Best Year-End List Ever: Top 10 “Stupid Stoner Stories”

The Top Ten “Stupid Stoner Stories” of 2011

10. Man’s dog throws out hash stash for cops

It’s almost unfair of me to classify poor Joel Dobrin as “stupid” for this story. Except that I always counsel tokers to store their weed in the trunk when they’re on the road, which might have prevented this unfortunate traffic stop.

9. Note to marijuana smugglers: Make sure your trailer tags are current!

If I had an ounce for every time I’ve read a story about someone getting busted with weed because they were driving a car with expired tags (or a busted taillight, or were speeding), I could replace the weed that was seized in this traffic stop. Is there not enough profit in smuggling to afford registration renewals?

8. Locksmiths don’t check warrants or care about your marijuana… but cops do!

Trust me. My brother was a locksmith. They aren’t interested in your “failure to appear” bench warrants and your nickle bag of weed. When you lock your keys in the car, locksmiths are more worried you will freak out at the cost of your careless mistake.

7. Man fails drug test for cocaine, offers pot bribe to test taker to ignore it

Perhaps this is better classified as a “Crazy Cokehead” story…

6. Don’t call 911, trust NORML: Growing pot will get you busted

I am just stunned that this guy didn’t get the memo that growing pot is illegal. Just so none of you feel the urge to call 911 for grow crime information…

5. Dad Tells Cops 14-Year-Old Stole Weed From His Son

The “stupid stoners” that bother me the most are the parents who involve their kids with marijuana. It is the worst possible portrayal of our community and “What About the Children?!?” is one of the few powerful propaganda messages that prohibitionists have left. So remember, this only exists because marijuana is illegal (and therefore insanely profitable) and not bought and sold in regulated stores that check ID.

4. Parents arrested for video of 2-year-old smoking marijuana

Remember that this time of year, parents all across North America will consume beer and wine and spirits, often leaving their bottles and glasses in easy reach of the children. Many pictures will be taken and videos will be filmed – and you won’t read any headlines about those parents going to court.

3. Wandering toddler on road with bag of weed gets national coverage
LOCH SHELDRAKE, N.Y. — Authorities have charged a 30-year-old New York woman with endangering the welfare of a child after police say her toddler wandered into an upstate road clutching a bag of marijuana......Get The Rest

Man Steals Ambulance To Drive Himself To Hospital

Tampa, Florida – When it came to getting medical attention, stealing an ambulance and driving it to the hospital wasn’t such a bad idea at the time for one Tampa man. Hubert Lee Credit, 39, was arrested after he stole an ambulance and drove himself to the hospital for treatment for injuries from what Credit claims to have been an earlier altercation with four men. When Credit was arrested, there was a noticeable puncture wound to his head.  more

‘Bumcrack bandit’ woman suspect in two latest shootings

 Australia – A female robber dubbed the ‘Bumcrack Bandit’ may be behind the Gold Coast’s latest shooting, in the same suburb where police officer Damian Leeding was gunned down. Wearing low-slung jeans, the woman showed a lot more than just athleticism as she vaulted the bar at the Coomera Lodge Hotel with a silver pistol in one hand. CCTV cameras captured images of her rear-end as she leapt the counter and, together with a male accomplice, fled the premises with the cash drawer and alcohol.  Full Article

Man dead in recliner ‘a couple days’

Pennsylvania – A northeast Philadelphia man left out some vital information when he called 9-1-1 at 6 a.m. to report that his mother was experiencing chest pains. As paramedics were taking the 78-year-old woman out of the Kirkwood Road home on a stretcher, he mentioned that his pop was lounging in a recliner. Dead. For awhile now. “When the rescue guys are taking mom out, he says, ‘Can you take my dad with you?’ ” said a source in Northeast Detectives. Full Article

Blind Man Missing During Trip on Amtrak Train

Washington DC – The family of 33-year-old Mitchell Malik Smith says he boarded a train at Union Station. He was headed to Birmingham, Ala., a trip he had taken many times before. Somehow he ended up on a train bound for New Orleans. A woman from Virginia who sat across the aisle from Smith said she heard Amtrak workers tell him he could get off at Charlotte and take another train several hours later to Birmingham. But his family has not seen or heard from him since.  Full Article

Man attacked couple with Tiki torch

Aloha, Oregon – Washington County deputies say they arrested a man after he broke into an Aloha home and attacked a couple with a Tiki torch. Matthew Zamora, 28, is accused of breaking into the home through a back door while the couple slept. Zamora swung the torch at the husband and hit him. The homeowner then grabbed a handgun and pointed it at Zamora. Zamora ended up climbing out of a bathroom window wearing underwear, socks and a bandana around his neck.  Full Article

Fruitcake From 1941 Sells for $525

 Cincinnati, Ohio – A 1941 fruitcake has sold for $525 to an Arizona man in an Ohio company’s online auction, and the money will go to the homeless in southwest Ohio. Elite Estate Group sold the cake in an auction on its website. Company owner Larry Chaney says the man, who wanted to remain anonymous, probably bought the cake as an investment. Chaney says he doubts anyone would eat a 70-year-old fruitcake even though it was vacuum packed and contained rum that probably helped preserve it.  Full Article

Robert De Niro becomes 6th-time dad at 68

New York – Hollywood film star Robert De Niro has become a father for the sixth time at age 68. Helen Grace, De Niro’s second child with wife Grace Hightower, was born via surrogate and weighed in at 7 pounds, 2 ounces, the actor’s publicist said. The couple met in 1987 and are also the parents of a 13-year-old son named Elliot.

Full Article

105-pound woman wins turkey-eating contest

NEW YORK, Va., Nov. 24 (UPI) -- A Virginia woman weighing in at 105 pounds took home the top prize at a New York contest by wolfing down nearly an entire turkey in 10 minutes.105-pound woman wins turkey-eating contest

6th grader forced to mow school lawn

Portland, Oregon – A sixth-grader with special needs was pulled out of class and reportedly forced to mow the school lawn as a punishment. Alice Ott Middle School student, 11-year-old Kyron Sloan, has ADD, Asperger’s and maybe a medical condition, which doctors are still trying to figure out, causing him to sleep. Sloan’s mother, Kristi Sloan-Ceron, said her son’s counselor decided his punishment for falling asleep in class should be to mow the lawn.  Full Article

Woman Tells Airline Her Ex-Lover Is Terror Threat

 Los Angeles, California – A California woman surrendered to the FBI on charges that she called an airline to report a fake terrorist threat hours before her ex-lover was to board an international flight, authorities said. Temple City resident Lizet Sariol called United Airlines to say there would be an emergency on a Las Vegas to Paris flight, according to a criminal complaint filed by the federal government. Prosecutors allege the 45-year-old woman was seeking revenge on a man who she’d had sexual encounters with over four meetings — and who had just unfriended her on Facebook, among other rejections.  Full Article  

FBI arrests 7 in Amish haircut attacks

Millersburg, Ohio – Authorities raided the compound of a breakaway Amish group in eastern Ohio and arrested seven men on federal hate crime charges in hair-cutting attacks against Amish men and women. Among those arrested were the group’s leader, Sam Mullet (picture), and three of his sons, said Mike Tobin, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office in Cleveland. Several members of the group carried out the attacks in September and October by forcefully cutting the beards and hair of Amish men and women. Cutting the hair is a highly offensive act to the Amish, who believe the Bible instructs women to let their hair grow long and men to grow beards and stop shaving once they marry.  Full Article   

Man stole goat, served it at barbecue

Texas – A man accused of stealing a Lakeway man’s goat and then serving it at a barbecue has been charged with felony theft. Javier Aguirre, 27, was in custody at the Travis County Jail. Inmate records indicate he also is charged with possession of a controlled substance and is being detained for immigration reasons. An arrest affidavit said that a Lakeway man called police to report that his 7-month-old goat had been stolen from pens behind his home. The thief used bolt cutters to gain access to the pen. The victim told police he heard from an acquaintance that Aguirre had stolen the goat.  Full Article 

Women with Sexy Eyes May Be Forced to Cover Them Up

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – Saudi women with attractive eyes may be forced to cover them up, the news website Bikya Masr reported, in a move that could mark the latest repressive measure taken against women by the Islamic state. A spokesperson for Saudi Arabia’s Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (CPVPV), Sheikh Motlab al Nabet, said the committee had the right to stop women revealing tempting eyes in public. Women in Saudi Arabia already have to cover their hair, and, in some regions, their faces while in public. If they do not, they face punishments including fines and public floggings.  Full Article 

The weirdest pregnancy craving ever: Woman wants roadkill

England – Pregnant women are known for eating unusual foods: peanut butter and pickle sandwiches, olives on cheesecake, even garden dirt. But a woman living in England is craving something far weirder. Alison Brierley of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, is in the news for eating roadkill. The artist and mother-to-be has long been making jewelery from the hides, claws, teeth and bones of dead animals that she finds on the road. She calls herself a “roadkill recycler.” And then Brierley got pregnant and she developed intense cravings for roadkill meat.  more

Parking ticket paid 57 years late

 York, Nebraska – Someone apparently decided it was time to pay a parking ticket issued to his mother in a small Nebraska town — in 1954. An anonymous man cleaning out his mother’s home found the unpaid ticket issued to a vehicle license in Oklahoma that was parked at Meter 77 in downtown York, Neb., July 13, 1954, and decided it was time to take care of the matter. The man walked into the office of York Police Chief Don Klug and, unseen by the official, left the fine — a single dime taped to the ticket inside an antique frame — on the chief’s desk.  more 

5 charged in Halloween candy theft

Dale City, Virginia – Police in Virginia say five teenagers have been charged with beating two youngsters who wouldn’t hand over their Halloween candy. Prince William County Police report one robber implied he had a handgun when the group confronted a pair of trick-or-treaters. Four of the teenagers are juveniles, ages 16 and 17, and their names have not been released. The fifth alleged robber, 19-year-old Andre Diggs, is being held without bond.  more  

Man peed in bank tube

 Palm Coast, Florida – Authorities in Florida said a disgruntled bank customer urinated into a drive-in bank tube and the waste spilled onto the lap of another customer. A man pulled up to the drive-in lane at RBC Bank in Palm Coastnand asked if he could buy a money order, the Orlando Sentinel reported. The man became upset when the teller told him money orders were not available and drove away a few moments later. The next customer at the drive-in picked up the tube and liquid — believed to be the man’s urine — spilled onto her lap and the interior of her vehicle. more  

Food request for preacher’s wife sparks outrage

 Garden Grove, California – An email sent out to members of the Crystal Cathedral congregation requesting meals for founder Robert H. Schuller’s wife Arvella, who is ill with pneumonia, is creating mixed feelings of sadness and outrage among members. An email was sent out by administrators to Bible study groups as well as church elders, asking that meals for the reverend’s wife be dropped off at the cathedral’s Tower of Hope where the Schullers’ limo drivers will be waiting to pick them up at the designated time. ”These are millionaires who have limos and chauffeurs,” he said. “Why in God’s name would they want the congregants to deliver meals? It’’s ludicrous,” said a member.  more  

Groom sues photographer, demands new wedding

New York – One groom, disappointed with his wedding photos, decided to sue. The photographers had missed the last dance and the bouquet toss, the groom, Todd J. Remis of Manhattan, said. But what is striking, said the studio that took the pictures, is that Mr. Remis’s wedding took place in 2003 and he waited six years to sue. And not only has Mr. Remis demanded to be repaid the $4,100 cost of the photography, he also wants $48,000 to recreate the entire wedding and fly the principals to New York so the celebration can be re-shot by another photographer. Re-enacting the wedding may pose a particular challenge, the studio pointed out, because the couple divorced and the bride is believed to have moved back to her native Latvia.  more  

Stupid News Police seek pink bikini burglar

 Indiana – Indianapolis Metropolitan Police released surveillance video showing a man inside the Kidscape Learning Center in southwest Indianapolis. The video shows the man – described as white or Hispanic and 5-foot-5 to 5-foot-7 with a long, black ponytail – trying on girl’s bathing suits, police said in a release. Apparently finding a pink two-piece to his liking, he keeps it on as he explores the day care. After about 10 minutes, the man jumps over a counter, setting off a motion detector alarm. He then leaps back over the counter, changes back into his original clothes and leaves the business.  More   

Man Mistakes The Moon For UFO

UK – A Hertfordshire, U.K. man must be feeling pretty embarrassed after making an emergency call to report a mysterious flying object, which turned out to be nothing less than the moon itself. Or was it just a bad prank? “It’s not an emergency per se,” the caller says to the dispatcher, “but there’s something flying over our house. Um, It’s coming towards me now, there’s all this light blazing. I don’t know what the hell it is!” The call was received after 8 p.m. on a recent, night according to the Metro. The caller seems fairly serious — even panicked — but it’s hard to imagine anyone could make this type of mistake.  more  

Bloody Mary Ghost Story Happy Halloween

She lived deep in the forest in a tiny cottage and sold herbal remedies for a living. Folks living in the town nearby called her Bloody Mary, and said she was a witch. None dared cross the old crone for fear that their cows would go dry, their food-stores rot away before winter, their children take sick of fever, or any number of terrible things that an angry witch could do to her neighbors.
Then the little girls in the village began to disappear, one by one. No one could find out where they had gone. Grief-stricken families searched the woods, the local buildings, and all the houses and barns, but there was no sign of the missing girls. A few brave souls even went to Bloody Mary's home in the woods to see if the witch had taken the girls, but she denied any knowledge of the disappearances. Still, it was noted that her haggard appearance had changed. She looked younger, more attractive. The neighbors were suspicious, but they could find no proof that the witch had taken their young ones.
Then came the night when the daughter of the miller rose from her bed and walked outside, following an enchanted sound no one else could hear. The miller's wife had a toothache and was sitting up in the kitchen treating the tooth with an herbal remedy when her daughter left the house. She screamed for her husband and followed the girl out of the door. The miller came running in his nightshirt. Together, they tried to restrain the girl, but she kept breaking away from them and heading out of town.
The desperate cries of the miller and his wife woke the neighbors. They came to assist the frantic couple. Suddenly, a sharp-eyed farmer gave a shout and pointed towards a strange light at the edge of the woods. A few townsmen followed him out into the field and saw Bloody Mary standing beside a large oak tree, holding a magic wand that was pointed towards the miller's house. She was glowing with an unearthly light as she set her evil spell upon the miller's daughter.
The townsmen grabbed their guns and their pitchforks and ran toward the witch. When she heard the commotion, Bloody Mary broke off her spell and fled back into the woods. The far-sighted farmer had loaded his gun with silver bullets in case the witch ever came after his daughter. Now he took aim and shot at her. The bullet hit Bloody Mary in the hip and she fell to the ground. The angry townsmen leapt upon her and carried her back into the field, where they built a huge bonfire and burned her at the stake.
As she burned, Bloody Mary screamed a curse at the villagers. If anyone mentioned her name aloud before a mirror, she would send her spirit to revenge herself upon them for her terrible death. When she was dead, the villagers went to the house in the wood and found the unmarked graves of the little girls the evil witch had murdered. She had used their blood to make her young again.
From that day to this, anyone foolish enough to chant Bloody Mary's name three times before a darkened mirror will summon the vengeful spirit of the witch. It is said that she will tear their bodies to pieces and rip their souls from their mutilated bodies. The souls of these unfortunate ones will burn in torment as Bloody Mary once was burned, and they will be trapped forever in the mirror.

Boat captain arrested for drunken driving (Reuters)

Reuters - The captain of a supply boat was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving after his vessel ran aground early on Thursday in Anchorage's...Boat captain arrested for drunken driving (Reuters)

Police: Woman hid crack pipe in Bible

FORT PIERCE, Fla., Oct. 29 (UPI) -- Police in Florida said they found a crack pipe concealed in a Bible being carried by a woman busted for walking with an open alcohol container.Police: Woman hid crack pipe in Bible

Woman Attacks Dad for Not Giving Her Potato Salad

Palm Coast, Florida – A Florida woman was arrested after allegedly attacking her father because he wouldn’t give her potato salad. Flagler County authorities charged Karen Henry with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for the incident. According to police reports obtained by CBS Tampa, Henry became enraged when her 80-year-old father told her that she could not have any of his potato salad while he was eating dinner. Henry then grabbed a large kitchen knife, threatening her father with it. She waved the knife at him several times. More 

Man Steals Sandwich, Flees In Forklift

Pennsylvania – Police in Ross Township have arrested a man after they said he stole a sandwich from a restaurant and then tried to flee in a forklift parked nearby. Police said Sean Faulkner ordered food from Sieb’s Pub and ran out the door without paying. Witnesses told investigators Faulkner then tried to leave in a forklift parked in a nearby lot. “The forklift doesn’t travel fast, so I don’t know that he was able to make a speedy escape,” said Detecive Brian Kohlhepp. Faulkner was charged with theft and receiving stolen property.  More  

Woman, 60, Stabs Boyfriend Over Cheating During Monopoly Game

Santa Fe, New Mexico – A New Mexico woman repeatedly stabbed her boyfriend after accusing him of cheating during a Monopoly game. Laura Chavez, 60, and her boyfriend were playing the popular board game at her Santa Fe apartment when the dispute occurred. Police reported that both Chavez and the 48-year-old victim appeared to be intoxicated. The man, who cops found bleeding heavily from wounds on his head and right wrist, was hospitalized in stable condition. The victim told investigators that Chavez first hit him over the head with a glass bottle and then grabbed a knife and began cutting him causing injuries to the top of his head, neck, left eyebrow and right wrist area.  More  

Rite Aid ad groped by sex offender

Pittsfield, Massachusetts – A convicted sex offender admitted he kissed and fondled a cardboard cutout of a woman, which was part of a North Street pharmacy’s advertising display. Charlie J. Price, 57, of Pittsfield, pleaded guilty to a single count of disturbing the peace, subsequent offense, and was ordered to pay a $200 fine. Price, who was allegedly intoxicated, walked into the Rite Aid pharmacy, grabbed hold of the sunglass display, hugged it tightly and then began to lick and kiss the face of the female party on the display. This behavior lasted about a minute, and ended when Price fell to the floor. He eventually got back on his feet and began yelling and screaming. Price’s behavior scared customers who tried to get away from the area. Price was arrested.  more

Police arrest man who burned more than 100 cars (Reuters)

Reuters - A man who set fire to more than 100 cars in Berlin, a wave of attacks blamed by some on political extremists, was motivated by envy and frustration, police who arrested him said Sunday.Police arrest man who burned more than 100 cars (Reuters)

Man climbs into hollow tree trunk, gets stuck

California – Firefighters rescued a man stuck inside the hollow trunk of a tree. Orange County Fire Authority Battalion Chief Kris Concepcion said the man climbed into a hole in a tree, which led to a hollow trunk 4 to 5 feet underground. “Why he’s in a tree, I have no idea,” Concepcion told the Register. Capt. Mark Stone told The Times that when emergency crews arrived to the Laguna Hills creek bed, the man’s head was sticking out of the tree. It was unclear how long he had been stuck, Stone said, but his screams caught the attention of passers-by, who alerted deputies.  more

TSA note: 'GET YOUR FREAK ON GIRL'

NEWARK, N.J., Oct. 25 (UPI) -- A woman who traveled from New Jersey to Ireland said a Transportation Security Administration card in her luggage told her to "GET YOUR FREAK ON."

TSA note: 'GET YOUR FREAK ON GIRL'

Metal thieves steal 5,300-pound church bell

San Francisco, California – The bell at St. Mary’s Cathedral rang through the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire. It survived when an arsonist torched the old cathedral in 1962. And although it was replaced with an electronic chime in the 1970s, for decades it stood strong on a wooden platform outside the rebuilt church. But sometime in the last month, metal thieves made off with the 122-year-old, 2.7-ton bell. “It is a very historic and valuable item, it is a memory of the Catholic Church in San Francisco,” said George Wesolek, communications director for the Archdiocese of San Francisco. “It is kind of an ignoble end for the bell if they succeed.” more 

Hundreds attend funeral for coon dog

Tuscumbia, Alabama – With a crowd of more than 400 mourners looking on — including many dressed in camouflage — Bo was eulogized for his ability to hunt raccoons in all sorts of weather and terrain. His best friend recalled Bo’s fondness for doughnuts. Shawnee Hills Beaujolais, or Bo, was an 11-year-old black and tan coonhound from southern Illinois. He was buried at the world’s only cemetery dedicated to hounds who hunt raccoons. Ericka Seets, 6, said Bo was her best friend. “He was the goodest dog ever,” said Ericka, one of the dog’s owners. “I loved BoBo.”  more

Muslim ROTC Student Wants to Wear Head Cover With Uniform

Tennessee – You can wear a Muslim head scarf, and you can wear the uniform of the Junior ROTC. Just not at the same time. That’s the word from the U.S. Army, which is supporting an officer’s ruling that a 14-year-old Tennessee girl could not wear her traditional head covering while in uniform at a parade. The student, Demin Zawity, of Brentwood, Tenn., quit the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps program at Ravenwood High School and returned to regular gym classes when commanding officers said she had to take off her hijab if she wanted to march in the homecoming parade. “I said that it was a religious thing and that I really couldn’t take it off.”  more  

Prison inmates locked in cells after key loss

UK – Birmingham Prison inmates were locked in their cells for almost a full day after a set of keys fitting every cell door went missing. Keys to the jail, which was taken over earlier this month by private security firm G4S, disappeared. The firm said all prisons had established contingency plans for incidents of this nature and there was no risk to public safety. The jail is the first in the UK to be transferred to the private sector. It is not known if the keys have since been found or what action is now being taken at the prison.  more  

Adult Baby Can Keep Getting Social Security Disability Checks

Redding, California – A 30-year-old California man who wears diapers and lives as an “adult baby”, spoon-fed by his girlfriend,  can keep his $800-a-month Social Security disability checks, the agency ruled. Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., demanded a probe of Stanley Thornton’s Supplemental Security Income checks. A spokesman for Coburn told The Washington Times that the senator did not understand how a grown man who is able to design and build adult-sized baby furniture is eligible for disability benefits.“The problem is not with Mr. Thornton, per se, but with the politicians and bureaucrats who have coddled him,” the spokesman added. “Disability fraud effectively steals from those who are truly disabled, while weakening the economy for everyone.”  the rest of this stupid news story!  

Hawk with nail in his head seen in park

San Francisco, California – A wildlife rescue group spent a third day in a San Francisco park trying to capture and rescue a red-tailed hawk that appears to have been shot in the head with a nail gun. A rescuer spotted the bird in one of its usual haunts in Golden Gate Park’s southwest corner, where it had captured and was eating a gopher. “We know he’s gotten some nourishment, which is good because we know he’s in a weakened state,” said Rebecca Dmytryk, executive director of the Monterey-based group WildRescue. At the same time, rescuers will have a harder time luring the hawk into their traps if it’s been eating, she said. “We need him hungry.”  more

The Knee Licker

Australia – Chandler police arrested a man after he allegedly licked a woman’s knee after she tripped. Martin Soto, 43, was arrested around 7:10 a.m. on suspicion of assault after he reportedly licked a stranger’s knee when she fell down a step near Dobson and Ocotillo roads in Chandler. Soto then reportedly tried to hug her and lick her face, but the woman pushed him away, got in her car and called police.  more 

Lesbian couple giving child hormone blockers

California – A lesbian couple in California who say their 11-year-old son Tommy may actually be a girl named Tammy are giving their child hormone blockers that delay the onset of puberty — so that he can have more time to decide exactly who he, or she, is. The couple’s supporters say the Hormone Blocking Therapy has only minor side effects and is appropriate for a child who is unsure of his gender. This is about giving kids and their families the opportunity to make the right decision. Critics say it’s too soon to tell what the side effects of the treatments may be, and they say Tommy’s parents, Pauline Moreno and Debra Lobel, are irresponsible for seeking them and allowing them to be administered.  more  

Teacher Accused of Choking First Graders

Maryland – A trial is set to begin for a Montgomery County teacher, accused of punching and choking several of her first grade students. Susan Burke, 36, was arrested, after nine of her first grade students at Greencastle Elementary School claimed they were abused.  According to investigators, Burke allegedly choked, kicked, punched and scratched children in her class. Montgomery County police learned of one incident when a Greencastle Elementary School student complained of being physically assaulted on several occasions. Police interviewed all of the students in Burke’s class, and their investigation revealed eight more victims, all ages 6 or 7.  more 

Chilean Fans Go Crazy for Phantom Justin Bieber

Justin Bieber causes mass hysteria everywhere he goes -- and even places he doesn't ... because fans in Chile mobbed his hotel ... and he wasn't even in the country!...More

Jobs Fair – Must have been convicted of a felony to attend

Detroit, Michigan – The city of Detroit has high unemployment, and no one has a tougher time finding work than an ex-con. So Detroit recently held a job fair strictly for ex-cons. More than 200 jobs were available, and no one who had not been convicted of a felony was eligible to attend. “That group (ex-convicts) has difficulties finding jobs,” City Council President Charles Pugh (Picture) said in an interview with Detroit Public Radio. “A lot of times, folks who come out (of jail) and get roadblock after roadblock and door closed, they give up and some of them re-commit crimes because they feel that’s their only option.”  more  

Pastor accused of cashing dead teacher’s pension checks

New York – A New York pastor has been arrested and accused of fraudulently cashing pension checks worth nearly a quarter-million dollars sent to a school teacher who died more than a decade ago. Rev. Victor Rosa was accused of deceiving New York City’s Teacher Retirement System into thinking that teacher Maria Sicardo was still alive and had her checks sent to a building he owns in the Bronx. He would cash the checks, which amounted to about $241,000, often at a local bank. Investigators said they interviewed bank staff, who recalled Rosa often preached about God to other customers while waiting in line.  more

Superman lives in the Philippines

The Philippines – Superman lives in the Philippines, if you ask Herbert Chavez, a fashion designer who has had plastic surgeons turn him into a near-replica of his comic book hero. During work hours, the bespectacled Chavez wakes up late and designs dresses, but in his free time the 35-year-old dons his self-made cape and shorts-over-tights outfit to live out his life-long obsession. “I adore superheroes. I am happy as Superman, and happier still to have Filipinos realise that Superman lives in the Philippines and they can see and talk to him in the flesh,” Chavez told AFP at his home. more   

Woman calls ex 1,001 times in 3 months

Houston, Texas – In the span of 24 hours, she allegedly called her ex-lover 146 times. Police said she shattered several of the windows of his west Houston home, first with a tire iron, and then with a 5-foot sword. She is accused of egging his house on several occasions, and posting pictures of herself bragging about it on her Facebook page. Police say Toni Jo Silvey, 49, still reeling from a 2009 breakup with Houston leather artist Peter Main. Silvey was arrested on and charged with felony stalking. Court records show a magistrate set Silvey’s bail at $25,000 and ordered her not to contact Main.   more  

Bus attendant beats, bites boy on school bus – “He done hit me!”

Bartow, Florida – A recently released video shows a former Polk County bus attendant hitting, pushing, biting and pulling the hair of a 14-year-old on the bus. The bus attendant is facing a child abuse charge. As the school bus sat in the loading zone at Lakeland High School, the 14-year-old student flipped a 5-year-old boy over the seat. When he did so, the boy’s legs hit the bus attendant, and she thinks it was done intentionally. “He done hit me!”  Hattie Yvonne Branch is heard saying on the school bus video. Branch, the bus attendant, is then seen lashing back at the teen. “Stop, Yvonne! He didn’t mean to do that!” pleaded Charlene Wimes, the school bus driver. Wimes tried to stop it, but Branch is seen the video striking the teen and pushing the student into the seats.  Full Article  

Family lost in corn maze calls 911 for help

Danvers, Massahusetts – Authorities in Massachusetts say a family that got lost in a seven-acre corn maze called 911 for help, apparently taking advantage of the police department’s motto that says “We Want To Be Bothered.” The maze at Connors Farm in Danvers can take up to an hour to navigate. A police officer entered the maze with a farm manager to search for the disoriented father, mother and two children. The family didn’t realize they had almost made their way out and were just 25 feet from the street.  more

U.S. citizen faces 15 years for online insult to Thai royal family

Bangkok – A shackled U.S. citizen pleaded guilty today to charges of defaming Thailand’s royal family – a grave crime in the south-east Asian kingdom that is punishable by up to 15 years in jail. Thai-born American Joe Gordon has been detained since late May for translating excerpts of a locally banned biography of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and posting them online. Judges said that a sentence would be issued for Gordon, who committed the alleged crimes years ago while living in the U.S. state of Colorado, where he worked as a car salesman. The case has raised concerns about the reach of Thai law and how it is applied to both Thai nationals and foreign visitors.  more

Man Attacks Lazy Son With Sword Over House Chores

Ventura, California – A father attacked his 18-year-old son with a sword in California, after accusing him of being lazy and not doing chores. Antonio Gutierrez, 43, cut his son with the 4-foot-long sword during a heated argument at the family residence in Ventura, Calif., according to authorities. Gutierrez reportedly was angry that his son did not perform household chores. The teen suffered lacerations to his hands and was bleeding profusely when authorities responded to the scene.  more

Fan throws hot dog at Tiger Woods

San Martin, California – A strange year for Tiger Woods took another bizarre twist when a fan was arrested for running toward the seventh green at CordeValle and tossing a hot dog in Woods’ direction. The bun barely reached the green. The hot dog landed on the putting surface. The 31-year-old man, whose name wasn’t released, dropped to the ground to be arrested. Woods backed off his birdie putt, then quickly resumed play. Even as he returned last year from a sex scandal, and the occasional fan would should heckle him, Woods never had a fan duck under the ropes and approach him.  more