Man dressed as priest sought for Halloween assault
Durango police are investigating an assault that involved a priest, a pope and a Good Samaritan. Sgt Deck Shaline tells The Durango Herald the suspect, who was dressed as a priest for Halloween, punched the victim and knocked him unconscious, then kicked him in the head several times.
The suspect was seen after the assault entering a bar accompanied by another man who was dressed as the Pope. Shaline says a Good Samaritan who intervened in the attack prevented the injuries from being much worse. The victim, whose name has not been released, was hospitalised but has since been released.
The assault happened while officers were responding to several other 911 calls around town following the zombie march on Halloween.
(AP)
Seattle’s ‘gum wall’ to be cleaned after 20 years
After 20 years of people sticking their gum to the walls of an alley by Seattle’s Pike Place Market, officials say it is time for a clean-up.
Pike Place Market announced last week it will take down the estimated 1 million pieces of gum off the walls of Post Alley. Known as the gum wall, the sticky landmark has become a popular attraction to visitors and locals. Besides gum, people leave pictures, business cards and other mementos. Some pieces of gum were shaped into hearts and messages.
Tourist Katri Mattsson said the gum wall was “pretty gross,” but also “in way very impressive.” The market has hired a contractor that will use steam to melt off the gum. Pressure washing damages the historic building too much.
(Yahoo)
california calf thinks it’s a dog
In a classic case of mistaken identity, Goliath, an eight-week-old calf, believes he’s a dog. The Hubbs family, that lives on a ranch in Danville, California, took Goliath in after their daughter Shaylee, a 17-year-old high school senior, rescued him from being slaughtered. Goliath was small and weak when the family first took him in, but the Hubbs have treated Goliath so well the young calf believes he fits right in with the rest of the family’s pets. A photo of Goliath on the couch recently gained attention on Twitter.
“I’m pretty sure he thinks he’s a dog,” Hubbs told ABC News. “He was raised with our three dogs, and he’s around them every day. They chase and play together, he watches how they eat their dog food and drink water from their bowls and copies them and he even lays in their dog beds. He even loves scratches on his neck around his ear.”
Goliath has a special relationship with the family’s Great Dane, leonidas, who has taught Goliath tricks such as sneaking into the house to have a seat on the couch. The two are so close that Goliath once tried to nurse from the male Great Dane, mistaking it for his mother. While the family’s ranch is home to several other farm animals, Goliath’s antics have made him quite popular on social media.
(UPI)
Bored juror’s Facebook posts lead to mistrial in case
A New York juror was fined $1,000 and her case was declared a mistrial after she posted details and complaints about her “boredom” on Facebook. Kimberly Ellis was found in contempt of court and slapped with a $1,000 fine after a Facebook friend tipped off prosecutors and Queens Supreme Court Justice Ira Margulis to her social media posts about the case and jury deliberations.
“Everything about this process is inefficient,” she wrote in a Facebook post. “I’m trying to remain positive and centered but, truthfully, I’m dying from boredom.” Ellis later shared her frustration with jury deliberations. “God help me,” she wrote. “The other jurors don’t trust the police and want to outright dismiss the confessions as well as the majority of the rest of the evidence. Tomorrow is going to be a very difficult day.”
Ellis said she now recognises the error of her actions. “I continued my personal life as if I was not there to judge a trial,” she told The New York Daily News. “It was my first time as a juror, and I was naive.”
The defendant in the case, Sandess Pierre, 42 was charged with a felony count of first-degree robbery in connection with a 2014 incident.
Margulis said Ellis’ actions wasted “thousands of dollars. “We have the court reporter, the clerk, and everybody else associated with the case and including the district attorney’s time and effort and defence counsel.”
(UPI)
Company launches Bernie Sanders-inspired underwears
Employees of a Vermont company have launched a side business selling underwear featuring a black-and-white drawing of the face of Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.
NECN reports that the underwear, which features the message “Feel the Bern,” is available for men and women and costs $15 plus shipping and handling. The three workers with KSE Partners, a strategic communications and Government affairs firm, say they created Bernie’s Briefs as a fun side business.
The Vermont Senator has said recently on late night TV and talk shows that he prefers briefs over boxers. The start-up’s founders called Sanders’ passion for serious issues admirable. One founder says the political process has benefited from his campaign.
(AP)