 PM (0) comments

 

You Can't Make Up This Stuff

A suspended cross-dressing Internal Revenue Service agent who said his downfall started when he told bosses he planned to undergo sex-change surgery has pleaded guilty to misusing his daughter’s Social Security number ...

In a court document filed in October 2004, Mr. Snarski alleged the IRS was out to get him because he was a “cross-dressing, pre-operative transsexual.”

For the complete story, go here.

posted by Anne 1/08/2006 10:26:00 AM (0) comments

Monday, January 02, 2006

 

This made me laugh

Two arrested in tanning salon robbery spree

Police arrested a 30-year-old woman and a 34-year-old man Saturday afternoon in connection with a string of robberies at local tanning salons.

They are suspected of robbing four salons Friday and Saturday. In each case, the suspect was described as a male wielding a pocketknife, Wichita police said.

On Saturday at about 10:30 a.m., Tan Lines at 2312 W. Pawnee was robbed. A similar robbery occurred at Forever Tan at 1728 S. Seneca about a half hour later, investigators said.

The suspect in those two robberies was identified as a white man driving a white mid-1990s Pontiac Grand Am.

At 11:10 a.m. Friday, Sunburst Tanning at 946 S. Rock Road was robbed. Tan Lines at 7130 West Maple was robbed at about 5 p.m. Friday. Saturday afternoon the couple approached a fifth tanning salon. The clerk spotted the white Pontiac Grand Am and called 911. The two suspects were apprehended at a nearby store.

Neither had a tan, according to police.

-- Molly McMillin

**~~ It's not so much the story that made me laugh, but the reporter's last sentence. Good for her!

posted by Anne 1/02/2006 07:48:00 AM (0) comments

Sunday, January 01, 2006

 

In Alaska?

I always think of Alaska as a peaceful, serene place. Who would have thought all of this could happen in one year?

Shane Harapat was sentenced to five years in prison for manslaughter. A jury three months earlier had found the former Palmer High School rifle team member guilty of manslaughter for shooting his friend, Kenneth Alcantra, 16, with a .44-caliber Magnum Ruger Redhawk revolver on Feb. 5, 2003 as the two sat in Harapat's bedroom in Palmer. Harapat was 16 years old when the shooting occurred, and he was tried as an adult.

Suzette Welton, a former day-care worker serving 99 years in prison for killing one son and trying to kill another in a Nov. 15, 2000 house fire she set in hopes of collecting $200,000 in life insurance after their deaths, filed a petition for post-conviction relief in Palmer Superior Court.

Alaska State Troopers arrested former Republican state legislator Beverly Masek for driving under the influence with a suspended license as she drove under the speed limit near Mile 58 Parks Hwy and drifted over the center line several times at 1:34 a.m. April 28.

Kathleen Colbert, of Talkeetna, shot and killed her husband, Gary Colbert, at home June 3 after an evening of drinking and fighting, according to troopers. When Kathleen Colbert tried to call 911 to report her husband had assaulted her, he took the phone away, and Kathleen then retrieved a handgun from their bedroom and fired one round at Gary, striking him in the head and causing his death.

Christopher Kevan was charged with strangling his girlfriend, Brandie Burns, 26, and their 7-week-old son, Ashton, in their home on Oct. 26. Kevan, 24, was arraigned on two counts of first-degree murder.

~~ from the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman

posted by Anne 1/01/2006 04:34:00 PM (0) comments