Woman Killed By Pet Snake

Putnam Lake, New York - Police in the northern suburbs are blaming a pet exotic snake for the death of one of its owners. The animal’s bite is poisonous and almost always fatal. The woman was found in her bedroom by her boyfriend. The prime suspect is a so-called Black Mamba a native of Africa, and one of 75 snakes the couple kept in their home under lock and key. The problem was the snake’s cage padlock had been opened. “When they examined the body they observed one of her forearms where appeared to be fresh, bite marks, snake marks on the arm,” Capt. William McNamara said. The animal we’re talking about is identified by National Geographic as the fastest snake in the world out in the wild and the second deadliest when you look at the neurotoxin power of it’s venom. Of the more than six dozen snakes taken from the home, 56 were poisonous, including a cobra, which is illegal to possess without a permit.  More

‘Die Pig Die’ tattoo identifies robber

 Baraboo, Wisconsin - Police in Wisconsin said they were able to identify a bank robbery suspect by the “Die Pig Die” tattoo on his neck. Baraboo police said a man wielding a small, black handgun robbed a Wells Fargo Bank at 5:30 p.m. and tellers noticed the tattoo on the left side of the man’s neck, the Wisconsin State Journal reported. Lt. Rob Sinden said police had previous contact with the suspect and identified him as Richard Hindes, 31. “The tattoo was the tell-tale sign for us in identifying him,” Sinden said.  More

Moral police enforce no necklaces for men code

 Iran - Iranian men have been banned from wearing necklaces in the latest crackdown by the Islamic regime on “un-Islamic” clothing and haircuts. Thousands of special forces have been deployed in Tehran’s streets, participating in the regime’s “moral security plan” in which loose-fitting headscarves, tight overcoats and shortened trousers that expose skin will not be tolerated for women, while men are warned against glamorous hairstyles and wearing a necklace. The new plan comes shortly after the Iranian parliament proposed a bill to criminalise dog ownership, on the grounds that it “poses a cultural problem, a blind imitation of the vulgar culture of the west”. The trend was aimed at combating “the western cultural invasion” with help from more than 70,000 trained forces, known as “moral police”, who are sent out to the streets in the capital and other cities.  More

Thief cuts into a power line at a utility substation

 Alton, Illinois - Authorities in southwestern Illinois say a suspected copper thief was severely burned when he allegedly cut into a power line at a utility substation. Investigators identified the suspect only as a 30-year-old Alton man. Madison County authorities believe he was trying to steal copper from the Ameren substation in Alton when he tapped into a 30,000-volt power line. People who heard his yells for help found him naked and screaming in pain. His clothes either burned off or were blown away.  More

Woman goes on trip, lawn stolen

Canada - Denise Thompson had a beautiful front lawn, thick and green. It was where her four children and two dogs played, and where she drank coffee on sunny mornings. Then someone stole it. They didn’t even leave a note. “Now my place looks like I’m a farmer who just plowed and is ready to put their seeds down,” she said. Thompson and her children went to visit her husband in Stettler. They returned to their Kilkenny neighbourhood home two days later. The family entered through the back door and everything seemed fine. Then Thompson opened the blinds on the large picture window in the front room. “Oh my God,” she thought. “Where is my grass?”  More

Couple threaten to shoot neighbor over cat poop

 Schlusser, Pennsylvania - Police in Pennsylvania said a couple, ages 83 and 89, are accused of threatening to kill a neighbor after discovering cat droppings on their property. Investigators said Harold Rought, 83, and his wife, Ruth, 89, of North Middleton Township, called police after discovering the cat feces on their property. The couple told police they had been feeding stray cats in the neighborhood and they believed their neighbor had placed the droppings on their property in retaliation. The Roughts told police they were planning to shoot the neighbor. More

4 injured in dessert fire at restaurant

 Palm Harbor, Florida - Fire officials say a bananas foster dessert caught fire at a Florida restaurant and four people were burned, including a woman who had severe injuries. Officials with Palm Harbor Fire Rescue say the 151 alcohol poured into the dessert ignited and splashed onto four customers. A 25-year-old woman was taken to a hospital with first- and second-degree burns. A 56-year-old woman also was taken to a hospital with respiratory burns. Two other people were burned but refused medical treatment.  More

Man arrested in 99-cent robbery attempt

 Chicago - A Cook County judge set bail at $50,000 today for a man charged with displaying a handgun to a convenience store clerk who refused to give him 99 cents. According to court records, Christopher Tisley, 34, walked into a convenience store around 3 a.m. and demanded the money. When the clerk refused, he displayed a gun. Tisley exited the store after a customer walked in, allowing the clerk to lock the door. Tisley then returned and repeatedly pounded on the windows of the store. Police found 3 grams of methamphetamine in his possession.  More

Man plays game of Russian roulette with a dog

South Bend - A game of Russian roulette with a dog ended when a College Street man put a bullet in his own head. Russell Little was pronounced dead at Memorial Hospital following the self-inflicted gunshot wound in the backyard of his home. Little’s wife told police he was sitting in the backyard depressed and drinking moonshine when he took a handgun and began playing Russian roulette with the pet dog at about 9 p.m. After a couple of empty clicks aimed at the dogs head, “She said he got tired of that, then put the gun to his own head and pulled the trigger,” said Capt. Jim Andrews of the South Bend Police Department.  More

Man dies in hospital hall, staff drags body away

UK - Two heartbroken parents have slammed ‘inhumane’ nurses who left their dead son lying in the middle of a hospital corridor and stepped over his corpse for more than ten hours thinking he was asleep. CCTV captured staff pulling the lifeless body of Peter Thompson along the floor like they were ‘dragging the body of a dead animal’. Today a coroner said his death was ‘wholly preventable’ and believes he could have survived but for the neglect of nursing staff, three of whom now face disciplinary proceedings. 41-year-old Mr Thompson had taken a cocktail of drink and drugs but instead of taking him to accident and emergency, staff at the Edale House unit at the Manchester Royal Infirmary left him sprawled on the floor, where he eventually died.  More

Drunk sailor: my wife has fallen overboard

Kalmar, Sweden - Swedish authorities said a drunken sailor who thought his wife had fallen overboard forgot she had never been on the boat. Authorities said the man called emergency services while sailing near Kalmar and said he feared his wife had fallen from his sailboat and drowned, but rescuers soon learned the man was drunk and his wife had not been with him on the boating trip. The man was arrested on a charge of boating while intoxicated.  More

Lawyer says big-breasted paralegal distracting jury

Chicago - A Chicago lawyer has accused his opponent’s young, big-breasted assistant of distracting the jury in a small claims case and asked the judge that she sit away from the counsel’s table in the courtroom. “Personally, I like large breasts,” Thomas Gooch reportedly told the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin. “However, I object to somebody I don’t think is a qualified paralegal sitting at the counsel table, when there’s already two lawyers there, dressed in such a fashion as to call attention to herself.” He said his opponent had purposely seated the attractive woman at the attorney’s table to call attention from the “relevant proceedings.” The case involves a used-car dispute.  More

MI6 attacks al-Qaeda magazine with cupcakes

The cyber-warfare operation was launched by MI6 and GCHQ in an attempt to disrupt efforts by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsular to recruit “lone-wolf” terrorists with a new English-language magazine. When followers tried to download the 67-page color magazine, instead of instructions about how to “Make a bomb in the Kitchen of your Mom” by “The AQ Chef” they were greeted with garbled computer code. The code, which had been inserted into the original magazine by the British intelligence hackers, was actually a web page of recipes for “The Best Cupcakes in America” published by the Ellen DeGeneres chat show.  More

Crazy glue gets man stuck in jail

Tennessee - Police arrested a man on vandalism charges after he allegedly crazy-glued a woman’s electronics into the wall sockets of her bedroom. Abram Perkins, 40, was held in the Shelby County Jail on $2,000 bond following his arrest in the Whitehaven area. According to an affidavit, Perkins plugged the woman’s electronics into sockets with crazy glue and poured water on some equipment, causing $4,300 worth of damage. After confronting Perkins in her bedroom, which the victim also uses as an office, the woman asked him what happened to her things. Perkins laughed and admitted to the vandalism. He then left, taking some items with him.  More

Parents make Facebook page for fetus

WHITEHOUSE, Texas, June 2 (UPI) -- A Texas couple said they announced the impending birth of their daughter by setting up a Facebook profile for the girl while she is still in the womb.Parents make Facebook page for fetus

8th graders’ field trip includes Hooters visit

Berwick, Pennsylvania - For one group of central Pennsylvania eighth-graders, a recent field trip to Baltimore included lunch at Hooters - a restaurant better known for its busty waitresses than its food. The Berwick Middle School students were visiting the National Aquarium last week. Chaperones took them to various restaurants for lunch because the group of 100 was too large for a single place. One group of 15 to 20 students ended up at Hooters.  More

Woman goes swimming, swept over Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls, New York - Authorities say they’ve recovered the body of a woman who appeared to be swimming in the Niagara River before being swept over the brink of Niagara Falls. Officials say tourists on the Canadian side of the river reported seeing the woman in the water above the falls around 4:30 p.m. Witnesses on the Maid of the Mist tour boat told WIVB-TV in Buffalo that they saw her go over the falls. When a rescue boat reached her in the river below, she was dead.  More

Woman fights for right to live with Chihuahua

Florida - The senior citizen in Deerfield Beach’s Century Village is so incensed over her condo’s refusal to honor her doctor’s prescription’ that she live with her dog, Sweetie, for emotional support, and the retaliation she says she suffered over her request, she’s made a federal case out of it, literally. Broward County government has taken her cause to the courthouse, and the public is paying for it. Attorneys involved in the case of Phyllis Schleifer versus Ventnor H condo talked late last week about the three-year saga, and how it got farther than any other support-pet case the county has handled. Schleifer said she wishes she could be left alone. A neighbor formed a gun’ with his fingers when she was out walking the condo grounds, she said, and pointed it at her precious Sweetie just days ago.  More

Man who gave trooper the finger has charge dropped

Denver, Colorado - A harassment charge has been dropped in the case of a 35-year-old Colorado man who faced prosecution for displaying his middle finger to a Colorado State Patrol trooper. The State Patrol said in a statement that it asked that the case be dropped. The American Civil Liberties Union had argued that while the gesture may be have been rude, it amounted to protected free speech. According to the ACLU, Shane Boor was driving to work in April when he saw a trooper pull over a car. As Boor passed by, he extended his middle finger in the trooper’s direction.  More

$500,000,000 for kids who can’t sit still

Washington DC - Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told said that the administration’s new $500 million early learning initiative is designed to deal with children from birth onward to prevent such problems as 5-year olds who “can’t sit still” in a kindergarten classroom. Sebelius and Education Secretary Arne Duncan jointly announced the $500-million program, which will provide competitive grants to states to address issues affecting educational outcomes for children from birth to age 5. A number of children were missing the social and developmental skills which would allow them to sit in a classroom or play with others or listen to a teacher for any period of time.  More

Police shut down bar inside of prison

Mexico - Mexican police have dismantled a fully-stocked bar — complete with two billiards tables — that had been operating inside a jail.  Authorities announced that they had seized some 200 bottles of beer, 12 bottles of tequila and 20 bottles of vodka, as well as firearms, marijuana and heroin from what they said was a low-security prison. Carlos Gonzales, a spokesman for the northern Chihuahua state where the raid took place, did not provide details as to how the prisoners had concealed the watering hole from authorities. But he said at least one prison administrator had been fired over the incident and may face charges.  More

Father takes cell phone, daughter shoots father

Tahuya, Washington - Authorities in Washington state say they’re arrested a teenage girl for allegedly shooting her dad with an arrow after he took her cell phone away. Mason County detective William Adam says the man told officers that his 15-year-old daughter used a hunting bow to shoot him after he grounded her and took the phone. He was airlifted from the rural, forested Tahuya area to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle and listed in serious condition.  More

Fight with machete, cinder blocks

Florida - A Florida Keys man was arrested for attacking his roommate with a machete when he was asked to leave the mobile home they shared. Fidel Gonzalez Gutierrez, 52, faces attempted murder charges for the fight at Trailerama Trailer Park in Marathon, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said. Gutierrez had been allowed to move into 45-year-old Eduardo Gonzalez’s trailer just a few days before the attack. They were sitting and enjoying a quiet evening outside the trailer when Gonzalez told his roommate that he had to move out, and that’s when Gutierrez grabbed the machete. “The suspect went into the kitchen and got a machete; he returned and began to swing it at the victim,” a report of the incident said. “The victim said he threw a couple of cinder blocks at the suspect to defend himself.”   More

$100,000 Fellowships To Not Go To College

USA - Peter Thiel, the PayPal co-founder and one of the first investors in Facebook, is proposing a controversial path toward more rapid innovation. His Thiel Foundation announced that it was giving 24 people under 20 $100,000 fellowships to drop out of school for two years to start a their own companies. Thiel thinks ideas can develop in a start-up environment much faster than at a university. And the project is also intended to question the idea of higher education. Thiel said that the United Sates was in a higher education bubble. “A true bubble is when something is overvalued and intensely believed,” he told said. More

Parents: Don’t wear pyjamas to school

UK - Schools in east Middlesbrough have asked parents to stop wearing pyjamas on the school run. Headteachers across 11 schools have requested that mums and dads show decency and respect when attending school premises. The Gazette has been told stories of parents turning up to schools at the morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up as well as attending meetings with teachers in their PJs. Many have since sent letters home to parents asking for their wishes to be respected. “It’s about setting an example and having self esteem.” Since the letters have been issued many schools have noticed a sharp decline in the number of parents wearing pyjamas in the playground.  More

Dog nurses ligers after tiger mom refuses

BEIJING - A Chinese zoo official says two rare cubs born to a male lion and a female tiger are being nursed by a dog after they were abandoned by their mother. Cong Wen of Xixiakou Wildlife Zoo in ...Dog nurses ligers after tiger mom refuses