Stupid News Man Falls While Putting Holiday Lights On Home

Washington Township, New Jersey - A southern New Jersey man has died after he fell while stringing Christmas lights on his roof. The Courier-Post of Cherry Hill reported the man was found lying unconscious in his driveway. A ladder was propped against the garage roof and his hat was left on the roof. Police say an average of one person a year in the town dies while setting up holiday decorations...More

Live cockroaches delivered to official’s home

MALMO, Sweden - A left-wing Swedish group has claimed responsibility for sending live cockroaches to a man whose firm owns several rental property companies. The group, Antifascist Action, said it delivered the package to the suburban Stockholm home of Simon Kling, vice president of Norway-based investment firm Acta, because the company “has let several rental properties which they own fall into disrepair while the leadership lives well in their newly renovated houses....More

Message in a bottle follows girl home

FALMOUTH, Massachusetts - The family of a girl who dropped a message in a bottle into the Atlantic Ocean near Bermuda said the bottle was found only miles from her Massachusetts home. Denise Acquaviva said her daughter, Meagan Bilodeau, 8, dropped the bottled message during a cruise June 18. Ten days later it was discovered by Teddy Herrick, 11, who was boating with her family in Massachusetts’ Vineyard Sound, only 15 to 20 miles from Meagan’s home...More

Dispatcher Charged with Burning Cop’s Home

BURNET, Texas - A dispatcher in Burnet is charged with arson after fire damaged her lawman boyfriend’s home hours after they broke up. Four people suffered smoke inhalation trying to rescue a dog owned by Burnet County Sheriff’s Deputy Scott Keese. Fire Marshal John Paul Erskine says Keese, who was not home when the fire broke out, has no plans to reunite with Kristen Gilliam. Both are 34.

Police say man fell asleep in the wrong home

STRATFORD, Conn. — Police charged a man with burglary and disorderly conduct after he allegedly wandered into a neighbor's home, stripped off his clothes and fell asleep in a 6-year-old's bed. A man, 26, was arrested early Sunday after a child in a house woke his parents to tell them a man was asleep in his bed. When officers arrived, the residents were screaming for help from a second-floor window.

Officers said the man's clothes, which smelled of urine and alcohol, had been dropped on the floor. They said the man admitted drinking at a New Haven club but denied he was in the wrong house.

The suspect was released on bond and is scheduled to appear in court Sept. 1.

Information from: Connecticut Post

Billy Mays Found Dead in Home

'Infomercial King' Billy Mays Found Dead in Home

DEVELOPING: Television pitchman Billy Mays — who built his fame by appearing on commercials and infomercials promoting household products and gadgets — died Sunday.

Mays, 50, was found unresponsive by his wife inside his Tampa, Fla., home at 7:45 a.m. on Sunday, according to the Tampa Police Department.

Police said there were no signs of forced entry to Mays' residence and foul play is not suspected. Authorities said an autopsy should be complete by Monday afternoon.

"Although Billy lived a public life, we don't anticipate making any public statements over the next couple of days. Our family asks that you respect our privacy during these difficult times," Mays wife, Deborah, said in a statement on Sunday.

Mays was well known for his numerous television promotions of such products as Orange Glo and OxiClean. He was also featured on the reality TV show "Pitchmen" on the Discovery Channel, which followed Mays and Anthony Sullivan in their marketing jobs.

Born William Mays in McKees Rocks, Pa., on July 20, 1958, Mays developed his style demonstrating knives, mops and other "as seen on TV" gadgets on Atlantic City's boardwalk. For years he worked as a hired gun on the state fair and home show circuits, attracting crowds with his booming voice and genial manner.

After meeting Orange Glo International founder Max Appel at a home show in Pittsburgh in the mid-1990s, Mays was recruited to demonstrate the environmentally friendly line of cleaning products on the St. Petersburg-based Home Shopping Network.

Commercials and informercials followed, anchored by the high-energy Mays showing how it's done while tossing out kitschy phrases like, "Long live your laundry!"

Recently he's been seen on commercials for a wide variety of products and is featured on the reality TV show "Pitchmen" on the Discovery Channel, which follows Mays and Anthony Sullivan in their marketing jobs. He's also been seen in ESPN ads.

His ubiquitousness and thumbs-up, in-your-face pitches won Mays plenty of fans. People line up at his personal appearances for autographed color glossies, and strangers stop him in airports to chat about the products.

"I enjoy what I do," Mays told The Associated Press in a 2002 interview. "I think it shows."

Mays was on board a US Airways flight that blew out its front tires as it landed at a Tampa airport on Saturday, MyFOXTampa.com reported.

US Airways spokesman Jim Olson said that none of the 138 passengers and five crew members were injured in the incident, but several passengers reported having bumps and bruises, according to the station.

Authorities have not said whether Mays' death was related to the incident.

Discovery Channel spokeswoman Elizabeth Hillman released a statement Sunday extending sympathy to the Mays family.

"Everyone that knows him was aware of his larger-than-life personality, generosity and warmth," Hillman's statement said. "Billy was a pioneer in his field and helped many people fulfill their dreams. He will be greatly missed as a loyal and compassionate friend."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.