Monday, January 6, 2020

Oklahoma man on meth steals car from porn video store with goat and guy inside, drives through 3 states, leads cops on low-speed chase

An early morning chase involving the Creek County Sheriff’s Office, Sand Springs Police and Oklahoma Highway Patrol ended with the arrest of a carjacking suspect out of Missouri. An arrest report said two men stopped at an adult video store in Missouri last Wednesday (1/1) morning. The report said the driver of the truck went inside the store, but the passenger stayed inside the pickup and fell asleep. When the 40-year-old male passenger woke up, a masked man was driving the truck and pointing a gun at the passenger’s head. They drove through Kansas, Missouri and then to Oklahoma, while holding the victim against his will. The driver ingested methamphetamine, pistol whipped the victim and continually threatened him with the gun. OHP said the victim called 911 after the driver finally let him and a goat out of the truck in rural Creek County. Creek County deputies called OnStar and tracked down the stolen truck in Sand Springs, the arrest report states. The Sand Springs Police tried to stop the truck, but the driver kept going, starting a pursuit. The arrest report said OnStar was able to slow down the truck to about 15 MPH, then a Creek County Deputy used stop sticks to flatten the truck’s tires, but  even with flat tires, the criminal kept driving and an OHP Trooper performed a Tactical Vehicle Intervention maneuver, which pushed the truck into a ditch and ended the chase. The driver jumped out of the truck and ran, staring a short foot pursuit. While on the run, investigators said he dropped a mask and gun, which were both recovered by law enforcement. The report said a deputy found Kirby trying to hide in some tall grass next to a drainage ditch. Oklahoma Department of Corrections records show man was recently released from prison and has multiple convictions out of Creek, Osage and Okmulgee Counties. The arrest report shows he was wanted in Osage County for second degree burglary. (News On 6)

KKK flyer spotted in Bethany evoking outrage on social media

A concerned father is speaking out, taking a stand after he said his son spotted a KKK flyer at a Bethany gas station. He posted the photo and his concern to Facebook, condemning the flyer as actively recruiting for a hate group. According to a Rose State political science professor, there is evidence of an uptick in white supremacy groups, and that could be for a number of reasons, including a backlash towards changing social trends, and rhetoric by politicians that may have made people with radical perspectives more comfortable talking about them. However, he also pointed out that white supremacists represent a small percentage of the population and the fact that generally when people do see a flyer or something like this one, it evokes more outrage than interest. In this case, the professor said he’s not entirely convinced the flyer is an effort to recruit because hate groups have found more sophisticated ways of getting people on board. The concerned father said his post has gotten some criticism for possibly stirring the pot and giving the flyer attention, but he wanted to set an example by standing up for something he strongly believes. (KFOR)

Australian Wildfires May Have Killed Half A Billion Animals, Plants

As huge wildfires continue across Australia, the loss of life in the region is reaching staggering numbers. Ecologists at the University of Sydney now estimate that nearly half a billion animals and plants have been wiped out since the fires began several months ago. The “mega blaze” has destroyed homes and sent thousands of people fleeing to the shoreline from New South Wales and Victoria. About 12.35 million acres of land have burned nationwide over the past few months. At least 17 people have been killed. Approximately 480 million mammals, birds and reptiles have been lost since the fires intensified in September, scientists say. While animal hospitals are taking in as many animals as possible to treat burns and nurse them back to health, services have overall struggled to keep up with the amount of care needed. And the animals that have survived will have trouble finding food and shelter among the ongoing flames. Australia’s wildfire season may already be the worst on record, with record-breaking heatwaves and intense smoke, which doctors have deemed a “public health emergency.” (News Corp Austrailia)

Do You Smoke? Then You Can’t Work For U-Haul In These States

U-Haul said it will stop hiring people who use nicotine in the 21 states where companies are allowed to consider tobacco use when making hiring decisions. The company has 30,000 employees in the United States and Canada. The policy will not apply to current employees who may smoke or use nicotine in some other manner. And the new rule won’t apply to job applicants in most states. But 21 states allow an employer to decline to hire someone based on their nicotine use, according to the company, and it will implement the policy in those states as of February 1st. The states are Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia and Washington. The company’s corporate headquarters is in Phoenix. People seeking U-Haul jobs in those states will see statements regarding the nicotine-free hiring policy on applications, and will be questioned about nicotine use. In states where testing is allowed, applicants must consent to submit to nicotine screening to be considered for employment. The company already had a no-smoking policy for its 167,000 trucks that it rents out to customers. (U-Haul)

Hillary Clinton lands new job across the pond (and it’s not US Government related)

Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has a new role: chancellor at Queen’s University in Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland. The university said that Clinton was appointed to a five-year term in the largely ceremonial post. “It is a great privilege to become the chancellor of Queen’s University, a place I have great fondness for and have grown a strong relationship with over the years,” Clinton said. “The university is making waves internationally for its research and impact, and I am proud to be an ambassador and help grow its reputation for excellence.” The university said its chancellor has three primary roles: presiding when degrees are handed out, advising senior management and serving as an ambassador to “open doors” for the institution. (Queens University Belfast)

Job cuts accelerated last year

While job cuts were the smallest last month since July 2018, last year ranked as one of the worst for reductions during the past decade. Employers announced more than half a million job cuts, behind the 600,000 cut in 2011 and 2015, according to data from outplacement firm Challenger & Gray. The slowdown in reductions last month came as the unemployment rate is expected by analysts to have remained at a half-century low of 3.5%. The U.S. Labor Department is set to release December data anytime. (Bloomberg)

California privacy law arrives

California residents now have the right find out what data big tech companies are collecting about them, stop the collection, and request for that data to be deleted. The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), similar to Europe’s GDPR, was passed in response to a slew of data breaches and an increasing focus on online consumer privacy. Facebook and Google advertised compliance with the upcoming law weeks ago, but a survey from late November showed only 12% of companies set to be affected by the law were fully prepared. (Axios)

The states facing contraction

Despite the U.S. economic expansion still underway, the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia predicts that nine states (West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Montana, Oklahoma, Vermont, New Jersey, Kentucky and Connecticut) will slide into contraction within six months. The prediction, which would be the most states since the financial crisis in 2009, is based on data including housing permits and unemployment insurance claims. Some estimate that there is a one in three chance the U.S. will be hit by a recession within the next year. (Bloomberg)

US drug prices are up again

Hundreds of drug prices have risen in the new year, at an average of 5.8%, which is a smaller increase than in 2019, according to new analysis. Prices are usually raised at the start of the year, and then again midway. This year, Pfizer led the way, says The Wall Street Journal, bringing up prices on more than 40 products by over 9%. The price of the world’s best-selling drug, Humira (a rheumatoid arthritis treatment) came up 7.4%. The Trump administration is set to introduce a plan to reduce the cost of prescription drugs, an issue both sides of the aisle have addressed. (The Wall Street Journal)

Monday Blasts In Like A Tidal Wave Of Hangovers With:

• Armenian Christmas
• Blue Monday (First Monday of the year, but it can’t fall on New Years Day.)
• Divorce Monday (First Monday of year which is when most feel that divorces are filed. )
• Epiphany
• Handsel Day (First Monday)
• National Shortbread Day
• National Technology Day
• National Weigh-In Day (Always First Monday after New Years)
• Plough Monday (First Monday After January 6th)
• “Thank God It’s Monday” Day (First Workday Monday)
• Three Kings Day