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Today, 10:20 pmCouple has house raided 50 times by mistakeWalter and Rose Martin's address was plugged in as a computer test in 2002 and police didn't try to wipe it out of their system until 2007. Mayor Bloomberg apologized Friday morning to the elderly couple in Brooklyn that the NYPD mistakenly visited more than 50 times in search of criminals. "I apologized to the people. I'm sorry that they were bothered," Bloomberg said on his weekly radio show. "It's a shame it happened." The Daily News reported this week that the Marine Park home of Walter and Rose Martin was repeatedly visited by detectives because of a computer glitch tied to the address. The couple's address was plugged in as a computer test in 2002 and police didn't try to wipe it out of their system until 2007 when the Martin's complained about the unwanted door knocking. But the law enforcement visits continued, leaving 83-year-old Walter and 82-year-old Rose weary and frightened. After the News highlighted their plight, cops realized not every file bearing their address was purged from computers. Bloomberg said the problem has been fixed. "You'd think somebody would have caught it before," Bloomberg said. "It got fixed. Sometimes things happen and it's a shame." He added, "The Police Department certainly didn't do it deliberately. And we are sorry they got bothered. I feel it, you feel it, (Police Commissioner) Kelly feels it, we all feel it. It's a shame it happened."
Today, 9:35 pmTopless gardener complaints prompt new rulescertainly can still advise her to put her shirt on ... based on other factors, such as children in the area," Huntley said.
Police received at least four calls about the topless gardener. Dispatchers began telling callers there was nothing they could do as long as the woman's thong stayed on, Huntley said. "We have done what we can within the limits of the law as it stands now," Huntley said. The Boulder City Council, which is considering expanding its anti-nudity law, recently removed a proposal that would have made showing the female nipple in public a municipal offense. Huntley said the concerns among neighbors point to the need for such a code. "These are some of the issues we are attempting to address with the proposal of a nudity ordinance," she said. Tending to her front lawn, Catharine Pierce declined to answer questions. Her husband, however, said they weren't doing anything wrong. "You don't see us trying to lure children over here," Robert Pierce said. "We stay within the scope of the law." Asked why his wife works outside nearly nude, he said that's their way of worshipping. Boulder Housing Partners, which owns the couple's house, threatened to evict the couple last year, saying they were violating the terms of their lease by creating a nuisance with their nudity. The appearance drew mixed reactions Wednesday. Jessica Mulen, a nanny walking three young children along the street, said, "I would assume their parents would have a problem with that" and headed the other direction. Bill Hanson, a Boulder resident who brought his children to a busy park near the Pierce home, said he first saw the woman with pasties on last year. "I saw a gal with no top on," he said. "I did a double-take." Hanson said the scene was a little shocking, but "she seemed kind of casual about it." Karon Dickinson, who was also visiting the park, said she was OK with the woman's choice. "I could care less if someone wants to sit out there like that," she said. She said she didn't know being topless in Boulder is legal, and she might take a cue from the gardener. "I might do it in my backyard," she said.
Today, 9:18 pmBurglar busted after using company's computerBurglar busted after using company's computer Story Updated: Mar 18, 2010 at 12:43 PM PDT ENNEWICK, Wash. (AP) - A burglar who spent about five hours on a store's computer after breaking into the business gave police all the clues they needed to track him down.
Today, 3:44 pmMom of octuplets may need new housingMom of octuplets may lose home to foreclosure The Associated Press Updated: 03/19/2010 12:09:08 PM PDT
(ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images) LA HABRA — Octuplets mom Nadya Suleman could be kicked out of her Southern California home. Mortgage holder Amer Haddadin says he is starting foreclosure proceedings on the $565,000 La Habra residence because the family hasn't kept up the payments. His friend and adviser, Ramsey Masso, said Friday that Haddadin signed over the home to Suleman's father last year. Ed Suleman, who leased the home to his daughter, was supposed to pay about $4,000 a month and a final balloon payment of $450,000 that was due earlier this month. Masso says the family was late on recent payments and also missed the balloon payment. Calls to the Suleman's attorney, Jeff Czech, weren't immediately returned. Today, 9:32 amFive-Year-Old Takes 4x4 For JoyrideFive-Year-Old Takes Mum's 4x4 For Joyride 11:15am UK, Friday March 19, 2010
Mark Langford Sky News Online
A five-year-old boy took his mother's 4x4 on a four-mile joyride that included a dual carriageway, despite being too short to reach the pedals. Thomas Chatfield could barely see over the dashboard of the automatic Mitsubishi Shogun as he trundled along at 10mph. Motorists called 999 and some tried to get him to pull over but he still managed to weave along country lanes, hit two parked vehicles and clip a passing motorist before coming to halt when he went into a wall. Thomas took the keys from mum Jessica's handbag as she slept at the family home in Tangmere, West Sussex. "He's a clever boy. He's seen his mum drive loads of times and must have tried to copy her," a family friend told the Daily Mirror. Neighbour Nathan Parkinson, aged 22, told how he and a van driver friend chased after the Shogun: "I was walking down the road and saw this Shogun. "I heard a woman shouting behind me that a little boy was driving. I could just see a pair of tiny eyes above the dashboard. Last Edited: Today, 9:32 am Yesterday, 11:47 pmMan puts son up for sale on CraigslistYesterday, 10:39 pmInmate tells mom where to find his drugsInmate busted after telling mom where to find his stash
Barbara Hijek March 17, 2010 07:15 AM
Jails across Florida record every inmate phone call.
Inmates know it: There's a warning at the beginning of every call.
Shortly after being busted last week on drug trafficking charges, Franco Mayernik called his mother from the Osceloa County jail -- and talked his way into another set of drug charges.
Mayernik, a 300-pound convicted robber with tattoos of guns and "White Boy" on his tummy, apparently didn't pay attention to the recorded warning, reports the Orlando Sentinel.
"I listened to the phone conversation and heard his mother ask him if he left anything at Spank's house," a detective wrote in his arrest report, mentioning a St. Cloud residence where Mayernik had been arrested. "Franco told his mother he left two ounces of powder in the cushion on the couch."
Deputies arrived at Spank's place and asked the residents for permission to search the house. They agreed, but one of the residents first wanted to remove her dog from a bedroom, the report stated. A detective looked inside the bedroom and moticed the resident removing two bags of cocaine from a shoe. The "snowshoes" were holding 57 grams of cocaine and 2 grams of oxycodone. The recovery of the cocaine added a cocaine trafficking charge to Mayernik's list of 15 felony and misdemeanors charges from last week.
Photo: Franco Mayernik / Florida Department of Corrections Yesterday, 9:45 pmFive-year-old children to take driving lessonsWorld Five-year-old UAE residents to take driving lessons
RIA Novosti. Igor Zarembo |
14:1817/03/2010 Five-year-old children in the United Arab Emirates will be able to take driving lessons in a new Traffic City, the National newspaper said. The police-monitored village will give children and teenagers the opportunity to drive real cars on real roads. Children from five to 12 will be able to drive cars that run on batteries at a speed of 15km/h. Youngsters aged 13 to 17 will have cars that run on petrol and can travel up to 20km/h. When a driver commits an offence, he or she will receive a police radio message. "This will teach drivers to commit to the rules at a young age. They will learn to wear seat belts and listen to police instructions," Major Ahmed al Niyadi, head of media and marketing for the Abu Dhabi traffic police, told the paper. ABU DHABI, March 17 (RIA Novosti) Yesterday, 8:21 pmBlack people must leave Walmart announcer saysBlack people must leave, NJ Walmart announcer says Blacks must leave store, NJ Walmart announcer says, upsetting customers; company investigates
Virginia Tinsley, of Washington Township, N.J., answers a question Wednesday, March 17, 2010, outside a Wal Mart store in Washington Township, N.J., where she and others complained Sunday about comments that came over the store's public address system. Wal-Mart officials are reviewing security tapes after an announcement was made for "all black people" to leave the southern New Jersey store. Shortly before 7 p.m. Sunday, a male voice came over the public-address system at the Route 42 store in Washington Township and calmly announced: "Attention Wal-Mart customers: All black people leave the store now." Management later apologized. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)
Bruce Shipkowski
Associated Press Writer Thursday March 18, 2010, 1:07 am EDT
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) -- A Walmart store announcement ordering black people to leave brought chagrin and apologies Wednesday from leaders of the company, which has built a fragile trust among minority communities. A male voice came over the public-address system Sunday evening at a store in Washington Township, in southern New Jersey, and calmly announced: "Attention, Walmart customers: All black people, leave the store now." Shoppers in the store at the time said a manager quickly got on the public-address system and apologized for the remark. And while it was unclear whether a rogue patron or an employee was responsible for the comment, many customers expressed their anger to store management. "I want to know why such statements are being made, because it flies in the face of what we teach our children about tolerance for all," said Sheila Ellington, who was in the store at the time with a friend. "If this was meant to be a prank, there's only one person laughing, and it's not either one of us." Ellington, of Monroe, and her friend Patricia Covington said they plan to boycott the retailer until they're assured the issue has been addressed so it doesn't happen again. The pair said they were stunned when they heard the announcement and initially believed they had misheard it. But once the words sank in, they grew angry. "I depended on Walmart for all my needs, because the store has pretty much everything you could want," Covington said. "But until this issue is addressed in a way I'm comfortable with, I can't walk through those doors again." Officials with Wal-Mart Stores Inc., based in Bentonville, Ark., said that the announcement was "unacceptable" and that they're trying to determine who made it and how it happened. "We are just as appalled by this incident as our customers," the company said in a statement. "Whoever did this is just wrong and acted in an inappropriate manner. Clearly, this is completely unacceptable to us and to our customers." This is not the first time the retailer has faced such problems. There have been several past instances of black customers claiming they were treated unfairly at Walmart stores, and the company faced lawsuits alleging that women were passed over in favor of men for pay raises and promotions. In February 2009, the retailer paid $17.5 million to settle a class action lawsuit alleging racial discrimination in its hiring of truck drivers. And the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued the company in May 2009, claiming some Hispanic employees at a Sam's Club subsidiary in California were subjected to a hostile work environment. That suit alleges managers failed to stop repeated verbal harassment, including the use of derogatory words, against employees of Mexican descent. However, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People has said the company has worked hard in recent years to show it cares about diversity. Bill Mitchell, a former Walmart employee who was shopping Wednesday at the store, said that he was saddened to hear about the announcement but that "as a black man, I've heard worse things." As customer Sharon Osbourne, of Williamstown, left the store Wednesday, she called the announcement "appalling, stupid and sad." Last Edited: Yesterday, 8:23 pm Yesterday, 8:12 pmDad leaves baby in oven overnightDrunk, high dad leaves baby in oven overnight, police say Jason Kessler, CNN March 16, 2010 9:58 p.m. EDT
Larry Long, 33, is charged with first degree wanton endangerment.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
(CNN) -- A Kentucky man high on marijuana and drunk on whiskey put his 5-week-old son in the oven Sunday and left him there overnight, police said. The oven door was slightly ajar, and the oven was not turned on. After smoking marijuana at the restaurant where he works as a cook, Larry Long, 33, returned home to share a fifth of whiskey with the baby's mother, Brandy Hatton, McCracken County Sheriff Jon Hayden said in a statement. Hatton had four or five shots and went to bed while Long finished the bottle, Hayden said. At 5:30 the next morning, Hatton awoke to the sound of the baby's cries coming from the oven. He had been in it for several hours, police said. Emergency crews responding to the scene transported the infant to a local hospital, where he was found to be unharmed. The incident was reported to authorities by a psychiatric facility that Long turned to when he learned what he had done, officials said. "He actually called a mental health crisis line immediately thereafter and told them that he had done this. And they contacted us," Hayden said. Police arrested Long and charged him with first degree wanton endangerment. He is being held on bail of $10,000. Long blamed his actions on the marijuana, which he believes was laced with a hallucinatory agent, officials said. Authorities have removed the baby from its mother's care and awarded emergency custody to members of her family. Yesterday, 6:29 pmJudge marries defedent to victim of domestic violencewww.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-county/bal-md.judge18mar18,0,2455093.story
Baltimore Sun Judge marries defendant to alleged victim Balto. County jurist dismisses case, is reassigned Nicole Fuller
March 18, 2010
A Baltimore County judge was reassigned Wednesday after he presided over the marriage between a man being prosecuted for domestic violence and the alleged victim - a marriage that led to the man's acquittal.
LINK TO PHOTO AND FOLLOW-UP STORY
Last Edited: Yesterday, 6:40 pm Yesterday, 5:51 pmHusband sells wife of CraigslistYesterday, 7:14 amFree food giveaways offered by the big chainsWho Could Eat All This? Joseph De Avila
provided by
The chains with free food prizes and the people (600,000!) who want them. Next month, Denny's will pick the winners of its "Grand Slam for a Year" promotion. Each can order 52 servings of a Denny's Grand Slam breakfast, or two eggs, two strips of bacon, two sausage links and two pancakes. That's a stack of pancakes four feet high, with 17,680 calories, not counting the syrup. Denny's Corp. hopes the contest brings more customers through the door, especially since people can't necessarily eat this much themselves and often bring along their friends. "Consumers still respond to free," says John Dillon, the company's vice president of marketing. Doughnuts, popcorn chicken and foot-long sandwiches are free for the taking, too. Among the chains with giveaway contests and other promotions: Subway, Chick-fil-A Inc., Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc. and KFC Corp. Giveaways are an inexpensive way for companies to stretch their marketing dollars during the recession. Contestants also tend to brag about the sport of entering free food contests, something that's easier than ever with social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. That spreads the restaurants' marketing message even further. Out of the 600,000 people who entered the Denny's contest, 450,000 opted to join the Denny's Rewards program, which regularly emails updates on new menu items and specials. Denny's bets these emails will draw more loyal customers to its 1,545 restaurants, Mr. Dillon says. Jesse Martin camped out overnight this month outside a San Marcos, Texas, Chick-fil-A for a chance to win a year's worth of chicken sandwiches. The Atlanta-based fast-food chain gives away free meals for a year to the first 100 customers at new stores' grand openings. So far, Mr. Martin, a 34-year-old college pastor from Austin, Texas, has been to five Chick-fil-A grand openings and won at four of them. Chicken, More Chicken What the chain calls a year's supply, or about $300 in store credits, lasts about two or three months in the hands of Mr. Martin. "I eat there sometimes two or three times a week. Sometimes I eat there three times a day and eat free all day," he says. He typically orders the chain's classic chicken sandwich and nuggets. Mr. Martin shares his winnings with friends and with his 9-year-old son Josiah and 6-year-old daughter Kelli. Even when he doesn't have free gift certificates, he typically eats at Chick-fil-A once or twice a week either by himself or with others. In May, he plans on taking his wife to the next grand opening in a nearby town so she can get her own gift certificates for the family to share. "I'm a raving, craving fan," says Mr. Martin, adding that Chick-fil-A has been his favorite fast-food chain since he was 10. A Chick-fil-A spokeswoman declined to comment. The public and governmental pressure on restaurant chains to make their menus healthier and encourage adults to stay in the 2,000-daily-calorie range hasn't appeared to dampen the food giveaways. Free-food offers first gained in popularity during the 1970s, when America was hit hard economically by the energy crisis, says Burt Flickinger III, managing director of consulting firm Strategic Resource Group. "The worst of times economically are the best of times for establishments offering something free," he adds. ShopRite grocery stores, which are members of Wakefern Food Corp., a Keasbey, N.J.-based cooperative, began offering buy-one-get-one-free offers in 1979, a spokeswoman says. In the early 1980s, the company started giving away free turkeys for Thanksgiving and free hams for Easter. Later restaurants began offering all-you-can-drink beverages and then all-you-can-eat buffets, Mr. Flickinger says. Subway in February announced a food giveaway to promote its "Five Dollar Footlong" sandwich. In it, 71 winners will win free sandwiches for a year, amounting to a $260 gift card. Subway was able to add 400,000 customers to its marketing database with the promotion, says Tony Pace, the company's chief marketing officer. Krispy Kreme offers a dozen free doughnuts a week for a year to the first customer at new store openings. The next 11 customers get one dozen free doughnuts a month for a year, but the terms vary by location. Giving away free food for a year to 100 people at a restaurant opening costs a national fast-food chain at least $30,000 per opening, says Lori Walderich, principal of IdeaStudio, a marketing company specializing in chain-restaurant marketing and promotion. This includes food costs, security, advertising and other expenses. "It's an inexpensive way to build customer loyalty," she says. Denny's, based in Spartanburg, S.C., says that its Grand-Slam-for-a-year prizes are worth about $311 per customer, and that winners are selected at random by a computer. Fighting for Stomachs "Our customers are looking to stretch their dollar as much as it can go," says Mr. Dillon, the marketing executive. The competitive landscape has become more cutthroat during the recession. "We are each fighting for a share of the stomach." An estimated 30% to 40% of free-food coupons are redeemed, says Mr. Flickinger. By contrast, just 1.5% to 2% of coupons offering discounts are used. And winners rarely dine alone -- they're likely to bring friends who maybe have never dined at the restaurant or who may pay for their own meal, says Stowe Shoemaker, associate dean of research at the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of Houston. Donna Feild has just $100 remaining of the $1,000 in free meals she won by entering an online contest at KFC Corp. last year. The pharmacist from Brush Prairie, Wash., expects to keep going to KFC after her winnings are up. Her teenage sons have developed a taste for KFC's popcorn chicken and chicken strips. "We've gotten in the habit. Teenagers, they don't tend to change, they want the same thing over and over," Ms. Feild, 49, says. KFC, a subsidiary of Yum Brands Inc., runs promotions like the one Ms. Feild won, which also included a trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., two or three times a year, says Laurie Schalow, a KFC spokeswoman. The chain typically uses a year's worth of free food to bring in customers to promote a new product. Last Mother's Day, the company sponsored a sweepstakes to promote its new grilled chicken, for example. Last year, Ryan Leer won a video contest sponsored by sandwich-maker Quiznos. For creating a clip that features a fake rocket-launcher shooting the chain's "Toasty Torpedo" sandwiches, Mr. Leer won $10,000 and a year's worth of sandwiches. Quiznos sent customers to its Web site so they could vote on winning videos, giving them valuable exposure in return. This video contest helped add about 68,000 new customers to Quiznos marketing database. "That's the best way to advertise," says Trey Hall, chief marketing officer for Quiznos. While Mr. Leer entered the video contest for the cash, the year's supply of sandwiches -- actually $260 worth of gift certificates -- was a nice bonus, he says. The 23-year-old video-production major at the University of Wisconsin-Superior and his friends made about 40 trips to the sandwich shop in six months. "It is supposed to be a year supply, but that went pretty quick," he says. "I have been there a couple times since with my own money, so they did their job." Joel Levinson, 29, from Los Angeles was a runner-up behind Mr. Leer. For coming in second, he won a year's supply of Quiznos sandwiches. For his video, Mr. Levinson went to New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Atlanta and compared Quiznos sandwiches to the skyscrapers. Despite making a video about Quiznos and winning a year's worth of free sandwiches, Mr. Levinson has yet to cash in a single gift certificate. "I'm trying to move away from fast food" and eat more organic food at home, he says. Last Edited: Yesterday, 7:15 am Yesterday, 6:34 amIntruder gets into bed with sleeping residentCold intruder gets into bed with sleeping resident Wednesday March 17, 2010 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette  A Mount Washington man was sleeping in his apartment early this morning when he felt someone get into bed with him. Figuring it was his girlfriend, he called out her name. A deep male voice replied, "No it's not." The unidentified resident jumped out of bed and called 911 as he held the intruder at bay with an aluminum baseball bat. Police arriving around 5:30 a.m. found doors to the apartment building and the victim's unit had been forced open. They took Michael Karanja Kamau, 33, of Cranberry, into custody. The suspect told them he was cold and wanted to get inside to get warm. Police, in a news release, said Mr. Kamau was intoxicated but not to the point that he didn't understand what was going on. March 17, 2010, 11:46 pmWoman sends text about drugs to drug agentWoman arrested after texting Drug Task agent Altus Times March 16, 2010 Mindy Lynn Neugebauer, 26, of Mangum, was been arrested after a Drug Task agent received a text from her about drugs.
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