WEIRD NEWS

No, You May Not Juggle at Your Trial

Meanwhile in Massachusetts... Orlando Melendez got some bad news. A judge has denied his request to juggle during his trial to show jurors he was just clowning around when he allegedly tried to rob a convenience store. Yes - juggle ! In his court petition, Melendez wrote of himself, "The keystone to his defense is: He's literally a clown!" But a judge said no way. Melendez has pleaded not guilty to charges he used a toy gun to try to rob a convenience store in December. The 20-year-old man, who is representing himself, asked that he be allowed to juggle three wads of paper for 20 seconds to show jurors that the alleged attempted robbery was a misunderstanding. Jury selection is set to begin June 8. (Springfield Republican)

Ben and Jerry's Strange New Rule to Support Marriage Equality

Ice cream giant Ben and Jerry's has come up with an interesting protest supporting gay rights and marriage equality in Australia. Saying, "Love comes in all flavors," the company's 26 stores in Australia have "banned" serving of two scoops of the same kind of ice cream until same-sex marriage is legalized in the country. In a statement, Ben and Jerry's asks customers to imagine how furious being denied a double scoop of their favorite flavor would make them. "But this doesn't even begin to compare to how furious you would be if you were told you were not allowed to marry the person you love," it adds. Ben & Jerry's stores are also placing brightly colored mailboxes on their countertops for customers to add post cards with their stories, which they'll deliver to parliament by its final session on June 13. Recent polls show that most Australians support gay marriage, but legislation to legalize it remains mired in limbo. (NBC News)

Nurse From Hell Should Rot in Hell

A Texas nurse who is already in prison for the 1982 killing of a toddler has just been charged with murder in the death of an infant a year earlier. Far worse, authorities now think 66-year-old Genene Jones may have killed up to 60 young children around that time. Jones is serving concurrent 99-year and 60-year sentences for the 1982 killing of 15-month-old Chelsea McClelland and the sickening of a 4-week-old boy who survived. The girl was given a fatal injection of a muscle relaxant and the boy received a large injection of a blood thinner. But Jones was due to be freed next March under a mandatory release law that was in place when she was convicted. That's off now that she's been charged in the 1981 death of 11-month-old Joshua Sawyer, who investigators say died of a fatal overdose of an anti-seizure drug, Dilantin. During Jones' time working in Texas hospitals and clinics, children died of unexplained seizures and other complications. At a news conference District Attorney Nico LaHood said investigators believe Jones may have killed some or all of those children because they died under unusual circumstances during or shortly after her shifts. It's not clear why Jones' actions, involving so many suspected victims, were not detected earlier. Prosecutors at Jones' 1984 murder trial believed she lethally injected children there to demonstrate the need for a pediatric intensive care unit at a nearby hospital. Other prosecutors theorized that Jones' tactic was to take swift medical action and save some of her victims, making herself appear to be a sort of miracle worker. (Newser)

And Then There's the Mom From Hell

In Utah, 39-year-old Tori Lee Castillo is facing child abuse charges in what witnesses are describing as an appalling incident. She allegedly locked her two children, ages 2 and 5, in the trunk of her car while she left to shop at a local Walmart. The Riverdale City Police Department got a call Thursday after a witness reported seeing Castillo put her kids in the trunk. Utah police said, "The small children ... began making noise and moving frantically, causing the vehicle to shake." Fortunately, several good Samaritans saw it happen and ran to aid the kids. Police say, "Those good Samaritans coached the 5-year-old on how to open the trunk using an emergency latch. One witness said, "I was shocked, I was shaken, and I was mad." Castillo was arrested as soon as she returned to her car. (CNN)

You Made Me Eat Pork! That Ought To Be Worth About $100 Million

In Detroit, 32-year-old Mohamad Bazzi is Muslim. And he figures Little Caesars Pizza owes him $100 Million bucks because he claims he was served and accidentally ate pork, a food prohibited in his religion. Bazzi says he ordered a halal pepperoni pizza advertised at Little Caesars - meaning that it meets Islamic guidelines - kind like kosher food for Jewish folks. However, after he took the pizza home and began eating with his wife, he realized the pepperoni was not halal. Bazzi previously worked at a pizza shop and says he knows the difference. His wife, a converted Muslim, says she tasted the difference having grown up eating pork. According to court documents, the pair say they became sick and filed a police report three days later. Bazzi returned to the franchise and ordered another halal pepperoni pizza, which he claims again contained pork. When he complained in a recorded conversation, the manager claimed he asked for a regular pepperoni pizza with a halal sticker on the box, which he denies. Bazzi is suing the company to the tune of $100 million. Little Caesars won't comment on pending litigation, but say they are taking the claim "very seriously." (Detroit News)

America is Divided About 50/50...in the 8th Grade

It's no secret that politically speaking, America is bitterly divided - about 50/50. Apparently so is the 8th grade. During a class trip to Washington, DC, half the visiting students from New Jersey's South Orange Middle School 8th grade class refused to have their photo made with Speaker of the House Paul Ryan when given the opportunity. About 100 kids on the trip said they oppose Ryan's policies and chose to stand across the street in a parking lot while Ryan posed with the rest of the class. "It's not just a picture," says student Matthew Malespina, who texted his mother, Elissa, for advice when he discovered the House speaker would be on the trip's agenda. Elissa, a school librarian, responded that he could simply say he'd "rather not." She said, "I'm proud of him, and I'm proud of the other students that chose to exercise their constitutional rights and did so in a respectful manner." Other parents were not as pleased with the decision, saying it was disrespectful to the speaker's office. Student Miles Handelman said, "I thought it would be very cool just seeing the man who is the third most powerful man in our country. It would be cool, even if you disagree with him." When later asked about the protest, a spokesperson for Ryan said he "always appreciates the opportunity to welcome students to the Capitol." What? (Washington Post)

What the What?

As if Manchester police don't have enough on their plate in light of the recent devastating terror attack, a couple of neighbors who can't get along felt it was important to waste their time. We'll grant you - this was no ordinary neighbor's dispute. This one involved a dead gold fish covered in cheese being mailed from one neighbor to the other. The surreal scenario was shared by officers who tweeted: "Today we've dealt with a neighbor dispute where a dead goldfish covered in cheese has been posted through a letterbox. I kid you not." (Metro)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

City Page Survey

Fall Book Discussion and Movie Series

Book discussion group to meet