CHESHIRE, Conn. — A woman killed a raccoon with her bare hands Thursday when the animal attacked a young boy. Officials with Cheshire animal control say the woman was walking in the woods around 11 a.m. with a group of children when the animal bit the 5-year-old son of a friend. She pulled the raccoon off the child, told the children to run home and strangled the animal, authorities said.“She had the presence of mind to choke it,” animal control officer April Leiler told the Record-Journal of Meriden. “She is one tough lady.” The carcass was taken to a state laboratory in Hartford where it tested positive for rabies. The woman and the boy are undergoing rabies treatment. Their names have not been released.
Ricky Martin To Adopt | Hollyscoop
Another celebrity is planning on jumping on the adoption bandwagon. Singer Ricky Martin is desperate for children and is considering adopting “one from each continent” if possible. “It’s something we want to begin to create this year, a family of many colors,” the 35-year-old pop star told reporters Wednesday in Puerto Rico, where he is scheduled to perform this weekend.“I want to do it right,” he said. “I don’t want any problems or misunderstandings…Some think as celebrities we can manipulate the system to have a quicker adoption.” Well, that’s generally the case–look at Angelina Jolie and Madonna. These celebs can get babies faster than I can get a pair of YSL Mary Jane shoes. I’ve been on a waiting list at Barney’s for 3 weeks, but I bet Ricky Martin is going to come home with a new child by this weekend.
Mariners to auction off bobbleheads | Mariners.com: News
SEATTLE — No, that’s not Ichiro Suzuki nodding. It’s a life-sized bobblehead doll, and fans can start bidding on the collectible item on Friday, along with other replicas of Felix Hernandez, Kenji Johjima and Raul Ibanez. Mariners fans who have filed through the gates of Safeco Field this season are familiar with bobblehead giveaway days: the four-person set of Ichiro, Hernandez, Johjima and Ibanez have been very popular among the Seattle faithful. It was that popularity that inspired the Mariners to create six-foot, 200-pound replicas of the bobblehead dolls. Bidding for each item starts at $2,500, and bids can be cast on the auctions page at Mariners.com.
“I’m excited,” said Jeff Richards, manager of marketing for the Seattle Mariners. “I’m definitely excited just to see what the response will be.” The idea for the giant bobblehead dolls came about when the organization decided to promote the four-player set earlier this season. Richards said the Mariners had the company create a life-size mold of the players, and they came out looking “pretty close to what we gave away.”
The Ichiro, Hernandez and Johjima mini-dolls have already been given away at Safeco Field, with the Ibanez doll set to be given away on August 17 when the Mariners face the White Sox. The giant dolls have already generated some interest among fans, who are excited by the concept. The Mariners have been promoting the dolls throughout the season by informing fans on the concourse.
Johnson & Johnson sues American Red Cross over use of emblem – International Herald Tribune
NEW YORK: Johnson & Johnson, the health-products giant that uses a red cross as its trademark, sued the American Red Cross on Wednesday, demanding that the charity halt the use of the red cross symbol on products it sells to the public. Johnson & Johnson said it has had exclusive rights to use the trademark on certain commercial products — including bandages and first-aid cream — for more than 100 years. It contends that the Red Cross is supposed to use the symbol only in connection with nonprofit relief services.The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in New York, marked the breakdown of months of behind-the-scenes negotiations and prompted an angry response from the Red Cross. “For a multibillion-dollar drug company to claim that the Red Cross violated a criminal statute … simply so that J&J can make more money, is obscene,” said Mark Everson, the Red Cross president. Johnson & Johnson began using the red cross design as a trademark in 1887 — six years after the creation of the American Red Cross but before it received its congressional charter in 1900. The lawsuit contends that the charter did not empower the Red Cross to engage in commercial activities competing with a private business.
Woman Lives After Pickup Falls 150 Feet – Oddities – redOrbit
EL PASO, Texas – A pickup truck hit a boulder and tumbled over a 150-foot cliff, but the 71-year-old driver survived, officials said. “It was a miracle that someone saw her vehicle,” Sheriff’s spokesman Rick Glancey said. “It is one of these days when God was on her side.”Helene Crosser told authorities that she was driving on Loop 375 to watch the sunrise early Sunday when her shoe fell off and got jammed beneath the brake pedal. Crosser said she tried to pull off the road, but couldn’t slow down because the shoe stopped the brake from fully working. She was trapped in the Texas heat for seven hours until a driver spotted glint of light reflecting from afar and called 911. Authorities said Crosser didn’t have a cell phone with her. Crosser was taken to a hospital with dehydration and non-life-threatening injuries.
French police recover stolen Picasso works – USATODAY.com
PARIS (AP) — French investigators recovered two Picasso paintings and a drawing that were stolen from the home of the artist’s granddaughter in an overnight heist in February, a police official said Tuesday. Police took three people into custody. Two suspects were carrying the rolled-up canvases when police closed in Tuesday as they were expected to try to sell the masterpieces, the official said.The two paintings — one of Pablo Picasso’s daughter Maya, the other of his second wife Jacqueline — are worth nearly $66 million. Burglars had stolen them and the drawing from the luxurious Left Bank apartment of Diana Widmaier-Picasso, Maya Picasso’s daughter. Investigators were tipped off about a suspect by an art dealer, said a French police official who asked not to be identified by name, citing his office’s policy.
New York Cab Drivers Threaten Strike Over GPS Systems
A trade body representing more than 8,000 New York taxi drivers is threatening to call a strike over the city’s plans to introduce satellite positioning systems in every yellow cab. Bhairavi Desai, executive director of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, told AFP Wednesday that drivers considered the proposals put forward by the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) infringed on their rights.“Taxi drivers sometimes use the cars in their private time. Why should they tell the TLC where they are going on a Sunday with their family? This is an invasion of privacy,” she said. “We are ready to go on strike at no notice in September if the TLC doesn’t cancel its plans to install a GPS in each vehicle,” she added. The alliance represents some 8,400 of New York’s 26,000 taxi drivers.
Under current proposals, the city’s distinctive yellow cabs will from October 1 have to be equipped with the new GPS system, which also includes a monitor for passengers to follow their route and check news and weather. The system also allows bank card payments. According to taxi drivers’ groups, the devices cost more than 5,000 dollars to install and will inform the Taxi and Limousine Commission where they are, how many trips they have taken and how much they took in fares.
Colo. priest charged for jogging naked – The Denver Post
FREDERICK, Colo.—A Catholic priest faces an indecent exposure charge after police said he went jogging in the nude about an hour before sunrise. The Rev. Robert Whipkey told officers he had been running naked at a high school track and didn’t think anyone would be around at that time of day, a police report said. He told officers he sweats profusely if he wears clothing while jogging. “I know what I did was wrong,” he said in the report. Whipkey did not return phone messages. His attorney, Doug Tisdale, told the Longmont Times-Call that Whipkey had no comment.Whipkey, 53, was arrested June 22 in this small town about 20 miles north of Denver. An officer said he saw a naked man walking down the street at 4:35 a.m. The U.S. Naval Observatory Web site said sunrise that day in Frederick was 5:31 a.m. The officer said when he shined his flashlight at the man, he covered himself with a piece of clothing he was carrying. The Archdiocese of Denver said it takes the incident seriously but is awaiting the outcome of the case. Whipkey, who also officiates at parishes in the nearby towns of Mead and Erie, remains an active priest.
If convicted of indecent exposure, a misdemeanor, he would have to register as a sex offender, prosecutors said.
PORTLAND, Ore. – A transit agency chief apologized Wednesday to two teenage girls who were kicked off a city bus for kissing each other. The girls, both 14, said the driver called them “sickos” after a female passenger complained about their kiss. The driver then stopped the bus along the street and forced them off. “Removing the girls from the bus was not consistent with our policy,” said TriMet General Manager Fred Hansen. “I want to reiterate that we welcome all riders on our system.”The 64-year-old driver also violated company policy that requires operators to call for assistance before removing any minors, TriMet said in a statement. The driver, an 11-veteran who was not identified, will be disciplined, TriMet officials said, though no details were released. “TriMet sincerely apologizes to the girls and their families for this incident,” Hansen said in the statement.
The mother of one of the girls, Ronnda Zezula, welcomed the apology. “The only thing I had a problem with is they didn’t really address why the driver broke those policies,” Zezula said. “He knew it was wrong. He’s been a driver for 11 years.” She also said she wished the agency had made the extent of the disciplinary action public to show it will not “be just a slap on the wrist.” Zezula said the family has been encouraged to consider a lawsuit, but they will “have to mull it over.” – AP
Plainfield Tax Evaders Sentenced To 63 Months In Prison – New Hampshire News Story – WMUR Manchester
CONCORD, N.H. — A federal judge sentenced a pair of convicted tax evaders in absentia Tuesday, but officials said they have no plans to lay siege to their hilltop compound to send them to prison. Ed and Elaine Brown skipped the court appearances in favor of remaining holed up in their fortress-like Plainfield home. The Browns say federal tax laws don’t exist, and he vowed to use force to avoid capture. At their home on Tuesday night, it was a much different scene than in the past. Supporters typically seen outside or along the driveway were not there. A vehicle that normally blocks the entrance to the house was gone. A tractor near a main entrance to the home had also been moved and there were no American flags draped upside down.Ed Brown said he would not do any on camera interviews. “I have nothing to say. It’s over. What’s the point?,” Brown told News 9. U.S. marshals, charged with seizing the former exterminator and his dentist wife, said they’re not planning to attack the rural site. “We’re not going to engage in that kind of game with them,” U.S. Marshal Stephen Monier said in an interview. “Law enforcement is not going away and neither are the warrants.”
The Browns were convicted in January of plotting to conceal their income and avoid paying federal income tax. Elaine Brown also was accused of not paying taxes for employees at her dental clinic. U.S. District Judge Steven McAuliffe on Tuesday sentenced them each to more than five years in prison. But in telephone interviews Monday and Tuesday, Ed Brown said they will stay in their home despite convictions and warrants. “I could care less what he does,” Brown said of McAuliffe. “I can’t talk to a fiction. You’re a fiction, too.” Reached after the sentences were handed down, Brown said the only law he’s following is God’s.
Rusty Recovery: Tulsa Unearths Its Buried Belvedere treasure | Car News Blog at Motor Trend
Fifty years ago, a 1957 Plymouth Belvedere was buried in downtown Tulsa as a time capsule during Golden Jubilee Week — a celebration of Oklahoma’s 50th anniversary as a state. Prior to burial, the car’s glove box was filled with the contents of a woman’s purse, including bobby pins, cigarettes, a bottle of tranquilizers, with the added bonus of an unpaid parking ticket. Ten gallons of gas and five gallons of oil were put into the car along with a sealed, steel time capsule.
Placed into the capsule were an aerial map of air facilities from Douglas Aircraft and other aerial photos, along with various flags that had been flown over the state and national capitol in the county and in the city. Lastly, the capsule was filled with large number of statements from various city groups and officials, including the council of churches, the board of education, the mayor, chamber of commerce officials, the labor council, and former mayors.
As part of the festivities, residents were asked to guess the population of the city in 2007, with the guesses recorded on microfilm and sealed in a container buried with the car. The person who came the closest will be awarded the Belvedere — presuming they’re still alive.
When the sarcophagus housing the car was first opened on June 13, it contained standing water about two feet deep, and there were indications that water had filled the entire container at some point. Although the car was wrapped in plastic and other protective materials prior to being buried, the presence of water severely diminished hopes of finding a fully intact car.
When it was unwrapped late on Friday, June 15, fears that the car was destroyed were largely confirmed. The Belvedere was anything but fully intact, its appearance resembling an artifact from the wreck of the Titanic. Rust and algae covered every inch of the car as if it had spent the last 50 years at the bottom of a river. Automotive restorer Boyd Coddington was on hand for the event and had hoped to start the vehicle, but that clearly wasn’t in the cards. Coddington has pledged to restore the vehicle. Unlike the car, the time capsule survived just fine. Its contents were in pristine condition, their appearances betraying their age thanks to the sealed environment.
No word on who the “lucky” winner of the 50-year-old hunk of rust is, but hopefully he or she received a consolation prize instead. You never know, though, if Coddington can somehow restore the vehicle, it may yet be worth something.
Politician offended by landfill ice cream
One Staten Island politician apparently doesn’t have a sweet tooth for a locally-made vanilla ice cream with brownie chunks and cherries. That’s because the ice cream in question, marketed under the moniker “Staten Island Landfill,” is “insulting and derogatory,” borough president James Molinaro wrote in a letter on his Web site, in which he calls for a boycott of the treat, which is also packed with heart-shaped chocolate “crunchies” and fudge. “The stereotyping of our community is as ignorant as it is hurtful,” the infuriated politician wrote. “Even the most basic research effort would easily reveal the positive qualities that truly define our community.”For decades, until it closed in 2001, the city carted its refuse to a landfill in Staten Island, which residents there despised. Molinaro wrote that the borough has consistently been named the “greenest, cleanest and safest.” Kim and Scott Myles, the Queens couple who founded 5 Boroughs Ice Cream, which produces “Staten Island Landfill,” said they intended no harm with the moniker. Kim Myles, 33, told the Daily News in Wednesday’s edition that it is a “flavor with heart.”
The company markets other city-based ice cream flavors, including “Jackson Heights Mangodesh,” “South Bronx Cha Cha Chocolate” and even “Upper East Side Rich White Vanilla.” The chairman of the upper East Side Community Board 8, David Liston, said if the ice cream was good, he would eat it. Those who tried the Landfill ice cream said the name wasn’t a big deal. “It’s not like we’ll be expecting to see a syringe or a rubber boot in there,” said Joe Melendez, an ironworker from Brooklyn.
The Staten Island borough president has offered an alternate name for a Staten Island ice cream _ “Ferry Berry,” after the Staten Island Ferry.
WTHR | Indianapolis -Former Colt Jack Trudeau arrested
Zionsville – A former Indianapolis Colts player faces charges of supplying alcohol to minors. Former quarterback Jack Trudeau allegedly hosted a party for high school seniors, providing the graduates with alcohol. But police broke it up, and arrested not only Trudeau, but students, as well. The Boone County Sheriff has a message for Park Tudor parents: if your child’s car keys are in a bucket that he has, give him a call. “Schedule an appointment with me, cause I am interested in talking with you and that young person who was at that party,” said Boone County Sheriff Ken Campbell.The keys were collected at the door during a graduation party hosted by former Colts Quarterback Jack Trudeau. Police broke it up after receiving calls for noise and underage drinking. “When the young people at the party saw those officers, they fled, which led officers to believe that there was something illegal afoot. The officers went to the rear of the residence and saw open containers of alcoholic beverages, beer, rum and so on,” said Campbell. Police got a search warrant, and gave everyone at the party a portable breath test – 13 young people tested positive for underage drinking. Twelve were arrested, one juvenile was released to parents. Five were arrested for resisting law enforcement for hiding in the woods. Trudeau was arrested for contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
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