Local Color

[wabmester]

I don't pay much attention to world events, but I follow local news pretty closely. Here's some of the recent excitement in our city of 20,000+:

2 middle-school girls tried to poison their teacher with artificial strawberry flavoring (the teacher was allergic to strawberries, and they were afraid they'd kill her with real strawberries)

A 20-something burned a bunch of love letters from his ex-girlfriend and accidently burned down the scorekeeper's shack on the baseball field

A young girl in our neighborhood is raising a couple goats as part of her 4H project. Neighbors basically called the cops on her for a trumped-up technical violation.

A city administrator forced a city councilman to take down his treehouse as part of a campaign of political retribution.

On the brighter side, there was a report of some kids volunteering for a local museum of flight to maintain the planes. After a few years, they get free flying lessons and a pilot's license out of the deal.

And our local chess club kicked butt at the Big Meet!

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

By Juan Ortega & Jamie Malernee
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Posted March 30 2007, 1:30 PM EDT

FORT LAUDERDALE -- Officers on Friday identified the cop driving the unmarked police car that struck and killed a pedestrian crossing Sistrunk Boulevard last night as Christopher Young-Tem, a five-year veteran of the force...The death fanned an already-existing resentment of the police in the black community....

...They said the speed of the car and force of the impact sent his body flying. His legs detached and landed several yards from his body, they said.

 

[haha]

I don't pay much attention to world events, but I follow local news pretty closely. Here's some of the recent excitement in our city of 20,000+:

Here's my favorite local news item- a 17 year old boy was having a sexual relationship with a 14 year old girl. Her parents invited the boy to live in their home. Later it was discovered that the boy is in fact a 30 year old woman.

They used to put these things in Ripley's.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/310396_fakeid05.html

Ha

 

[justin]

It's been a month now, but the townhome development across the road from me was engulfed in a massive fire that swept through the development and destroyed a few dozen homes (probably 1/2 the neighborhood).

The townhome development is 190' from my front yard. The fire was supposedly started by an improperly discarded cigarette butt and very high winds. If the winds were blowing the other way, my house probably would have been gone, too.

Here's a link to pics:

http://www.wral.com/news/local/image_gallery/1211391/

As rubberneckers, we walked through the burnt-out neighborhood the next morning to view the damage. Pretty powerful sight. Probably a dozen units were completely flattened to the ground and all that remained was literally a pile of ashes a foot deep. Some residents were there shoveling through the ashes looking for anything left. One guy was there taking scrap metal out of his destroyed unit presumably to sell for a little cash to get by on.

 

[Achiever51]

It's been a month now, but the townhome development across the road from me was engulfed in a massive fire that swept through the development and destroyed a few dozen homes (probably 1/2 the neighborhood).

The townhome development is 190' from my front yard. The fire was supposedly started by an improperly discarded cigarette butt and very high winds. If the winds were blowing the other way, my house probably would have been gone, too.

WOW! A discarded cigarette caused that? Looks more like a crystal meth lab that exploded! The amount of damage is unbelievable! How very sad.

 

[brewer12345]

A little dated, but: http://independent.gmnews.com/news/2006/0927/Front_page/042.html

Including my personal favorite:

"Joseph "Joey Buses" McCurnin, former Monmouth County Division of Transportation operations manager. Charged Feb. 22, 2005, with extortion under color of official right. Pleaded guilty Feb. 9, 2006. "

 

[Nords]

"Joey Buses"

I was outside Blaisdell Arena yesterday (the state's high school science fair, an amazing event for another post) and read a plaque outside the building.

It was a list of the mayor & city-council members who brought the exhibition hall to us in 1995. One had been peremptorily voted down in every election since their term expired, another one has been indicted, a third has been disbarred, and the fourth is still on post-release parole...

 

[brewer12345]

I was outside Blaisdell Arena yesterday (the state's high school science fair, an amazing event for another post) and read a plaque outside the building.

It was a list of the mayor & city-council members who brought the exhibition hall to us in 1995. One had been peremptorily voted down in every election since their term expired, another one has been indicted, a third has been disbarred, and the fourth is still on post-release parole...

There is a Terry Pratchett book where he jokes about a place where the elected officials are immediately taken off to jail as soon as they win their election, since they are then self-evidently crooks.

 

[Mwsinron]

Ive learned one thing. Sometimes dont look to close. Because the things you see might make you want to throw up slightly in your mouth.

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

a 17 year old boy was having a sexual relationship with a 14 year old girl. Her parents invited the boy to live in their home. Later it was discovered that the boy is in fact a 30 year old woman.

i just knew someone was gonna beat my detached legs story.

 

[justin]

WOW! A discarded cigarette caused that? Looks more like a crystal meth lab that exploded! The amount of damage is unbelievable! How very sad.

The landscaping around the townhomes was mostly dry pine straw. The wind was gusting 40-50 mph. It was very dry and warm that day. My guess is by the time the fire was noticed, there wasn't much they could do to extinguish it. The shopping center next door was close to burning down, too (all the juniper bushes around it were burnt completely). Hot embers were airborn for hundreds of feet from the fire site. Smoke plumes probably 100' in the air in spite of the high crosswinds.

 

[Martha]

We were listening to the news from Shreveport, Louisiana a couple of weeks ago. A man and woman were walking down a busy highway each wearing just their underpants. The police picked them up; they were clearly high and they mentioned something about kids. The police searched and found a baby and a toddler near the road, wrapped up in the parents clothes, along with needles and other drug paraphernalia. Kids were OK.

 

[Mwsinron]

We were listening to the news from Shreveport, Louisiana a couple of weeks ago. A man and woman were walking down a busy highway each wearing just their underpants. The police picked them up; they were clearly high and they mentioned something about kids. The police searched and found a baby and a toddler near the road, wrapped up in the parents clothes, along with needles and other drug paraphernalia. Kids were OK.

What the hell is the matter with people.

 

[Khan]

http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070405/NEWS01/704050403/-1/CINCI
(picture at site)

A Wayne Township volunteer firefighter is scheduled to appear today in Mason Municipal Court on drunken driving and other charges after he was found wearing a woman's blond wig and bikini in a public park.

Steven S. Cole, 46, Waynesville, was arrested about 5 p.m. Tuesday at Heritage Oak Park off U.S. 42 after Mason police received a report of an intoxicated man. Cole was charged with drunken driving, having an open container, public indecency and disorderly conduct.

 

[jazz4cash]

The landscaping around the townhomes was mostly dry pine straw. The wind was gusting 40-50 mph. It was very dry and warm that day. My guess is by the time the fire was noticed, there wasn't much they could do to extinguish it. The shopping center next door was close to burning down, too (all the juniper bushes around it were burnt completely). Hot embers were airborn for hundreds of feet from the fire site. Smoke plumes probably 100' in the air in spite of the high crosswinds.

the meth lab explanation makes more sense to me. the smoke plume looks fairly vertical for that much gusting...........i hope you have good fire insurance.

 

[ronin]

Hot item in the valley here recently is gangs using cheap, easy financing to buy upscale homes with little to no money down and convert them into indoor marijuana grows. Very sophisticated operations. Suburban neighborhoods with a large Asian pop. are finding out why they never see anyone taking out the trash next door.

 

[Achiever51]

Here's a new use for Craigslist......

TACOMA — Many people have had success buying, selling and swapping goods on the Web site craigslist, but one Tacoma woman says she was robbed.

Laurie Raye said she had everything stripped from her home after someone placed a fake ad on the San Francisco-based Internet site, a collection of online classifieds.

“The instigator who published this ad invited the public to come in and vandalize me,” Raye told Seattle television station KING.

Raye had recently evicted a tenant and cleaned out the rental.

Someone, perhaps the evicted tenant, posted an ad on Craigslist saying everything in the house was available for anyone who wanted to stop by and take it. Even the doors and vinyl siding were taken, according to the story.

 

[justin]

the meth lab explanation makes more sense to me. the smoke plume looks fairly vertical for that much gusting...........i hope you have good fire insurance.

Mebbe. Check out pics 3, 4, 5, 8, 11, 13, 14, 19. Pretty evident, from those angles, that there was a lot of gusting. Maybe 80' vertical plumes, but that is mostly from the intense heat creating strong updrafts.

Oh yeah, I also saw it first hand and can verify those 40+ mph gusts. Could have been a meth lab, but the fire investigators didn't note anything of the sort.

 

[dumpster56]

I remember the day, we were outside in Cary and saw the smoke. Wind was easily 50+ in gusts and rain? heck it has been bone dry in these parts for the past 6 weeks. So you live near Brentwood??

We better get some rain down here soon or the woods are gonna burn all around the triangle.

 

[justin]

I remember the day, we were outside in Cary and saw the smoke. Wind was easily 50+ in gusts and rain? heck it has been bone dry in these parts for the past 6 weeks. So you live near Brentwood??

Yep - I live in brentwood. It was bone dry before the fire started. It rained a lot the next day or two after the fire because I remember being concerned about runoff from the burnt houses running into my lake with who knows what kind of heavy metals and other contaminants that were melted/vaporized during the fire and left in the ashes.

 

[dumpster56]

Yep - I live in brentwood. It was bone dry before the fire started. It rained a lot the next day or two after the fire because I remember being concerned about runoff from the burnt houses running into my lake with who knows what kind of heavy metals and other contaminants that were melted/vaporized during the fire and left in the ashes.

Now that is funny my wife grew up in Brentwood in the 60s!

Went to the elementary school there.

Small world, we were there last week walking around. I should ask her what street the house was on. It is in great condition. Whoever owns it now has added a real nice addition and has taken care of the house. The place must be pushing 60 years old. She also showed me the old swim club that they went to. I am starting to get my southern wings now. It feels good, but man its cold today !

 

[justin]

Now that is funny my wife grew up in Brentwood in the 60s!

Went to the elementary school there.

Small world, we were there last week walking around. I should ask her what street the house was on. It is in great condition. Whoever owns it now has added a real nice addition and has taken care of the house. The place must be pushing 60 years old. She also showed me the old swim club that they went to. I am starting to get my southern wings now. It feels good, but man its cold today !

Small world, huh? PM me and let me know which house/street it is! It's still pretty nice walking around the neighborhood. All the dogwoods, azaleas and cherry trees are in bloom right now. This is the best time of the year.

I grew up here for a while when I was very young. My bro went to the elementary school here, too. Then I moved back a few years ago. Not the nicest neighborhood in town, but a great value for what I paid.

 

[Sundance Kid]

12 year old, admits to placing fecal material, in peas, at the local school cafeteria.
(pictures are unavailable)

No one has reported being sick but, peas are no longer on the menu.

 

[DRiP Guy]

I was outside Blaisdell Arena yesterday (the state's high school science fair, an amazing event for another post) and read a plaque outside the building.

It was a list of the mayor & city-council members who brought the exhibition hall to us in 1995. One had been peremptorily voted down in every election since their term expired, another one has been indicted, a third has been disbarred, and the fourth is still on post-release parole...

You had me confused, until I saw exhibition hall, since the arena has been around since Elvis ... looks like a lot has been added to it since I was last around...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neal_Blaisdell_Center

(Oh, and go Menehunes!)

 

[Nords]

Oh, and go Menehunes!

I'd make some sort of humorous comment about how any team named the "Menehunes" is bound to strike fear & trembling into the hearts of their opponents, but our kid is still trying to figure out why I snicker every time she cheers for her high school's "Trojans"...