Thursday, June 4, 2020

Man dies in one of several reported ATM explosions in Philadelphia

Police say a 24-year-old man is dead after trying to blow up an ATM in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. There, investigators were looking over the automated teller machine with a smashed screen, a mangled keyboard, dangling components but a seemingly intact safe at the bottom. According to police, the man was using explosives. He was seriously injured at the scene and was later pronounced dead at a hospital. Police are investigating at this location, and this does not appear to be the lone incident. People have been phoning in similar reports throughout the area. Police commissioner said the thefts are believed to be “organized” and “coordinated” efforts and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is taking the lead in the investigation. (Fox 29)

Naked woman charged with arson, attempted murder

A 32-year-old woman in Kissimmee, Florida, who suffered severe burns in a recent apartment fire has been charged with attempted murder and arson, according to police. More than 12 hours after the fire, she was found lying nude on the ground covered with burns several blocks from the burned apartment, records state. When the fire was reported, at least one occupant was inside the residence, records state. The Kissimmee Fire Department found a strong odor of gasoline where the fire began in the kitchen but no container, records show. Outside the apartments, police found a brand-new pink iPhone, a key ring with a Toyota Corolla key and a Pep Boys customer rewards card along with other items. At first, police were unable to find the woman but received several apparently unrelated reports about a nude woman walking around town. Police eventually found the woman, who was admitted to Orlando Regional Medical Center’s burn unit where she remained under guard without bail. (Orlando Sentinel)

Video shows woman stealing cheesecake amid protests, riots

Seattle news station captured video of a woman stealing a treat from a Cheesecake Factory location in the midst of riots following protests over the death of George Floyd. A news crew that was recording footage of the scene captured footage of a woman wearing a mask walking away from the restaurant carrying an entire cheesecake on a serving tray. She also appeared to be carrying a wine glass and a champagne flute. The footage of the woman quickly gained traction on social media, where people tried to make light of the chaos. Many commenters said the video made them laugh or smile in the midst of what has been a stressful week. (KIRO)

Isaac Newton proposed curing plague with toad vomit, unseen papers show

Isaac Newton’s 17th-century prescription for plague which blended powdered toad with toad vomit to form “lozenges” to drive away the contagion has been revealed. Two unpublished pages of Newton’s notes on Jan Baptist van Helmont’s 1667 book on plague, De Peste, are to be auctioned online. Newton had been a student at Trinity College, Cambridge, when the university closed as a precaution against the bubonic plague, which killed 100,000 people in London in 1665 and 1666. Some of his potential cures recorded are unlikely to be taken up today, however. He writes that “the best is a toad suspended by the legs in a chimney for three days, which at last vomited up earth with various insects in it, on to a dish of yellow wax, and shortly after died. Combining powdered toad with the excretions and serum made into lozenges and worn about the affected area drove away the contagion and drew out the poison.” The pages will be auctioned by Bonhams for an estimate of $80,000-$120,000 as part of its online-only Essential Genius: Ten Important Manuscripts sale, which runs until 10 June. The auction also includes an autographed and signed draft of the last lines of Walt Whitman’s final poem, A Thought of Columbus. (The Guardian)

DUI driver crashes into liquid manure pond

A suspected DUI driver spent some time in a stinky situation after crashing into a liquid manure storage pond in Sacramento County, California, officials said. The California Highway Patrol said the driver called dispatch asking for help after crashing into what was at the time an unknown water source at a dairy farm near Elk Grove. He had not yet realized what exactly he was submerged in. Forty-eight minutes after the initial call, firefighters from the Cosumnes Fire Department found the driver and his vehicle, which was well submerged in the manure pond, CHP said. Officers later discovered that on top of showing signs of intoxication, the driver had been trying to pull his vehicle out for about an hour before calling 911. That’s two hours the driver spent in liquified excrement. CHP said the driver was arrested on DUI charges. (KCRA)

Adolf Hitler house to be ‘neutralized’, Austria says

The government bought the building under a compulsory purchase order in 2016 after a lengthy dispute. Officials announced it would be turned into a police station in November. Now an Austrian architecture firm will carry out the changes designed to stop the site, in Braunau on the border with Germany, attracting neo-Nazis. “A new chapter will be opened for the future from the birth house of a dictator and mass murderer,” Austrian Interior Minister said. The winning company submitted a plan which will cosmetically change the facade of the building and give it a new roof. Work is expected to be completed by 2023 and will cost about $5.6 million dollars. “The neutralization of this whole location was ultimately at the heart of this result,” interior ministry official said. (BBC)

Tacos diner closes after employees refuse to make food for troopers

Condado Tacos in Columbus, Ohio closed Tuesday after employees refused to fill an order for Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers. Employees were asked to make a 500 taco order for the law enforcement agency. Several employees refused and walked out. Some employees said the district manager stated, “they would be fired if they walked out.” A spokesperson for the restaurant group said Condado Tacos’ Polaris location received the paid-in-full catering order on Monday night from the Ohio State Highway Patrol. The spokesperson said no employees were fired after a few employees expressed they were uncomfortable with fulfilling the request. The restaurant group decided to close all Columbus-area stores on the next day out of an abundance of caution. (ABC 6)

Nearly a dozen earthquakes shake near Yellowstone National Park in 24 hours

West Yellowstone in Montana reported eleven earthquakes on Friday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The strongest one measured a magnitude of 3.1. The area was hit by 34 other quakes in the past month. The quakes have ranged between 1.6 to 3.1 magnitudes and were about three miles deep. A swarm of earthquakes is not unusual for the area. Yellowstone is one of the most seismically active places in the U.S., recording around 700 to 3,000 quakes per year, according to the national park’s website. The park is expected to reopen on Monday after it was closed in March to help stop the spread of coronavirus. (Idaho Statesman)

Minnesota adds second-degree murder charge against former officer Derek Chauvin and charges three others in death of George Floyd

A court filing yesterday (6/3) included the new charge against Chauvin, who was seen kneeling on Floyd’s neck before his death. Chauvin previously was charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter. In regards to the upgraded charge, Minnesota’s sentencing guidelines indicate two different possibilities for intentional second-degree murder and unintentional second-degree murder. The former sentencing guideline calls for, upon conviction, 25 and a half years in prison, whereas the latter calls for 12 and a half years. Former officers Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng, who were fired from the Minneapolis Police Department along with Chauvin, were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder, according to court filings. (Minnesota CBS)

The SAT has been canceled

The College Board is scrapping plans to administer an at-home SAT exam and is asking colleges not to punish applicants who can’t submit scores. The test would require three hours of reliable internet access, “which can’t be guaranteed for all,” said the College Board. Thousands of students complained of technical glitches during the online Advanced Placement exams, which kept some test-takers from submitting their answers. Now, with the SAT effectively canceled this spring, millions of students are scrambling to secure seats to take the test in the fall. (The Wall Street Journal)

Google sued over ‘private’ browsing

Google has been sued in a proposed class-action lawsuit that alleges it violated wiretap laws by collecting information about user behavior on the internet without permission while users were in “private browsing,” or incognito mode. The lawsuit, which was filed in the federal court in San Jose, California, is seeking at least $5 billion from Google and owner Alphabet for tracking and collecting browsing history even where users tried to maintain their privacy. Google denies this is illegal and maintains that it is clear about the data it collects. (The New York Times)

A Dog Has Tested Positive For The Coronavirus For The First Time In The US

The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) today announced the first confirmed case of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) infection in a pet dog (German shepherd) in New York state. This is the first dog in the United States to test positive for SARS-CoV-2. Samples from the dog were taken after it showed signs of respiratory illness. The dog is expected to make a full recovery. One of the dog’s owners tested positive for COVID-19, and another showed symptoms consistent with the virus, prior to the dog showing signs. A second dog in the household has shown no signs of illness; however, antibodies were also identified in that dog, suggesting exposure. SARS-CoV-2 infections have been reported in a small number of animals worldwide, mostly in animals that had close contact with a person who was sick with COVID-19. At this time, routine testing of animals is not recommended. (United States Department of Agriculture)

Deputy cleared for shooting naked man armed with crossbow who claimed aliens were after him

A Santa Rosa County, Florida Sheriff’s Office deputy has been cleared of wrongdoing after he shot and wounded a naked man who aimed a crossbow at him and other deputies as they attempted to arrest the man for barricading himself inside a house. Sheriff’s Office deputies received a 911 call October 20, 2019 from a man who said his 26-year-old son was under the influence of narcotics and had threatened to shoot him at his home, according to a Florida Department of Law Enforcement report. The father arranged to meet deputies at a convenience store, but never appeared. Later that morning, the father called 911 again and said his son had locked himself inside their home and wouldn’t let him inside. Deputies responded and the father again told them that the son had threatened to shoot him with a crossbow. After several hours of unsuccessfully trying to get the son to exit the home, four deputies entered the home and heard him state he was “armed and dangerous.” After they entered into the home, they observed the son naked and armed with a crossbow, which he aimed at the deputies, according to the report. The Deputy that fired the shot told investigators he was in fear for his and the other deputies’ safety when he shot and wounded the son in the right armpit. The son dropped the crossbow and was administered treatment by deputies and then EMS. The deputy also told investigators that when the deputies entered the home, the man was naked on the floor, praying to “Earth and native God,” he said. The son said he also believed that people or aliens may be coming to take a meteorite he had previously found, because it was worth a lot of money. (Pensacola News Journal)

Thursday Breaks Down With:

• Audacity To Hope Day
• Hug Your Cat Day
• International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression
• International (World) Hug Your Cat Day
• National Punk Day
• National SAFE Day
• Old Maid’s Day