Monday, June 02, 2014
Man charged for making bomb threat after not getting a sandwich
A Wisconsin man faces a bomb scare charge for not getting a sandwich.
23-year-old Thomas Rupnik is accused of making the threat at the Sheboygan Senior Community Center on Thursday.
According to the criminal complaint, Rupnik entered the building and asked for some food. When staff turned him down, he left for a few minutes but returned and made the threat to make a bomb and blow up the building.
Sheboygan Police made contact with him at his residence and he admitted to making the threat. Rupnik now faces up to three-and-a-half year in prison if found guilty of the felony.
23-year-old Thomas Rupnik is accused of making the threat at the Sheboygan Senior Community Center on Thursday.
According to the criminal complaint, Rupnik entered the building and asked for some food. When staff turned him down, he left for a few minutes but returned and made the threat to make a bomb and blow up the building.
Sheboygan Police made contact with him at his residence and he admitted to making the threat. Rupnik now faces up to three-and-a-half year in prison if found guilty of the felony.
Massive swarm of grasshoppers picked up on weather radar
Weather officials in Albuquerque, New Mexico, say a mysterious presence that showed up on its radar the last few nights has turned out to be of the insect variety.
Their Dopplar radar has been showing something moving over the area each night.
Now they know that huge mass is a swarm of grasshoppers.
“In this situation, we know that it’s something other than precipitation because the particles we’re sensing are not uniform – they’re busier,” said Brent Wachter, forecaster with the National Weather Service in Albuquerque. Wachter says he’s occasionally seen activity from bats in the Jemez or cicadas, during particularly bad seasons but never a grasshopper swarm covering the entire area. “We actually thought the radar was broke, so we had our technicians go out there a couple times,” he said.
“They couldn’t find anything wrong, so we had to call the National Radar Depot in Oklahoma.” The people in Oklahoma said they’d seen something like it before and asked whether Albuquerque was having any sort of insect infestation. The radar shows that swarm of grasshoppers is flying about 1,000 feet in the air. “We can explain it, certainly,” said Paul Smith, with the city of Albuquerque Environmental Department.
YouTube link.
Smith says the grasshoppers seen in Albuquerque’s invasion are pretty good flyers to start with, and then, there’s the wind. “With temperatures warming up, we have a lot of thermal inversions,” he said. “It’s no stretch to imagine that they’re getting pulled up by some of these up currents and getting high into the atmosphere.” Smith says last year’s big monsoon season, plus the mild winter, created the perfect combination for all the grasshoppers just waiting to hatch a few weeks ago. He says they should die off in mid-June.
“In this situation, we know that it’s something other than precipitation because the particles we’re sensing are not uniform – they’re busier,” said Brent Wachter, forecaster with the National Weather Service in Albuquerque. Wachter says he’s occasionally seen activity from bats in the Jemez or cicadas, during particularly bad seasons but never a grasshopper swarm covering the entire area. “We actually thought the radar was broke, so we had our technicians go out there a couple times,” he said.
“They couldn’t find anything wrong, so we had to call the National Radar Depot in Oklahoma.” The people in Oklahoma said they’d seen something like it before and asked whether Albuquerque was having any sort of insect infestation. The radar shows that swarm of grasshoppers is flying about 1,000 feet in the air. “We can explain it, certainly,” said Paul Smith, with the city of Albuquerque Environmental Department.
YouTube link.
Smith says the grasshoppers seen in Albuquerque’s invasion are pretty good flyers to start with, and then, there’s the wind. “With temperatures warming up, we have a lot of thermal inversions,” he said. “It’s no stretch to imagine that they’re getting pulled up by some of these up currents and getting high into the atmosphere.” Smith says last year’s big monsoon season, plus the mild winter, created the perfect combination for all the grasshoppers just waiting to hatch a few weeks ago. He says they should die off in mid-June.
Machete-wielding woman airlifted to hospital after relative ran over her foot with lawn mower
A dispute between family members in Vigo County led to a woman being airlifted to an Indianapolis hospital on Friday afternoon.
The Vigo County Sheriff's Department says deputies were called at around 4:45pm and found a 59-year-old woman with severe injuries to her foot.
The woman and her 91-year-old male relative have been involved in a longtime property dispute. Witnesses told deputies that just after 4:30pm, the woman was upset and drove her Jeep through the man's yard causing damage to the yard. The man, who was on a mower at the time, confronted the woman in the driveway.
An argument ensued and the woman got out of the Jeep carrying a machete. The man quickly turned the mower, causing the mower to run over the woman's lower leg which resulted in a severe injury to her foot. Neighbours called 911 and the woman was airlifted to IU Health Methodist Hospital in critical condition.
The Sheriff's Department says detectives interviewed the man but were unable to interview the woman due to her condition. Once detectives complete their investigation, the case will be turned over to the Vigo County Prosecutor's Office to determine if charges will be filed.
There's a short news video here.
The woman and her 91-year-old male relative have been involved in a longtime property dispute. Witnesses told deputies that just after 4:30pm, the woman was upset and drove her Jeep through the man's yard causing damage to the yard. The man, who was on a mower at the time, confronted the woman in the driveway.
An argument ensued and the woman got out of the Jeep carrying a machete. The man quickly turned the mower, causing the mower to run over the woman's lower leg which resulted in a severe injury to her foot. Neighbours called 911 and the woman was airlifted to IU Health Methodist Hospital in critical condition.
The Sheriff's Department says detectives interviewed the man but were unable to interview the woman due to her condition. Once detectives complete their investigation, the case will be turned over to the Vigo County Prosecutor's Office to determine if charges will be filed.
There's a short news video here.
Dog rescued from back of a pick-up truck that had rolled into fast-flowing river
A dog has been plucked to safety after a pick-up truck inadvertently rolled into the Chewuch River in the Washington town of Winthrop.
With the aid of guidelines anchored to the river banks, Vikki Buzzard and Ottis Buzzard, members of the county’s Swiftwater Rescue Team, manoeuvred an inflatable raft to the back of the Ford F-150’s bed and rescued Jessie, owned by Paul Picolet of Twisp, at about 1pm on Saturday. Picolet’s truck had rolled into the river at about 11am, and drifted downstream before coming to a rest in rapid water.
Picolet was not in the truck when it rolled into the river, but Jessie endured the adventure with relative calm. The dog waited in the truck, clearly nervous but not showing any inclination to leave, while the rescue team arrived, strategized how to reach the truck and retrieve the dog safely, and prepared their gear. Dog and owner were happy to reunite after the Buzzards brought Jessie to shore.
YouTube link.
She shook off her coat and cavorted on the river bank, but stopped short of bounding back into the water. Janet Verkuyl of Winthrop, Picolet’s mother, said she was grateful for the response and professionalism of the rescue team. Personnel from the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office, Aero Methow Rescue Service, Okanogan County Fire District 6 and the Winthrop Marshal’s Office responded to the incident.
With the aid of guidelines anchored to the river banks, Vikki Buzzard and Ottis Buzzard, members of the county’s Swiftwater Rescue Team, manoeuvred an inflatable raft to the back of the Ford F-150’s bed and rescued Jessie, owned by Paul Picolet of Twisp, at about 1pm on Saturday. Picolet’s truck had rolled into the river at about 11am, and drifted downstream before coming to a rest in rapid water.
Picolet was not in the truck when it rolled into the river, but Jessie endured the adventure with relative calm. The dog waited in the truck, clearly nervous but not showing any inclination to leave, while the rescue team arrived, strategized how to reach the truck and retrieve the dog safely, and prepared their gear. Dog and owner were happy to reunite after the Buzzards brought Jessie to shore.
YouTube link.
She shook off her coat and cavorted on the river bank, but stopped short of bounding back into the water. Janet Verkuyl of Winthrop, Picolet’s mother, said she was grateful for the response and professionalism of the rescue team. Personnel from the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office, Aero Methow Rescue Service, Okanogan County Fire District 6 and the Winthrop Marshal’s Office responded to the incident.
Man who escaped from police on floating log found hiding under a blanket in cupboard
A wanted man who police say fled from them early last week by jumping into the Etowah River in Canton, Georgia, and floated downstream on a log, has resurfaced.
Terry Raymond Spriggs was found hiding in a clothes closet at a home in Woodstock and arrested late on Wednesday night, after sailing away from police on May 19, said Phil Price, commander of the Cherokee Multi-Agency Narcotics Squad.
“We knew he would turn back up. Just a matter of time,” Price said. “Our main concern was he made it abundantly clear to us that he would be willing to run and do what it took to get away.” CMANS agents searched the house at about 10pm after following Spriggs, wanted on drug and probation violation charges, from another home a few miles away. The home belongs to acquaintances of Spriggs, a family with three children, Price said. Agents and sheriff’s deputies helped the family out of the house and went in to find Spriggs, 42, of Canton. “Spriggs was discovered hiding in a clothes closet, covered with a blanket,” Price said.
Wednesday nights’ arrest was the end of a week and a half of authorities searching for the suspect, though Price has been candid Spriggs wasn’t a highly-sought fugitive because his charges weren’t especially serious. It started on May 19 when agents with CMANS, a countywide collaborative drug task force, spotted Spriggs at his mother’s house and recognized him as a man with warrants. Police at the time said a chase ensued, and the suspect jumped into the Etowah and hugged a floating log, riding it for about a quarter of a mile before police lost sight of him. Price said agents later learned, as they suspected last week, Spriggs had got out of the river quickly and fled.
At the time, though, local officers called in the Georgia State Patrol to fly a helicopter over the river to make sure the suspect wasn’t hung on brush or in any physical danger. In spite of the search the suspect has put police through, Price said he doesn’t expect any charges relating to his elusiveness. “Frankly, that’s sort of piling on,” the commander said. “You don’t really want to pile on charges (because) somebody’s a thorn in your side.” The suspect did get an additional charge out of Wednesday night’s event, though; Price said he was charged with theft by receiving for the stolen motorcycle he was riding before police arrested him. Spriggs is being held without bond at the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center.
“We knew he would turn back up. Just a matter of time,” Price said. “Our main concern was he made it abundantly clear to us that he would be willing to run and do what it took to get away.” CMANS agents searched the house at about 10pm after following Spriggs, wanted on drug and probation violation charges, from another home a few miles away. The home belongs to acquaintances of Spriggs, a family with three children, Price said. Agents and sheriff’s deputies helped the family out of the house and went in to find Spriggs, 42, of Canton. “Spriggs was discovered hiding in a clothes closet, covered with a blanket,” Price said.
Wednesday nights’ arrest was the end of a week and a half of authorities searching for the suspect, though Price has been candid Spriggs wasn’t a highly-sought fugitive because his charges weren’t especially serious. It started on May 19 when agents with CMANS, a countywide collaborative drug task force, spotted Spriggs at his mother’s house and recognized him as a man with warrants. Police at the time said a chase ensued, and the suspect jumped into the Etowah and hugged a floating log, riding it for about a quarter of a mile before police lost sight of him. Price said agents later learned, as they suspected last week, Spriggs had got out of the river quickly and fled.
At the time, though, local officers called in the Georgia State Patrol to fly a helicopter over the river to make sure the suspect wasn’t hung on brush or in any physical danger. In spite of the search the suspect has put police through, Price said he doesn’t expect any charges relating to his elusiveness. “Frankly, that’s sort of piling on,” the commander said. “You don’t really want to pile on charges (because) somebody’s a thorn in your side.” The suspect did get an additional charge out of Wednesday night’s event, though; Price said he was charged with theft by receiving for the stolen motorcycle he was riding before police arrested him. Spriggs is being held without bond at the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center.
Thai bus conductors forced to wear nappies due to lack of toilet breaks
Stuck for hours each day in snarling traffic, bus conductors in Bangkok have been forced to use adult nappies as a radical solution to a lack of toilet breaks.
With congestion worsening, conductors on Thailand's sprawling capital's ageing buses spend long days on the polluted roads in the tropical heat, often with no toilet stops along the route.
When she developed a urinary tract infection, Watcharee Viriya had little choice but to start wearing adult nappies to cope with the many hours away from the restroom. "It was uncomfortable when I moved, especially when I urinated inside," she recalled. "When I arrived at the bus terminal, I had to run to get changed. I used at least two nappies a day." She was later diagnosed with cancer of the uterus and needed to undergo surgery.
"The doctor told me that it was because of wearing dirty nappies and the substances from them going into the uterus." Watcharee is not alone in opting for such an extreme answer to a lack of toilet breaks: a recent survey found that 28 percent of female bus conductors in Bangkok had worn nappies on a job that requires them to work up to 16 hours a day. "We were shocked," said Jaded Chouwilai, director of the Women and Men Progressive Movement Foundation which carried out the research.
"We also found that many of them suffer urinary tract infections and stones in their bladders," he said. "Many of the female bus conductors also have uterus cancer." Now Bangkok's bus conductors and unionists are starting to speak out to demand better working conditions. "Their working conditions are not good," said Chutima Boonjai, secretary of the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority labour union, who has asked for more toilets to be placed along bus routes or in bus terminals.
There's a news video here.
When she developed a urinary tract infection, Watcharee Viriya had little choice but to start wearing adult nappies to cope with the many hours away from the restroom. "It was uncomfortable when I moved, especially when I urinated inside," she recalled. "When I arrived at the bus terminal, I had to run to get changed. I used at least two nappies a day." She was later diagnosed with cancer of the uterus and needed to undergo surgery.
"The doctor told me that it was because of wearing dirty nappies and the substances from them going into the uterus." Watcharee is not alone in opting for such an extreme answer to a lack of toilet breaks: a recent survey found that 28 percent of female bus conductors in Bangkok had worn nappies on a job that requires them to work up to 16 hours a day. "We were shocked," said Jaded Chouwilai, director of the Women and Men Progressive Movement Foundation which carried out the research.
"We also found that many of them suffer urinary tract infections and stones in their bladders," he said. "Many of the female bus conductors also have uterus cancer." Now Bangkok's bus conductors and unionists are starting to speak out to demand better working conditions. "Their working conditions are not good," said Chutima Boonjai, secretary of the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority labour union, who has asked for more toilets to be placed along bus routes or in bus terminals.
There's a news video here.
Protest over jailed pigeon feeder
A protest has been held in support of a man jailed for continuing to feed pigeons in a Lancashire seaside town contrary to a community order.
John Wilkinson, 65, from Morecambe, has repeatedly breached an order forbidding him from feeding birds.
Lancaster magistrates jailed him for six weeks on Tuesday.
Lancaster City Council said he had fed birds up to 40kg of bird seed a day for years and it had caused misery for Morecambe residents and businesses. About 40 protesters turned out to campaign for Mr Wilkinson's release from prison. Organiser Rita Patton, from Morecambe, who claimed 800 had signed a petition for him, said putting him in prison was wrong. She said: "His mum used to do it and it was her dying wish he fed the birds.
"He has done wrong breaking his order but he's just doing what he believes in. I don't think prison is the right place for him." Karen Leytham, who is in charge of environmental health at Lancaster City Council, said Mr Wilkinson's neighbours were "at the end of their tether". "Numerous avenues have been explored over the years in an attempt to support Mr Wilkinson and help him change his behaviour."
YouTube link.
As well as bird seed, Ms Leytham said Mr Wilkinson was giving the pigeons vast quantities of pizzas, pasta, and processed ready-meals which had the potential to attract rats. She said he had ignored numerous warnings from the council and police so it applied for an anti-social behaviour order preventing excessive feeding of birds or feeding them anything other than bird seed in 2012. He was given a four-week suspended prison sentence for breaching it in November. In February, he breached the order by feeding birds suet cake. He was given a six-week jail term by Lancaster City Magistrates' Court for wilful and persistent failure to comply with a community order.
Lancaster City Council said he had fed birds up to 40kg of bird seed a day for years and it had caused misery for Morecambe residents and businesses. About 40 protesters turned out to campaign for Mr Wilkinson's release from prison. Organiser Rita Patton, from Morecambe, who claimed 800 had signed a petition for him, said putting him in prison was wrong. She said: "His mum used to do it and it was her dying wish he fed the birds.
"He has done wrong breaking his order but he's just doing what he believes in. I don't think prison is the right place for him." Karen Leytham, who is in charge of environmental health at Lancaster City Council, said Mr Wilkinson's neighbours were "at the end of their tether". "Numerous avenues have been explored over the years in an attempt to support Mr Wilkinson and help him change his behaviour."
YouTube link.
As well as bird seed, Ms Leytham said Mr Wilkinson was giving the pigeons vast quantities of pizzas, pasta, and processed ready-meals which had the potential to attract rats. She said he had ignored numerous warnings from the council and police so it applied for an anti-social behaviour order preventing excessive feeding of birds or feeding them anything other than bird seed in 2012. He was given a four-week suspended prison sentence for breaching it in November. In February, he breached the order by feeding birds suet cake. He was given a six-week jail term by Lancaster City Magistrates' Court for wilful and persistent failure to comply with a community order.
Police used sniffer dog to trace stolen scrap metal
Police have made roadside swoops and raided scrap yards across east London and Essex hunting international metal thieves using the world’s first sniffer dog trained to detect metals.
Lorries were stopped, while raids were carried out at scrap yards. Officers recovered £4,600 of Thames water cable and 50kg of BT cable during the checks made between May 19 and 23. They targeted “foreign national offenders travelling across borders or through ports” with stolen metals, Scotland Yard confirmed.
The operation by the Met Police and forces throughout the UK was aimed at activities with “direct links to organised crime at home and overseas”. A two-year old black Labrador named Jazz was used, on loan from a security company, the first in the world to be trained to sniff out stolen metal marked with Selecta DNA.
Jazz touches the metal with her nose to identify a target scent, which tips off officers to move in and carry out further searches. “We are determined to make life difficult for thieves and dealers profiting from crime,” Chief Supt Sultan Taylor said. “Metal theft and unlawful metal dealing won’t be tolerated.”
Lorries were stopped, while raids were carried out at scrap yards. Officers recovered £4,600 of Thames water cable and 50kg of BT cable during the checks made between May 19 and 23. They targeted “foreign national offenders travelling across borders or through ports” with stolen metals, Scotland Yard confirmed.
The operation by the Met Police and forces throughout the UK was aimed at activities with “direct links to organised crime at home and overseas”. A two-year old black Labrador named Jazz was used, on loan from a security company, the first in the world to be trained to sniff out stolen metal marked with Selecta DNA.
Jazz touches the metal with her nose to identify a target scent, which tips off officers to move in and carry out further searches. “We are determined to make life difficult for thieves and dealers profiting from crime,” Chief Supt Sultan Taylor said. “Metal theft and unlawful metal dealing won’t be tolerated.”
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