Monday, August 24, 2020

Live French air-to-air missile found in Florida is transported by flatbed semi-truck

A live missile was found in Florida and had to be transported via flatbed to a munition storage facility on the MacDill Air Force base. Recently, the MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, got called out to handle a live French air-to-missile that had been found. A contractor at Lakeland Linder Airport had discovered a guided missile. The missile was found when the contractor was evaluating shipments. While in the process of evaluating shipments, the contractor discovered an object with questionable markings indicating it may be explosive. Air Force spokesman for the 6th Air Refueling Wing said that the team went out and secured the “live, but unarmed.” missile. The missile was secured and moved to a munition storage facility on the MacDill Air Force base. (Military Times)

Naked man, sprinklers, fire alarms and power outages mark weird primary in Florida

A man possibly wearing a mask and nothing else showed up at one point at the Faith Christian Family Center not far from the North Florida Fairgrounds in Tallahassee, Florida. “He did not attempt to vote, but he briefly greeted voters,” witnesses said. Poll workers called the police and the man fled. Meanwhile, a powerful storm system moved through town, setting off sprinklers and the fire alarm at the Tucker Civic Center and lifting up and collapsing an outdoor tent at the mail ballot drop-off site on Apalachee Parkway. Poll workers had to evacuate the voting room at the Civic Center for a time, but set up shop just outside under an overhang. They dismantled the tent outside the Elections Office on the Parkway but re-positioned themselves just outside the front door. The storms also knocked out power at five voting sites, though they came back up quickly from backup batteries and generators. (Tallahassee Democrat)

The next Girl Scouts cookie flavor to grace your mouth: French toast

French toast is no longer just for the breakfast table. Starting in 2021, it can pair just as well with wine as a dessert — thanks to a new Girl Scouts cookie flavor. The Girl Scouts of the United States of America announced that Toast-Yay!, a new flavor, will be added to the 2021 cookie season lineup. The bread-shaped cookies look like miniature slices of French toast topped with icing. Due to the pandemic, Girl Scouts began offering consumers the option to buy cookies online through their Girl Scouts Cookie Care or donate cookies to communities in need. Next year, the youth organization said it will “again embrace their entrepreneurial spirit by selling cookies through online platforms and innovative ‘virtual cookie booths’ on social media (with parental supervision).” Girl Scout cookie season officially begins in January. (Girl Scouts)

Marijuana vending machines now available in Colorado with more to follow

Weed lovers in Colorado can now get their favorite products more easily after the state welcomed the first marijuana vending machines. Located in Pueblo, the machines can accommodate up to 2000 cannabis products each. The machines are operating at one location in Pueblo, with plans to install another one at the Starbuds dispensary in Aurora. This new development in the cannabis industry will enable customers to get their favorite products including flowers, edibles, and vape oils without going face-to-face with a budtender. The process with marijuana vending machine is easy, as customers only have to identify their favorite cannabis products, add to their bag, and request checkout. The idea behind this innovation is to harmonize a retail self-checkout system to the marijuana industry. (Grow Cola)

Teens with nearly $2 million in narcotics arrested at Arizona-Mexico border

Two 18-year-old Arizona residents were arrested near the Mexico border after authorities found nearly $2 million worth of smuggled methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin in their truck, according to the United States Customs and Border Protection. The arrest by Border Patrol agents near Rio Rico happened after other people were seen emerging from some brush and placing packages in the parked truck. After the packages were loaded, the truck drove off. It was stopped, and 57 packages of drugs were found inside. The agency estimates it to be $1.8 million. The people who emerged from the brush, loaded packages into the truck and slipped back into the desert were not found, the Border Patrol said. (United States Customs and Border Protection)

Malfunction at Swiss chocolate factory sends out plume of cocoa ‘snow’

Residents of a Swiss town got a bit of a shock when it started snowing particles of a fine cocoa powder after the ventilation system at a chocolate factory malfunctioned. The Lindt & Spruengli company said that there was a minor defect in the cooling ventilation in an area making roasted “cocoa nibs” in its factory in Olten, between Zurich and Basel. The nibs, fragments of crushed cocoa beans, are the basis of chocolate. Combined with strong winds, the powder spread around the immediate vicinity of the factory, leaving a fine cocoa dusting. The company said one car was lightly coated, and that it has offered to pay for any cleaning needed, but hasn’t yet been taken up on the offer. Factory production was able to continue as normal and the company said the particles were completely harmless to people and the environment. The ventilation system has now been repaired. (The Guardian)

Houston apartment sends crass eviction letter to mother of two

A mother of two in Houston, Texas, received a notice on her door to vacate the premises. The note read, “Guess who’s moving? You!!!” with a large smiling emoji that appeared to be waving. The letter continued, “Pay your outstanding balance, or release your apartment and turn in your keys to the leasing office by 6:00 p.m. today. Eviction will be filed promptly Tuesday morning, 8/18/2020.” The mother said she was shocked. Not shocked because she was behind on rent, but shocked at insensitivity of the letter, adding that “It was very tacky and tasteless and very unprofessional. I felt like they were antagonizing tenants for not being able to pay their rent.” The apartments, owned by Karya Property Management, said the mother is not under eviction, and nothing has been filed against her. The manager responsible for the eviction notice has been disciplined. (Houston Chronicle)

Thousands of chicks arrive dead to farmers amid USPS turmoil

At least 4,800 chicks shipped to Maine farmers through the U.S. Postal Service have arrived dead in the recent weeks since rapid cuts hit the federal mail carrier’s operations, according to United States Representative Chellie Pingree from Maine. She is raising the issue of the dead chicks and the losses farms are facing in a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and U.S. Department of Agriculture Commissioner Sonny Perdue. The owner of Pine Tree Poultry in New Sharon, Maine, said she was shocked recently when all of the 800 chicks sent to her from a hatchery in Pennsylvania were dead. “Usually they arrive every three weeks like clockwork,” she said. “And out of 100 birds you may have one or two that die in shipping.” She said thousands of birds that moved through the Postal Service’s processing center in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, were also dead, impacting several farms in Maine and New Hampshire. The Postal Service is the only entity that ships live chicks and other small animals and has done so since 1918, according to the service’s website. (Associated Press)

**WARNING: MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR ALL AUDIENCES**

Man with shoe fetish stole 126 flip-flops so he could have sex with them

A 24-year-old man had a fetish for flip-flops and was found with a staggering 126 pairs that he had stole from locals in central Thailand, police said. Officers identified the thief using footage from CCTV set up outside his latest alleged victim’s home. When they searched the man’s home, they found his sprawling collection of shoes that he claimed he had been collecting for more than two years. The man said he would wear them around his home as it turned him on, police claimed. He allegedly told officers that after several hours of wearing the flip-flops, he cuddled and kissed them, stripping off and rubbing them on his body, before ‘having sex with them’. Police said his collection included dozens of different brands, sizes and colours of shoes, all of them well worn. He admitted three charges of night time theft and snatching, possessing a digital transceiver without permission, and violating the coronavirus curfew, police said. (House Latest)

Woman left her child home alone while trying to kidnap neighbor’s child

A Pinellas County, Florida woman is behind bars after deputies say she left her child home alone while attempting to kidnap her neighbor’s child. Detectives say the 28-year-old woman left her home at 2 a.m. on August 18th in an attempt to kidnap her neighbor’s child. Around 2:15 in the morning, a ring doorbell camera captured her knocking on the door. She eventually enters the home and tries to snatch the 9-month old child from his 12-year old sister’s arms. According to an arrest affidavit, she opened the front door and attempted to take the child out of the neighbor’s arms. A struggle ensued and the parent of the child was able to get away from her and contact authorities. The woman is currently facing charges of attempted kidnapping, burglary with assault or battery, child abuse, and two counts of neglect of a child without great bodily harm and is in jail on $145,000 bond. (WFLA)

A lawyer led police on a chase, then reeled off celebrity names

A Broward County, Florida attorney was jailed after Florida Keys deputies say she led them on a high-speed chase through Marathon, Florida. According to Deputies, she was clocked driving the Lexus 80 mph in a 45-mph zone of U.S. 1 around 12:30 a.m. in the morning. When the officers pulled behind her with their overhead car lights on as she slowed down, she suddenly accelerated to 90 mph. The chase continued on residential streets until she lost control of her car. When she finally pulled over after her Lexus spun out of control, deputies say she had to be forced out of the car at gunpoint. And even before exiting the car and being cuffed, she inched her car forward toward one of the deputies, according to the arrest report. While cuffed, Deputies say the 38-year-old woman showed “several signs of impairment” and smelled strongly of alcohol. She also began to say the names of celebrities. “During the encounter, she was shouting obscenities at deputies and began to name off famous actors such as Dwayne the Rock Johnson, Owen Wilson and Ryan Reynolds,” according to the report. The woman faces felony fleeing and eluding police, felony drug possession, and misdemeanor driving under the influence, refusing to accept a citation and obstruction charges. The drug charge against the Plantation attorney is because of four doses of cannabis-infused gummy worms deputies found inside a purse on the passenger seat of the Lexus, according to the report. (Miami Herald)

Man breaks into HealthPark Child Development Center, stays there for a week

A North Fort Myers, Florida man is accused of breaking into and living in a Fort Myers daycare center for about six days, deputies said. According to an arrest report from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, the Child Development Center was having issues with their surveillance cameras. At one point, staff members found the wires were cut while another classroom camera was shoved up into the attic. A fiber optic company came out to replace wires in the control room that had been cut. At the time, staff believed it was accidental, but problems with the system continued. The company checked the system again and found several clips of the suspect inside the building. At that point, the facility was evacuated while Lee County deputies came out to investigate. “All children who were in the center were quickly moved to Golisano Children’s Hospital and remained safe at all times,” a spokesperson for Lee Health said. After reviewing footage from August 8 through 14, cameras inside the facility caught a 30-year-old man walking around the facility, deputies said. Sometimes he was seen wearing surgical masks, other times he was covering his face with an orange t-shirt. Eventually, he was caught on camera without any face coverings. He is facing charges of burglary, larceny and criminal mischief for damaging property. He’s also accused of stealing an iPad from the front desk. (NBC 2)

America’s first $2 trillion company

Apple became the first U.S. company to top $2 trillion in market value after its shares rose above $467.77 last week. The iPhone maker has seen its stock double in value since the start of the pandemic in March, as people rely more heavily on technology to work from home. That trend is lifting internet companies far above other industries in value, as investors search for growth amid a stalled economy. (The Wall Street Journal)

Monday Gets Crazy With:

• International Strange Music Day
• Knife Day
• Maryland Day
• Peach Pie Day
• Pluto Demoted Day
• Vesuvius Day
• Waffle Iron Day
• Wayzgoose Day
• William Wilberforce Day