Women With Troubles - August 2013

Here is a compilation of women with troubles reported in news stories during August 2013. Each name is linked to an Interested-Participant blog entry displaying details. Note that the listing is comprised of two groups; August 1 through 15 and August 16 through August 31.

For a more comprehensive listing, check the Women With Troubles category link.

August 1 - 15
(AL) Shannon Crowe, 41,
neighbor - Accused of sex with boy, 13,

(AR) Holly Pippin, 34,
neighbor - Accused of child abuse,

(CA) Kathia Maria Davis, 46,
hockey mom - Gets 16 months prison for sex with boy, 14,

(CA) Marie Johnson, 42,
teacher - Gets time served and no additional jail for sex with boy, 14,

(CA) Laura Elizabeth Whitehurst, 28,
teacher - Gets year in jail for sex with boy, 16,

(FL) Jennifer Marie Eastman, 34,
neighbor - Accused of sex with boy, 12-16 years of age,

(FL) Ramona Ramoutar, 43,
neighbor - Accused of selling sex,

(FL) Daniella Sinanan, 24,
neighbor - Accused of selling sex,

(GA) Kerianne Johnson, 26,
neighbor - Accused of sex with boy, 14,

(IL) Jenee Blackert, 30,
teacher - Accused of lesbian sex with student, 17,

(IL) Jennifer D. Inman, 30,
neighbor - Accused of soliciting murder-for-hire,

(IL) Amanda M. Ludwig, 28,
teacher - Gets five years prison for sex with boy, 15,

(IL) Bridgette Miller, 39,
teacher - Accused of sex with male student,

(IN) Pamela Ann Rozelle, 37,
school counselor - Arrested on drug and contributing to the delinquency charges,

(KS) Ashley Marie Eck, 24,
teacher - Accused of unlawful sex with a student,

(KS) Amber Stroda, 28,
teacher - Guilty of sex with several students. Sentencing in October,

(LA) Lacey C. Dronet,
neighbor - Accused of kidnapping and molesting girl, 14,

(MA) Ashlee Guenthner, 20,
neighbor - Accused of rape of child under 14,

(MI) Tammy Lafrinere, 31,
teacher - Accused of stealing prescription meds,

(MI) Abigail Marie Simon, 33,
teacher - Accused of sex with male student, 15,

(MI) Samantha Sullivan, 23,
soccer coach - Accused of sexual conduct with teenage boys,

(NJ) Erin T. Haskell, 32,
teacher - Convicted of sex with male student, 15,

(NJ) Kalee Warnick, 22,
teacher - Accused of sex with male student, 15,

(NY) Amanda Matott, 23,
neighbor - Accused of engaging in sex with 16-year-old,

(NY) Erin Sayar, 37,
"Horndog High" teacher - Gets probation for sex with student, 16,

(OH) Scarlet Byrge, 29,
neighbor - Accused of attempted burglary,

(OK) Alaina Paige Lamecker, 23,
neighbor - Accused of human trafficking of girl, 14,

(OR) Sarah Beth Hopkins, 35,
neighbor - Accused of raping boy, 11,

(SC) Keri Spires, 21,
neighbor - Accused of sex with boy, 14,

(SC) Sherri M. Windsor, 49,
teacher - Accused of sex with student, 13,

(SD) April Solles, 29,
neighbor - Guilty of rape of boy, 14. Sentencing in September,

(TN) Teresa L. Forester, 43,
neighbor - Gets years in prison for sex with two boys, 14 and 16,

(TN) Carrie Thomas,
neighbor - Accused of engaging in sex with a dog,

(TX) Lesley Ann Sharp, 24,
teacher - Accused of sex with male student, 17,

(UT) Kendra McKenzie Gill, 18,
beauty queen - Accused of hurling and detonating bombs,

* * * * *
August 16 - 31

* * * * *

(AL) Jennifer Collins McNeill, 39,
teacher - Arrested for rape and sodomy of a juvenile,

(CA) Theresa Gooch, 24,
counselor - Accused of sexually abusing a 16-year-old girl,

(CA) Jennifer Tena Krogman, 40,
teacher - Arrested on illegal drug charges,

(CO) Erin Jackson, 31,
teacher - Gets no jail for hit-and-run conviction,

(FL) Stevie Glasspool, 31,
teacher - Accused of soliciting four students for sex via Facebook,

(FL) Sara Ashley Kirksey, 24,
neighbor - Accused of DUI, attempted theft of cop car,

(FL) Lisa O'Neill, 41,
business owner - Accused of sex assault of boy,

(FL) Karissa Wesley,
educator - Accused of inappropriate relations with student,

(FL) Virginia Wolfe, 34,
neighbor - Accused of producing child pornography,

(GA) Theresa Umbarger, 40,
teacher - Charged with child cruelty,

(IL) Danielle Armstrong, 23,
neighbor - Gets 20 years prison for sex assault on girl, 5,

(KS) Angela Renee Foote,
teacher - Given judicial diversion for felony drug charges,

(KY) Ginger Hackler,
caregiver - Accused of biting toddler,

(MA) Rachelle Gendron, 27,
teacher - Accused of sex with boy, 14,

(ME) Tammy Larlee,
teacher - Accused of sex with male student, 15,

(NC) Amy Tilley Bower, 45,
teacher - Accused of sex with minor student,

(NC) Catherine Entrocaso,
teacher - Accused of possessing narcotics,

(NH) Peggy Sinclair, 50,
teacher - Accused of conspiring to smuggle drugs into prison,

(NV) Jennifer Helen Dalton, 36,
teacher - Convicted of sexual misconduct with student. Sentencing in October,

(NY) Christine Wright Darrisaw, 37,
neighbor - Accused of threatening to kill President Obama,

(OH) Precious Allen, 31,
neighbor - Sentenced to probation for assault on daughter's classmate,

(OH) Rebecca Bare, 34,
PTO volunteer - Accused of theft from PTO,

(OH) Tomeka Oliver, 39,
neighbor - Arrested for impersonating her daughter in traffic court,

(OR) Irina Walker, 60,
princess - Arrested for selling food and alcohol at a cockfight,

(PA) Nicole Jacques, 27,
teacher - Sentenced to a chunk of prison for corruption of minors,

(PA) April John, 37,
PTO treasurer - Accused of theft,

(PA) Lana Trotter, 28,
school coach - Accused of inappropriate sexual relationship with girl,

(SC) Moncille Thomas, 57,
teacher - Accused of unlawful neglect of special needs student,

(TX) Rosalinda Gonzalez, 37,
teacher - Accused of furnishing alcohol to minors,

(TX) Katrina Skaggs, 32,
neighbor - Accused of sex with underage boy,

(UT) Jamie Lynn Greenwood, 41,
Lunch lady - Gets prison for unlawful sex with boy,

(VA) Amber Gonzalez, 34,
neighbor - Accused of sex with boy, 15,

(VA) Michelle Sullivan, 42,
school club treasurer - Accused of theft,

(WA) Aglaia Cloud, 36,
dance teacher - Accused of sex with boy, 15.

Thanks to the tipsters.

Florida Woman Arrested for DUI, Attempted Theft of Cop Car

Sara Ashley Kirksey
(Okaloosa County, Florida) After being arrested for DUI, local woman Sara Kirksey tried to steal a police car.

According to a release from the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office, Sara Ashley Kirksey, 24 of Laurel Hill, was pulled over Monday night around 7:30 while driving on Okaloosa Island. She was spotted running a red light, and the officer suspected she had been drinking.

She was arrested on suspicion of DUI, and put in handcuffs in the back of the deputy's cruiser. Kirksey however managed to slip out of the handcuffs and crawled her way into the front seat. She tried to take off but the deputy stopped her just in time. Kirksey then hit the deputy several times with a closed fist.

It was also later discovered that she had given the deputy a false name and date of birth during the initial arrest.

Kirksey faces charges of DUI, battery on a law officer, resisting arrest, lying to a law officer, and escape.

Pennsylvania Woman Accused of PTO Theft

(Canonsburg, Pennsylvania) A 37-year-old former treasurer in the Canon-McMillan School District, April John, has been arrested for theft.

John, 37, is accused of stealing more than $4,000 from the Parent Teacher Organization fund at Borland Manor Elementary School. Police said the cash was meant for children’s programs.

Investigators said they were alerted to the alleged thefts after John failed to deposit all of the money after a book fair.

The PTO is hoping that police and the court system can get the money returned.

Details on booking are unavailable.

Colorado Teacher Gets No Jail in Hit-and-Run - Update

(Denver, Colorado)

An Aurora teacher who accepted a plea agreement in a hit-and-run crash that seriously injured a 16-year-old girl was sentenced Friday in Denver court.

Erin Jackson, 30, pleaded guilty to attempting to leave the scene of an accident causing serious bodily injury, a Class 5 felony on Aug. 5. As part of a plea agreement, prosecutors dropped the more serious charge of leaving the scene of an accident causing serious bodily injury — which Jackson pleaded not guilty to — a Class 4 felony.

Jackson was sentenced to five years of probation, to be served in Denver.

Jackson will never be able to teach again and her driver's license has been suspended for two years.

* * * * *
Colorado Teacher Accused in Hit-and-Run
[Previous 3/3/13 post]
(Denver, Colorado) A 31-year-old teacher at AXL Academy in Aurora, Erin Nicole Jackson, has been accused of hit-and-run in an episode where she allegedly plowed into a 16-year-old student in a crosswalk. The victim, Deyondrah Bridgeman, suffered a severe brain injury.

Jackson faces charges of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in serious bodily injury and misdemeanor careless driving resulting in serious bodily injury.

Surveillance camera footage shows a black Chevrolet Malibu slamming into Bridgeman on Wednesday morning as the teen crossed Colfax Avenue near East High School. The vehicle never never showed signs of swerving over stopping after barreling over the student.

Jackson turned herself in to police early Thursday morning, a day after the accident.

Jackson was booked into custody with bond set at $25,000.

Carolina Teacher Accused of Felony Neglect

(Myrtle Beach, South Carolina) A 57-year-old teacher at Myrtle Beach Intermediate School, Moncille Thomas, has been accused of neglect of a special needs child.

Thomas faces a felony count of unlawful neglect of a child.

Moncille Thomas put dish detergent on her fingers, and then put her fingers inside the mouth of a non-verbal autistic child, to discipline him for spitting.

The incident report states she then struck the child twice in the chest with a dustpan.

Thomas was booked into the Myrtle Beach jail with bond set at $20,000.

CERN Large Hadron Collider Comedy

[Update @ 6:30PM EDT] The program was a pleasure to watch and funny. There were about a dozen entertainers and lots of esoteric geek-speak. On the negative side, from my perch in Ohio the audio could have been better. I'm certain I missed some of the jokes and dialogue.

Nevertheless, the entire production, though expectedly amateurish, was engaging. I hope it gets uploaded to YouTube so I can see it again.

(Geneva, Switzerland)

Scientists are set to lift the lid on their life and work at CERN during an evening of stand-up comedy next Friday, 30 August, between 7.30 – 11pm (CEST).

University of Cambridge PhD student, CERN affiliated scientist and particle physicist, Sam Gregson will be one of six intrepid scientists flexing their comedic muscles in front of audiences at the CERN Globe, Geneva, on 30 August between 7.30 – 11pm (CEST).

I think that 7:30PM CEST is 1:30PM EDT. Readers can view the scientific comedy show at http://webcast.web.cern.ch/webcast/play.php?event=264966.

The show lasts until 11:00PM CEST (5:00PM EDT).

So readers, if you aren't busy later today, access the CERN scientific comedy show for an unusual experience. And ... apologies if my time zone calcs are flawed.

Washington State Woman, 36, and Boy, 15



Aglaia Cloud
(Olympia, Washington)

A 36-year-old woman is accused in court papers of having a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old boy in Lacey while she was "attempting to assist (him) with his dancing career by introducing him to a talent agent."

Aglaia Cloud moved from Lacey to Fayetteville, North Carolina in October, but continued to visit the 15-year-old in Lacey, according to court papers. She is charged in Thurston County Superior Court with four counts of third-degree child rape and one count of communication with a minor for immoral purposes.

Cloud's arraignment is scheduled for September 17.

Maine Teacher Accused of Sex with Male Student

(Lincoln, Maine) A special education teacher at Matanawcook Academy, Tammy Larlee, has been accused of engaging in sex with a 15-year-old male student.

Larlee faces four counts of gross sexual assault and four counts of unlawful contact with a minor.

According to police, the sexual relationship was uncovered while they were investigating a burglary case involving the 15 year old boy and Larlee.

Police chief Daniel Summers with Lincoln police said, "She [Larlee] was driving them around, but obviously there was some concern by the officers about why is this woman hanging around such young people especially this individual. It raised suspicion with the investigators who thought you know maybe we ought to press this a little bit further."

During police questioning, the 15 year old admitted he did have sex with Larlee at least four times this past summer. Detectives than questioned the special ed tech where they said she also admitted to having sexual relations with him.

Details on booking are unavailable.

Laboratory Brains

(London, England)

Miniature ‘human brains’ have been grown in a lab in a feat scientists hope will transform the understanding of neurological disorders, the BBC reports this morning.

The pea sized brains reached the same level of development as in a nine-week-old foetus, but are incapable of thought.

The study, published in the journal Nature, has already been used to gain insight into rare diseases. Professor Paul Mathews, from Imperial College London, has used the breakthrough to investigate a disease called microcephaly. He called the breakthrough ‘mindboggling’

Interesting. This means there is hope for at least one dumb worker at my local convenience store since now a transplant seems achievable. However, while hoping for improvement in brain function, it's a crap shoot as to whether my convenience store cretin will get smarter with a new pea.

New Hampshire Teacher Popped for Drug Smuggling

(Concord, New Hampshire) A 50-year-old teacher formerly at Broken Ground Elementary School, Peggy Sinclair, has been accused of conspiring with a prisoner to smuggle drugs into the New Hampshire State Prison.

Sinclair faces counts of possession of controlled drugs, counts of conspiracy, counts of delivery of articles, and counts of default or breach of bail conditions.

According to police, on May 17, and June 2, Sinclair allegedly attempted to mail Suboxone inside an envelope to Matthew Peters, a former student at Broken Ground Elementary School, who was serving time at the prison.

“It is alleged that she possessed a quantity of suboxone film and concealed it inside an envelope which she mailed to another inmate using the United States Postal Service,” Lt. Timothy O’Malley, the commander of the criminal investigations division of the Concord Police Department.

O’Malley stated that the investigation into the alleged drug smuggling effort was conducted by prison officials, the parole board, and the New Hampshire State Police, as part of a “multi-agency investigation” into the white supremacist gang, the Brotherhood of White Warriors (BOWW).

Details on Sinclair's arrest and booking are unavailable.

Global warming skeptics fire back at Al Gore

Global warming skeptics are hitting back at former Vice President Al Gore, who earlier this week compared them to racists and supporters of slavery.

“Gore is still trying to demonize and smear skeptics as modern racists and generally evil people,” Marc Morano, publisher of Climate Depot, a global warming skeptic site, told The Daily Caller News Foundation. “The problem is that the science is revealing Gore to be on the wrong side of history.”

“Al Gore has shown once again why he is seldom let out of his box without adequate adult supervision,” said Myron Ebell, director of global warming and international environmental policy at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. “When he is losing the debate, Gore has always resorted to nasty name calling, so this is just the latest embarrassing instance.”

In an interview with the Washington Post’s Ezra Klein, Gore equated his fight against global warming to the struggles against slavery, segregation and apartheid.

Thus disagreeing with Gore about environmental policy is similar to opposing civil rights, gay rights and the end of slavery.

Source


Posted by John J. Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).

Texas Teacher Accused of Furnishing Alcohol to Minors.

(Laredo, Texas) A 37-year-old teacher at Clark Middle School, Rosalinda Gonzalez, has been accused of furnishing alcohol to minors.

Gonzalez faces eight counts of purchasing/furnishing alcohol to minors.

According to a criminal complaint, Gonzalez allegedly made assorted alcoholic drinks available to one female juvenile and seven male juveniles all aged 15, according to court records.

The Webb County District Attorney’s office has received the case for prosecution, but an indictment has not been returned yet, a spokeswoman for the office said in an email Wednesday.

If convicted, Gonzalez faces a possible one year in jail.

Delta 4 Heavy Rocket Lifts Spy Satellite

(Vandenburg Air Force Base, California)

The largest rocket in America launched a spy satellite Wednesday from California.

Taking off from Vandenburg Air Force Base, the Delta IV-Heavy rocket lifted off just after 2pm Wednesday afternoon. The highly secretive payload, known as NROL-65, is believed to be the most advanced spy satellite ever launched.

This is a big deal from an intelligence-gathering standpoint.

Sagging Pants Crime

(Brooklyn, New York)

A Brooklyn man who tried to make a getaway on foot after swiping a woman’s cell phone was caught by police when he tripped and fell over his own sagging pants.

Police and eye witnesses say Joel Donaldson, 21, punched his victim Maria Soccoro, in the face Wednesday then snatched her phone and took off running.

But as he ran, his ill-fitting jeans kept tripping him up until they were completely around his ankles.

Donaldson faces a charge of robbery. He won't be prosecuted for being an idiot.

From another perspective, evidence now shows that devotees of the saggy pants culture are career-limited.

For 13 Murders



Condemned convict Nidal Hasan

'Nuff said' about this douchebag. If cruel and unusual punishment were ever sanctioned, Nidal Hasan is meritoriously deserving.

Report

Kentucky students to first lady Michelle Obama: Your food ‘tastes like vomit’

Students in a rural Kentucky county — and their parents — are the latest to join a growing national chorus of scorn for the healthy school lunches touted by first lady Michelle Obama.

“They say it tastes like vomit,” said Harlan County Public Schools board member Myra Mosley at a contentious board meeting last week, reports The Harlan Daily Enterprise.

The growing body of USDA meal regulations implemented by the Department of Agriculture under the “Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010″ has long been a signature issue for the first lady.

Denizens of Harlan County don’t much care, though. Their primary concern at the board meeting was a bevy of complaints that local children are starving at lunch — and for the remainder of the school day — because the food on offer in the cafeteria is crappy and there isn’t nearly enough of it.

“Kids can’t learn when they’re hungry!” parents shouted to the board, according to the Enterprise.

Other gripes involved the new bread, which students don’t want to eat because it’s brown wheat bread, and the new milk, which is skim or one percent fat, not two percent or whole. The cafeteria’s chocolate- and strawberry-flavored milk offerings are now nonfat.

Jack Miniard, the school district’s director of school and community nutrition, was on hand to explain that the federal government now governs both food choices and portion sizes in most American school districts including Harlan County.

Under the National School Lunch Program, participating schools must provide lunches — including free or reduced price lunches — with minimum amounts of fresh fruits, fresh vegetables and whole grains. Also, in what presumably falls outside the hunger-free aspect of the act, there’s a calorie cap: 850 for high school lunches, 700 for middle schools and a mere 650 calories for kids in elementary school.

Students can only have one serving of meat or other protein. However, rich kids can buy a second portion each day on their own dime.

Servings of carbohydrates such as potatoes are limited to just a single serving of three-fourths of a cup per student.

On the plus side, students can eat as many fruits and vegetables as they want.

Across the country, students and parents have expressed dissatisfaction with the federal government’s new food regime. Some wealthier suburban school districts are simply backing out of the National School Lunch Program, though doing so can mean giving up a six-figure annual subsidy for the district.

SOURCE

Posted by John J. Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).

President Putin Offended by Underwear Painting

(St. Petersburg, Russia) Freedom of expression, tolerance and a sense of humor are attributes seemingly not applicable to the current Russian leadership.

Police have seized a painting of Russia's president Vladamir Putin wearing women's underwear from a gallery, saying the satirical display had broken the law.

The painting entitled 'Travesty' by Konstantin Altunin, shows President Putin wearing a tight-fitting slip and brushing the hair of Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, who is wearing knickers and a bra.

Police swooped on the Muzei Vlasti (Museum of Authorities) in St. Petersburg on the night of August 26 confiscating several art installations, including 'Travesty' which are to be checked for extremist propaganda.

Heh.

Raoul Wallenberg Day

(Stockholm, Sweden) Today is Raoul Wallenberg Day, a tribute to one of history's greatest heroes.

Sweden celebrated its first official Raoul Wallenberg Day on Tuesday to honour the famed Swedish diplomat who rescued thousands of Jews from the Holocaust, an event hailed as "important" by one of his descendants.[…]

Wallenberg is credited with saving 100,000 of Jews while he was stationed in Hungary during World War II. He was last seen in Budapest on January 17, 1945, when Soviet forces took the city from German troops. Soviet records state he died in a Moscow prison in 1947.

Wallenberg's remains have not been found.

MLK's 'Dream' at 50

Is THIS the dream?

Tens of thousands of people descended on the National Mall Saturday for the coming 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech. In King's 1963 speech, he eloquently declared, "I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." Unfortunately, that day has not yet come.

The biggest reason for that is the professional race baiters like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton who arose from MLK's socialist ranks to keep the embers of racial animosity burning. Martin Luther King III, MLK's grandson, shamefully pointed to Trayvon Martin's death as evidence that "the task is not done." King also decried the Supreme Court's June ruling striking down Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA), which the Court did because the law's formula for federal intervention in state election law hasn't been revised in 40 years. In many ways, that's the essence of the movement today -- it's still living in 1963.

Further evidence of that arrested development comes from Attorney General Eric Holder, whose Justice Department filed suit against Texas last week for allegedly violating the Constitution and the VRA through recently passed voter ID and redistricting laws. Holder justifies the suit under Section 2 of the VRA, which prohibits any voting qualification that "results in a denial or abridgement of the right of any citizens of the United States to vote on account of race or color." Pursuant to Holder's hostility toward voter ID laws, the Justice Department claims Section 5 authority to reimpose preclearance on Texas for the next decade.

Fortunately for Texas, the Supreme Court in 2008 upheld Indiana's similar voter ID law, and a lower court likewise upheld Georgia's. Neither law suppressed minority turnout, which certainly makes Holder's discrimination claim on that count difficult to prove. Voter fraud favors Democrats, which is why they oppose voter ID. It's also clear that Holder and the miscreants marching on the mall have turned King's dream on its head.

SOURCE

Posted by John J. Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.). 

Ohio PTO Theft

(Enon, Ohio) A 34-year-old volunteer with the Enon School parent-teacher organization, Rebecca Bare, has been accused of stealing $9,000 from the PTO.

Bare faces charges of theft and forgery.

Enon School and Tiger Boosters officials say Bare cashed checks in her name, that had been written by Bare but with different person's signature.

The checks were written between Dec. 6, 2012, and June 19, 2013, and reportedly totaled about $9,000.

PTO Treasurer Hollie Kowalski said she believes Bare took one of the checkbooks out of Kowalski's purse on May 31, 2013, during a students' field day at the school.

Details on booking are unavailable.

Drive-in Sex Garage

(Zurich, Switzerland)

The nine “sex boxes”, in a walled, park-like area on the outskirts of Zurich, enable clients to have sex in their cars with prostitutes.

The sex workers will line up on a road leading to the drive-in car ports, where they will be able to negotiate fees with their customers.

Proponents of the scheme argue that it will improve hygiene and safety for prostitutes, saving them from walking the streets or being driven to surrounding forests or wasteland for sexual encounters.

Many of the women are Roma gypsies from central and eastern Europe, and have only a rudimentary grasp of German, increasing their vulnerability.[…]

Clients must be over 18 and pedestrians and men on motorcycles are not allowed, because the sex must take place in a car.

The council agreed not to install video surveillance cameras, because it was thought they would dissuade many customers from using the site.

The sex boxes will be open from 7pm to 5am every day.

It's not known how clients are guaranteed to be over 18. Maybe ID's have to be shown beforehand. Unfortunately, that would deter customers desiring anonymity.

Also, what does a prospective customer do if an afternoon delight is desired? Form a line and wait until 7PM?

Death by Eating Bubonic BBQ

sample BBQ image
(Sary-Dzhaz, Kyrgyzstan)

A boy has died in Kyrgyzstan after eating barbequed groundhog infected with the bubonic plague. The meat was prepared in the Sary-Dzhaz gorge on Lake Issyk-Kul's southern shore, Interfax reported Monday.

The 15-year-old died Thursday, but until now doctors had been unable to identify the exact cause of death. "While fighting for the life of the teenager, doctors gave the boy 17 different drugs which made it difficult to make an accurate diagnosis," Kyrgyzstan's Health Ministry said.

Doctors identified a plague microbe during biological tests, and their diagnosis was later confirmed by experts from the republic's Quarantine and Especially Dangerous Infections Center.

Over 100 people, including 19 doctors, were in contact with the boy over the last few days. All of them have been put in quarantine and are undergoing preventative treatment, Itar-Tass reported.

Authorities are looking for other possible victims.

Utah Lunch Lady Gets Prison for Sex with Minor

(Sandy, Utah) A 41-year-old lunch lady at Eastmont Middle School, Jamie Lynn Greenwood, has been sentenced after pleading guilty to abusing a boy, her son's friend.

Greenwood received one to 15 years in prison for forcible sexual abuse and zero to five years in prison for unlawful sexual activity with a minor.

Third District Judge Charlene Barlow ordered the prison terms to run concurrently and that Greenwood undergo counseling while in prison.

Restitution, in an amount to be determined, was also ordered.

Greenwood pleaded guilty to carrying on a sexual relationship with a then-15-year-old boy who was a friend of her teenage son.

Greenwood was originally charged in 2010.

Kentucky Caregiver Accused of Biting Toddler

(Williamsburg, Kentucky) A caregiver with the Bell-Whitley Head Start program, Ginger Hackler, has been accused of biting a 15-month-old child and then spanking her.

Hackler faces two counts of third-degree criminal abuse.

According to police in Williamsburg, KY, on Monday, Hackler bit the teething toddler's left arm, leaving teeth impressions and bruising.

"That makes my stomach turn," the child's mother, Larissa King said, identifying the victim as 15-month-old Railee King. "I was under the impression that, you know, that another kid had bit her."

Hackler was booked into custody and released on bond.

Professional Flatulence

(Paris, France)

Le Pétomane (‘Fart maniac’) Joseph Pujol was a professional flatulist who rose to fame in the late nineteenth century, when he entertained the crowned heads of Europe with his bizarre stage act.

Standout moments included sound effects of cannon fire and thunderstorms, playing tunes through a rubber tube stuck up his arse, and blowing out a candle from several metres away.

I've always assumed that the crowned heads of Europe would be entertained by a classier type of symphony.

More….

CO: Must not mention black genetics

Sparks flew between two legislators when one accused the other of making racially insensitive comments about minorities and the infant mortality rate during a meeting Wednesday.

The heated exchange occurred during a meeting of the Economic Opportunity and Poverty Reduction Task Force when Republican state Sen. Vicki Marble addressed health issues among African Americans.


Marble

"When you look at life expectancy, there's certain problems in the black race," said Marble, who is white. "Sickle cell anemia is something that comes up. Diabetes is something that is prevalent in the genetic makeup. Although I gotta say, I've never had better BBQ and better chicken and ate better in my life then when you go down South, I mean, I love it. Everybody loves it," Marble said.

Marble went on to blame government regulation for the demise of manufacturing jobs in the U.S., which she said harmed minorities by killing jobs and led some to lives of crime, hopelessness and addiction.

"If we would get a few things back in their lives, like a job, religion and family, and understand your genetic predisposition to certain diseases, and give them the responsibility to take care of themselves," Marble said, minorities would benefit.

Democratic state Rep. Rhonda Fields, who is black, responded by saying that Marble's statements were offensive and stereotypical.

Marble said her comments were taken out of context., adding there is nothing wrong with what she said.  "My comments were not meant to be disparaging to any community," Marble said in a written statement. "I am saddened they were taken in that regard."

Source

Posted by John J. Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).

Million Cockroaches Escape

(Jiangsu, China)

At least one million cockroaches have escaped a farm in China where they were being bred for use in traditional medicine, a report said.

The cockroaches fled the facility in Dafeng, in the eastern province of Jiangsu, for surrounding cornfields earlier this month after an "unknown perpetrator" destroyed the plastic greenhouse where they were raised, the Modern Express newspaper said.

Disease control authorities have sent five investigators to the area to come up with a plan to stamp out the insects.

Yeah, they'll stamp them out. Heh.

French Official on Wolf Problem: "Call the Americans!"

(Provence, France)

A surge in wolf attacks on animals in the south of France has had French farmers scrambling for their rifles and infrared goggles. But one local official says it's time to draft in American hunters as local farmers have proved hapless at finding and killing the predators.

"In France, no one knows how to hunt wolves!" cried Laurent Cayrel, head of Var prefect in Provence, as he met with sheep farmers recently.

Historically, merely putting a bounty on wolf pelts was sufficient. Compensated hunters would gladly blast them away.

Ohio Classroom Brawl

(Cincinnati, Ohio) A 31-year-old local woman, Precious Allen, has been prosecuted for pounding a 15-year-old girl who allegedly bullied Allen's daughter.

Last Friday, Allen was sentenced to probation on a conviction of assault. She was acquitted of trespassing at Willow High School where the altercation occurred.

Judge Melissa Powers said Allen, 31, could face up to six months in jail if she violates the terms of her probation. Allen could have faced a year of jail time if convicted on both counts.

"I respect the judge and the jurors, and I'm grateful for them listening to my story," Allen told The Associated Press after the verdict was read. "I thought everything was fairly done."

Allen said she'll now focus on work and family, and said her daughter is doing fine in another school.

A significant factor in determining Allen's criminal involvement was tempered by evidence suggesting the 15-year-old hit the woman first.

Ohio Mom Poses as Daughter in Court

(Cincinnati, Ohio) A 39-year-old local woman, Tomeka Oliver, has been jailed for impersonating her daughter at a court appearance for a traffic offense.

Standing in for her daughter Sarah Oliver, 22, Tomeka was fined $50 by Hamilton County Municipal Court Judge Dwane Mallory on Friday for driving without a license.

Then someone in the courtroom audience spoke up and said the woman was not 22-year-old Sarah Oliver, but her mother, Tomeka Oliver.

Mallory ordered Tomeka Oliver back in the courtroom, confirmed that she was not Sarah Oliver, and immediately cited her for contempt and ordered her jailed until Sept. 20.

Meanwhile, an arrest warrant was issued for the apprehension of Sarah Oliver.

It's tough to imagine what Tomeka Oliver was thinking.

Huge and unexpected carbon sink found in the Atlantic

Another big hole in the models -- it should reduce CO2 buildup.  Any guesses about whether this new info will be incorporated into the Warmist predictions?

Previously, oceanographers thought the Atlantic Ocean seafloor didn’t spit out as much iron as other regions. However, a recently discovered plume of iron billowing from the depth of the Atlantic Ocean suggests the seafloor may be pumping iron like a young Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The oceanic iron cloud spreads for more than 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) across the Atlantic from west of Angola, Africa, to northeast of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The iron-rich waters flow 1,500 to 3,500 meters (4,921 – 11,482 feet) beneath the surface of the ocean. The complete extent and shape of the iron plume remains to be discovered.

“We had never seen anything like it,” said Mak Saito, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute scientist and lead author of the study, in a press release. “We were sort of shocked—there’s this huge bull’s-eye right in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean. We didn’t quite know what to do with it, because it went contrary to a lot of our expectations.”

“This study and other studies like it are going to force the scientific community to reevaluate how much iron is really being contributed by hydrothermal vents and to increase those estimates, and that has implications for not only iron geochemistry but a number of other disciplines as well,” said Saito. [I wonder which?]

The Atlantic Ocean iron plume may provide a smorgasbord for oceanic phytoplankton, the tiny, plant-like organisms that form the base of many marine food webs.

Those phytoplankton provide food for fish and whales. The plankton also suck in large amounts of carbon dioxide. When the plankton die they can carry that carbon with them to bottom of the ocean.

SOURCE

Posted by John J. Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).

Human Genome Privacy Case

Henrietta Lacks became famous in 2010 after the medical use of her cancer cells was described in Rebecca Skloot's book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. From Amazon.com:

Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells—taken without her knowledge—became one of the most important tools in medicine. The first “immortal” human cells grown in culture, they are still alive today, though she has been dead for more than sixty years. If you could pile all HeLa cells ever grown onto a scale, they’d weigh more than 50 million metric tons—as much as a hundred Empire State Buildings. HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer, viruses, and the atom bomb’s effects; helped lead to important advances like in vitro fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping; and have been bought and sold by the billions.

Although her family is proud of what has been accomplished using HeLa cell research, Henrietta is in the news again after two new projects have brought the question of privacy to light.

This past March, European Molecular Biology Laboratory scientists sequenced Lacks’ genome and published it, which meant anyone could download it. In addition, Nature magazine was about to release a new NIH-sponsored study from the University of Washington that had been done on Lacks’ cells, examining the way that they have survived as no other cells have ever been know (sic) to do. The Lacks family objected when they found out about the two projects.

According to Lacks’ granddaughter, Jeri Lacks Whye,

“The biggest concern was privacy — what information was actually going to be out there about our grandmother, and what information they can obtain from her sequencing that will tell them about her children and grandchildren and going down the line.”

Nature held off on publishing the article and the EMBL took the genome data down while the Lacks family and the [National Institutes of Health] discussed how to proceed, and soon the group settled on a policy with which to go forward.

The "HeLa Genome Data Access Group" will include two members of the Lacks family and will make decisions concerning who will have access to HeLa cell information.

Posted by Note Taker

Feds Threaten To Arrest Email Provider for Closing Rather Than Snoop on Customers

Big Brother doesn't like being thwarted

Recently, encrypted email provider Lavabit closed its doors rather than spy on its customers at the command of the United States government. Lavabit's action was almost immediately echoed by Silent Circle, which preemptively shuttered its encrypted email service and purged users' stored data without warning so that it couldn't be subject to a similar order.

Unfortunately, the government's position seems to be the same as that of the Mafia: If you're told to do business with the mob, you don't get to decide otherwise. Lavabit owner Ladar Levison reportedly faces arrest for his decision to shut down rather than cooperate.

From NBC News:

    "The owner of an encrypted email service used by ex-NSA contractor Edward Snowden said he has been threatened with criminal charges for refusing to comply with a secret surveillance order to turn over information about his customers.

    "I could be arrested for this action," Ladar Levison told NBC News about his decision to shut down his company, Lavabit LLC, in protest over a secret court order he had received from a federal court that is overseeing the investigation into Snowden.

    Lavabit said he was barred by federal law from elaborating on the order or any of his communications with federal prosecutors. But a source familiar with the matter told NBC News that James Trump, a senior litigation counsel in the U.S. attorney’s office in Alexandria, Va., sent an email to Levison's lawyer last Thursday – the day Lavabit was shuttered -- stating that Levison may have "violated the court order," a statement that was interpreted as a possible threat to charge Levison with contempt of court."

Among the people supporting Lavabit and its owner is Ron Paul. The former congressman and presidential candidate is championing Levison in statements to the press and on his new online news service. According to NBC News:

"Among those now backing him is former Texas congressman and Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul, who told NBC News on Tuesday that Levison's legal battle "should be in the interests of everybody who cares about liberty."

Levison may need that support. He says he has been "threatened with arrest multiple times over the past six weeks."

SOURCE

Posted by John J. Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).

Florida Teacher Says "Don't Hit It and Quit It"

(Boca Raton, Florida) A 31-year-old teacher formerly at Mavericks Charter High School in Pompano Beach, Stevie Glasspool, has been arrested for soliciting wagger-wagga from a non-ignorable part of the student population.

Glasspool faces a charge of soliciting a child for unlawful sexual conduct using a computer.

Glasspool, 31, abused her position as a teacher when she used Facebook to solicit sex from at least four victims at Mavericks Charter High School in Pompano Beach.

Glasspool’s victims range in age from 15 to 17. She invited the young students to sleepover at her home in Boca Raton and offered them marijuana as an added incentive.

The teacher’s messages were overt in nature. She wrote “I don’t want you to fall in love with me but I also don’t want you to hit it and quit it either”.

Detectives are convinced that there are more victims. Glasspool was booked into custody at the Broward County Jail with bond set at $25,000.

Virginia Woman Hubba-Hubba and Boy, 15

(Newport News, Virginia) A 34-year-old local woman, Amber Gonzalez, has been accused of engaging in sex with a 15-year-old boy.

Gonzalez faces counts of indecent liberties with a child and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Police said the incident was first reported by the boy's mother in March, and Gonzalez was first arrested on April 11.

On May 15th, a Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court judge ruled that enough probable cause existed to go forward on the felony indecent liberties charge. But the misdemeanor charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, for allegedly having "consensual sex with a child," was dropped by prosecutors.

But on June 10, a Newport News Circuit Court grand jury indicted Gonzalez on both charges.

Details on arrest and booking are unavailable.

PA School Coach, Girl(16), Slurpy-Slurp

(West Chester, Pennsylvania) A 28-year-old softball coach at Delaware County Christian School (DCCS), Lana Trotter, has been accused of engaging in an inappropriate sexual relationship with one of the girls on her team.

Trotter faces counts of institutional sexual assault and corruption of a minor.

According to the affidavit, the parents of the minor found out about the relationship after reading inappropriate text messages on their daughter’s cell phone.

When questioned, the minor admitted that she and Trotter had been sexually active for a “few years” while the two were at DCCS.

The girl’s parents then reported the relationship to police.

Trotter was booked and released on bond.

Conquering the Matterhorn

Good news this week regarding the Matterhorn, the iconic peak of the Alps.

Matterhorn
But first, let's look back, anecdotally.

Reportedly in the last 150 years over 500 climbers have died trying to conquer 14,690-foot Matterhorn in Switzerland. The first successful reaching of the summit occurred in 1865 when, after two days of climbing, Englishman Edward Whymper, leading a team of seven, topped the mountain.

Sadly, tragedy struck on their descent.

The steep terrain below the summit quickly tested the team, and they roped together as a string of seven so that several climbers would always be in a secure position. Inching down, the guide Michel Croz had to help the inexperienced Douglas Hadow by placing his feet into the holds. Then, the glory of their first ascent of the Matterhorn was forever tainted when Hadow fell, knocking Croz off his awkward stance as well. The two men slid at first, arms outstretched in an attempt to save themselves. Charles Hudson’s attempt to stop the fall failed, and he too started sliding. Now with three men falling, Francis Douglas was yanked from his position.

Whymper watched in horror as four of his companions slid away from him. Later he wrote, “Every night, do you understand, I see my comrades of the Matterhorn slipping on their backs, their arms outstretched, one after the other, in perfect order at equal distances — Croz, the guide, first, then Hadow, then Hudson, and lastly Douglas. Yes, I shall always see them.”

The four bounced and tumbled for 4,000 feet.

Regarding the good news, on Wednesday Spanish climber Killian Jornet Burgada ascended and descended the Matterhorn in a "back-to-back time of just two hours 52 minutes."

So, even though the Matterhorn has been insurmountable for hundreds of climbers, Senor Burgada accomplished the task in less time than I devote to watching a Monday Night Football game. Bravo!

Illinois Woman Gets 20 Years in Child Sex Case

(Alton, Illinois) A married local woman, Danielle Armstrong, 23, has been prosecuted and sentenced for sexually assaulting a five-year-old girl. Danielle received 20 years in prison.

Her husband, David Armstrong, 34, is scheduled to be sentenced next week for the same crime.

Both Danielle and her husband pleaded guilty in May to predatory criminal sexual assault of a child.

The two were arrested after the victim told her grandmother what happened to her, who in turn notified police. News of the crime has shaken up the Saint Louis, Missouri suburb.

Lieutenant Scott Golike told the MailOnline that nothing like this incident has ever happened on his watch. 'It's a horrible crime,' Lieutenant Golike said.

David and Danielle Armstrong were arrested on Wednesday after a tip came through the Illinois state sexual abuse hotline, police told the MailOnline.

The sex abuse occurred between July 2011 and July 2012.

Florida Educator Accused in Student Sex Scandal

(Bay County, Florida) The Athletic Director at Arnold High School, Karissa Wesley, has been accused of engaging in an inappropriate relationship with a student.

Wesley was suspended from her job by Bay District Schools Superintendent Bill Husfelt.

Wesley's career started to unravel two weeks ago when a former Arnold High School teacher sent a letter to the school district.

The e-mail contained a letter from a former student, identified as student #1, that says he and his best friend, student #2, smoked with Wesley and another teacher on multiple occasions, stayed the night and drank with them.

He also says he heard student #2 "pound (Wesley) more than 10 times."

This alleged relationship began in 2011, when the two teenagers were students at Arnold High and before Wesley was named the Athletic Director.

"Mr. Husfelt has suspended the employee with pay and will be recommending her termination at Tuesday's school board meeting," said Sharon Michalik, Executive Director of Human Resources and Employee Support Services.

At present, no criminal charges are anticipated.

School Bookkeeper Possibly Saved Many Lives

A bookkeeper in the front office at a Georgia elementary school is being credited with protecting hundreds of people from harm as she kept her cool and talked down an armed gunman. The man said he had planned to kill police and expected his life to end that day.

Police said Wednesday that Antoinette Tuff was heroic in how she responded after being taken hostage a day earlier by Michael Brandon Hill, a 20-year-old man with a history of mental health issues. Hill went to the school armed with an AK 47-style rifle and nearly 500 rounds of ammunition, police said. On a recording of a 911 call released Wednesday, Tuff can be heard relaying messages from Hill to DeKalb County emergency dispatchers before convincing him to surrender. She tells the dispatcher that Hill said he wasn't there to hurt the children but wanted to talk to an unarmed officer.

"We're not gonna hate you, baby. It's a good thing that you're giving up," Tuff says after having Hill put his weapons and ammunition on the counter. Tuff tells Hill she loves him and will pray for him.

She spoke with the man for nearly an hour before he surrendered. A real feel-good story. Thank you, Mrs. Tuff!

Posted by Note Taker

Biomass Fuel and the new Environmentalism

Tree huggers?  Pshaw!  Greenies are hot to cut trees down!

Posted by John J. Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.). 

Vacation in Syria

(Damascus, Syria) Two weeks of Bedouin and Arab culture await visitors who journey back in time and tour the enchanted land of Syria for a mere USD $1,400.

Haggle at oriental bazaars and admire mosques in Aleppo, explore the gothic cloisters of a medieval crusader fortress, wander the mystical city of Petra and roam the red sands of Wadi Rum.

During the tour you can also enjoy the warm hospitality of nomadic Bedouin people in the desert and lose yourself in the labyrinthine alleys of Damascus's old city.

UPDATE: Adventure tour operators suggest there may be scheduling changes due to domestic difficulties.

Consult your travel agent.

Florida Woman Pinched for Child Porn

(Pace, Florida) A 34-year-old local woman, Virginia Wolfe, has been accused of engaging in the production of child pornography.

Wolfe was arrested on charges of capital sexual assault and production of child pornography.

The charges stem from a relationship Wolfe had with a former Santa Rosa County school bus driver, Lee Calvin Pardue, 43 of Milton, who was arrested in 2012 and charged with six sexually-related felonies, including capital sexual assault, promoting a sexual performance by a child and possession of child pornography. He remains in jail on a $6.1 million bond.

Pardue was arrested last year for allegedly providing a minor with alcohol and molesting the victim. After police served the warrant and arrested the man, they say they found digital evidence of the crime.

The report states a victim made allegations she was in a sexual relationship with both Wolfe and Pardue.

Wolfe was booked into custody at the Santa Rosa County Jail without bond.

Virginia Woman Accused of Stealing School Funds

(Caroline County, Virginia) The 42-year-old treasurer for the booster clubs at Caroline County High School, Michelle Sullivan, has been accused of theft from the athletic and music programs.

Reportedly, Sullivan stole more than $7,000.

She was charged with embezzlement after an investigation found she wrote checks from the booster club to a personal account, sheriffs said. Investigators say checks were written for cash and personal expenses.

Deputies arrested her after an investigation revealed that there was only $14 left in the school's bank account, according to the Free-Lance Star.

Details on booking are unavailable.

Upstate Woman Accused of Threatening Obama

(Rochester, New York) A 37-year-old local woman, Christine Wright Darrisaw, has been indicted for threatening to kill President Obama.

U.S. Attorney William Hochul said Christine Wright Darrisaw, 37, was detained after several recent arrests and run-ins with police.

According to the government motion, Darrisaw was arrested by Rochester police officers for disorderly conduct on July 12. On July 25, a warrant was issued by her arrest after investigators said she entered the Rochester Library, which she is banned from.

In a written statement, Hochul’s office said that, on August 12, Darrisaw threatened another person at the Webster Avenue Rec Center, telling the victim “My husband has guns. I’m gonna shoot you! I’ll shoot every guy here, and I’ll kill anyone that touches my kids!” According to the State Attorney, she also made reference to President Obama again on that day.

A detention hearing is scheduled for August 23.

Jobs Movie Controversy

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak is in a pissing contest with Ashton Kutcher over the new Steve Jobs biographical movie, Jobs. Wozniak said the movie is riddled with inaccuracies.

Kutcher said that Woz is just disparaging the film because he's being paid to consult on a different Jobs film. That made Woz even crosser, saying that Kutcher has made 'disingenuous' and 'wrong' statements about him.

The spat, over the newly-released biopic entitled Jobs has played out in the columns of the tabloids.

The newly-released biopic of Apple founder Steve Jobs, entitled Jobs, has resulted in a furious exchange between Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and the film's lead, Ashton Kutcher.

Elite infighting, eh?

Kansas Teacher Gets Diversion in Drug Case - Update

(Great Bend, Kansas)

The case of a former teacher facing felony drug charges is wrapping up, with Angela Renee Foote receiving a diversion agreement.[...]

Felony drug charges against Foote were dismissed, leaving misdemeanor charges of possession of marijuana and possession of paraphernalia. The state will not seek prosecution on those charges if she abides by the terms of the agreement, filed last week in Barton County District Court.

“The Barton County Attorney’s Office, after examining all reports concerning the incident, believes that it is in the best interest of all parties concerned that prosecution of this matter not now proceed, and that the defendant be diverted from the criminal justice system,” according to court records.

Okay.

* * * * *
Kansas Teacher Faces Drug Charges
[Previous 9/22/12 post]
(Great Bend, Kansas) A special education teacher at Great Bend Middle School, Angela Foote, has been accused of multiple drug charges including methamphetamine, marijuana, and drug paraphernalia.

Foote faces multiple charges including possession of meth, conspiracy to commit or use a facility for drug transaction, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

USD 428 did confirm she was arrested on the property but away from students and faculty.

"And out of the sight of students, the arrest concerns activities occurring away from school property and are not related to her duties as a teacher," said Jennifer Schartz, USD 428 Public Information Director.

Foote has been suspended with pay, and her live-in boyfriend was also arrested at a separate location.

Foote was booked into custody with bond set at $25,000.

IPCC: Last 30-year period warmest of last 800 years

Obvious question:  So why was it so warm 800 years ago?  Coal-fired power stations back then?

The Washington Post reports:

    The latest review of climate science from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), though not finalized, is making the rounds. The prevailing headline is that the panel is more certain than ever that most of the warming observed in recent decades is human-caused. It’s level of certainty has increased from at least 90 percent in 2007 to at least 95 percent in the new report.

    Officials from the IPCC stress that the leaked draft is not its final product. A government review is ongoing, so some of the conclusions may be altered. But here are some of the more interesting preliminary findings…

SOURCE

Posted by John J. Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).

Carolina Teacher Popped for Pills

(New Hanover County, North Carolina) An English teacher at New Hanover High School, Catherine Entrocaso, has been indicted by a grand jury for possession of a Schedule II narcotic.

According to court documents, Entrocaso was arrested with 13 Adderall pills in non-prescription bottles, without a label.

Entrocaso, an English teacher at New Hanover High School, was suspended from her position after being charged, and Monday's indictment means a grand jury has found enough evidence to allow prosecutors to pursue the case further.

Officials with the New Hanover County School System confirmed Tuesday that the status Entrocaso's employment is still listed as suspended with pay.

Details on arrest and booking are unavailable.

Oregon Princess Accused of Hawking Booze at Cockfight

(Portland, Oregon) The daughter of the last king of Romania, Irina Walker, 60, has been arrested for allegedly selling food and alcohol at a cockfight.

Irina's husband, John Walker, faces counts of running an illegal gambling operation and conspiring to violate the Animal Welfare Act.

In a search warrant affidavit unsealed this week, federal investigators allege that videos show the Walkers selling food and alcohol at some of the 10 cockfighting derbies attended by confidential informants between January 2012 and May 2013.

The cockfights were allegedly held on a ranch in Irrigon, Ore., where the couple lived in a triple-wide manufactured home.

Both Walkers await prosecution in federal court.

Researchers Find Alzheimer's Link to Copper

(Rochester, New York) Interesting science news.

New research finds that copper in amounts readily found in our drinking water, the foods we eat and the vitamin supplements we take likely plays a key role in initiating and fueling the abnormal protein build-up and brain inflammation that are hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease.

While the mineral is important to healthy nerve conduction, hormone secretion and the growth of bones and connective tissue, a team of researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Center suggested that too much of it may be a bad thing, and they set about to explore copper's dark side.

What they found, said neuroscientist Rashid Deane, is "pretty scary": A steady diet of copper, even at entirely allowable levels, breaks down the barrier that keeps unwanted toxins from entering the brain, and that it fuels an increase in production of beta-amyloid but impedes the performance of proteins that clear the stuff from the brain.

My, oh my!

Wingsuit Flying Death



(French Alps) Another fatal wingsuit 'accident' occurred this week, making three total for the week and five for the summer ... thus far.

In the latest death to hit the sport of wingsuit flying, a 41-year-old Frenchman was killed on Saturday after jumping from the summit of the Dent de l’Arclusaz (2, 041m) near the village of Saint-Pierre d’Albigny.

The alarm was raised when the man's friend, who also took part in the jump, did not see him land. The emergency services, with the help of a helicopter search team, managed to find the victim's body at around 8pm.

“It is not yet clear what exactly happened,” an officer from the French gendarmes told French media.

I know. He crashed into the side of a mountain at 150 MPH. I'm guessing the French cops are slowly investigating.

USAF Bomber Crashes in Montana

B1B Crash Site, August 19, 2013
(Sioux Falls, South Dakota)

A B-1B bomber crashed in a remote area of southeastern Montana on Monday, but its four crew members survived after ejecting from the South Dakota-based aircraft, Air Force officials said.

Two pilots and two weapons system officers ejected before the bomber crashed about 9:30 a.m. near Broadus, Montana, said Col. Kevin Kennedy, commander of the 28th Bomb Wing. He said they were taken by ambulance and air to two South Dakota hospitals, but none of them suffered life-threatening injuries.

Makes quite a mess, eh?

California Teacher Pinched for Drugs

(Redlands, California) A 40-year-old physical education and dance teacher at Clement Middle School, Jennifer Tena Krogman, has been arrested on illegal drug charges.

Krogman faces counts of possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana, being under the influence of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Redlands police Lt. Travis Martinez said Thursday that police received a report that Krogman had a small amount of methamphetamine and was packaging it to be mailed.

She was arrested on Apollo Way in Beaumont. Krogman was cited at Central Detention Center in San Bernardino and released. Martinez said police are continuing to investigate Krogman.

Details on booking and release are unavailable.