Posted: 3:43 pm EDT June 10, 2009Updated: 6:00 pm EDT June 10, 2009

Byrd said he cannot believe his eyes.

The house his father built, brick by brick, with his own hands has been mysteriously demolished.

“You can’t imagine. It’s just incredulous that something like this can happen and no one contact the owner,” said Byrd.

Byrd grew up in the home with his nine brothers and sisters. It’s a three bedroom house on a little road bearing his family’s name.

“We were taught that you could do anything that you wanted to do as long as you were willing to work hard and pay the price,” said Byrd.

Byrd’s cousin shot video Monday of a bulldozer in the yard of the house with dumpsters loaded with rubble.

The demolition company said it had paperwork.

“I said, ‘Paperwork for what?’ and he said, ‘For the house, to demolish the house.’ I said, ‘I’m the owner of the house, I haven’t given anybody any authority to demolish this house,’” said Byrd.

Channel 2 Action News reporter Jovita Moore asked Byrd if the demolition company had an address.

“I said, ‘What address did you have?’ and he said, ‘They sent me some GPS coordinates.’ I said, ‘Don’t you have an address?’ (and) he said, ‘Yes, my GPS coordinates led me right to this address here and this house was described,’” said Byrd.

Byrd said he suspects the intended target was actually across the road.

Byrd said his house held decades of memories. While he was talking to Moore, the enormity of what is now gone appeared to set in. Byrd could hardly speak.

The man who cuts the grass told Byrd about a month ago that the power box was missing and there were holes punched into the walls. They both thought it was vandalism. Now, Byrd believes it was part of the preparation for the demolition.

The demolition was done by a Marietta company who told Byrd it was hired by a company out of Texas. Moore tried to contact the Texas company, but her calls have not been returned.

Facebook removes purported page of S.D. Powerball winner

The profile, set up soon after Neal Wanless collected his prize Friday, quickly collected more than 120 "friends."

"Must be nice! Being a single mom of 3 kids, I could definitely use a lottery win right now … maybe then I could actually afford a house … keep on dreaming … right?" one poster wrote.

The Facebook page was created using Wanless' real name, complete with a profile picture of a cowboy riding into the sunset — the cowboy's face was not clearly visible. On the profile's information page was: "Looking For: Dating."

"We've investigated this account and disabled it," Axten said in response to questions about whether the profile was legitimate.

"Facebook has always been based on a real-name culture," Axten said in a statement. "We think this leads to greater accountability and a safer and more trusted environment for our users.

"It's a violation of our policies to use a fake name or operate under another person's identity, and we encourage users to report anyone they think is doing this, either through the report links we provide on the site or through the contact forms on our Help page."

Axten did not identify who set up the profile. The Facebook spokesman said he couldn't comment on the possibility of charges, but the company generally doesn't press for them against people who build fake accounts.

"We feel that our resources are better spent building and improving our systems for detection and responding quickly to reports," Axten said.

Wanless couldn't be immediately reached for comment on the situation.

Before the profile was shut down, the page included several messages of well-wishes and an icon of a pink heart with the message "Neal is sending free hugs to friends."

There also are jubilant responses to winning the lottery from the person managing the profile, such as this one: "YESSSSSSSSSS!"

Mike Nitz, an associate professor of communication studies at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, S.D., says it is "certainly possible to create a false identity on Facebook.

"All you need is an e-mail, and that's really it," says Nitz, who uses Facebook for his classes.

But many issues — such as who owns the photos and other content posted to Facebook — are far from being resolved.

"It's really kind of a wild, wild West out there with the legal issues," Nitz says.

Martin reports for the Argus Leader in Sioux Falls, S.D.

ATM stolen from bank falls off trailer

Ledger-Enquirer

Monday June 8, 2009

Phenix City Police Chief Ray Smith says the thieves used a stolen backhoe, a pickup truck and a flatbed trailer to pull off the job at a Wachovia branch in the eastern Alabama city early Monday.

Smith says the thieves loaded the ATM onto the trailer and headed north on Summerville Road. He says that along the way, the ATM fell off the trailer.

Smith says the thieves had abandoned the backhoe at the bank and had no way to load the ATM back onto the trailer, so they drove away without it.

Smith says the backhoe and the ATM have been processed for evidence.

                                                  UPDATE

One problem, as some would-be thieves discovered early Monday, is that the ATM just might spill off the trailer into the middle of the road.

That’s where police found it — worse for the wear, but still full of cash.

 “It sounded like a good plan at the time,” said Police Chief Ray Smith. “Lucky for us, it fell apart.”

About 3 a.m. Monday, officers responded to an alarm at the 13th Street Wachovia Bank, where they found the stolen backhoe. They then fanned out some patrols, eventually finding the machine near South and North Railroad streets on Summerville Road, Smith said.

The suspects were gone by then, though it doesn’t appear they got anything for their trouble.

Smith said the thieves apparently towed the backhoe to the bank, unloaded it and used it to get the ATM onto the flatbed trailer. Leaving the backhoe, they drove north on Summerville Road, pulling the ATM until it tumbled off.

That’s when the suspects, realizing they couldn’t get the heavy machine back on the trailer, left, Smith said.

Police already have processed the ATM and backhoe for evidence, the police chief said. Smith said he intends to release photo and video evidence, if recovered.

Published: Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Arlington coach put Little League boys up to burglary, police say

Diana Hefley
Herald Writer

ARLINGTON -- An Arlington Little League coach is accused of showing some of his players how to steal more than second base.

Investigators allege that George Spady Jr. was with his son, a nephew and another player from his baseball team when he broke into a vacant shop and took overhead lights and bolts. The boys were encouraged to assist with the break-in, Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Edirin Okoloko wrote in court documents.

Spady, 31, was charged Monday with second-degree burglary, a felony.

Snohomish County sheriff's deputies were called to one of the players' homes after the boy told his stepfather that his coach had taken him along to break into a shop in Arlington, Okoloko wrote.

The stepfather was angry that an adult would use the boys to commit a crime, and, even worse, "that the adult was his son's baseball coach," Okoloko wrote.

The boy told investigators that Spady's son crawled through a vent on the back side of the shop and unlocked the door for his father. Spady, his son and Spady's nephew then went inside and came out with light fixtures and some other items, according to court documents.

The boy told investigators that Spady yelled at him to go inside and grab more from the shop, and told him to hurry up because he saw a truck drive by, Okoloko wrote.

The boy told police he didn't take anything from the shop.

Spady told police he'd driven onto the property to go "four-wheeling" with the boys, Okoloko wrote. He told the sheriff's deputy he didn't see the numerous "No Trespassing" signs posted on the shop, near the driveway and in other locations on the property.

Investigators reported that Spady told them the front door to the shop was unlocked and he couldn't recall if anyone went through a vent to get inside, Okoloko wrote.

Spady was apologetic, the deputy reported.

He admitted taking shop lights and bolts but didn't take anything else; he handed over the lights to the sheriff's deputy. He said he didn't have the bolts with him, according to court documents.

The boys are not expected to be charged with a crime.

Top Ten Dead Celebs That People Want To Meet; The Survey Says:

June 9, 2009 7:10 a.m. EST

Britain's Princess Diana is second only to Jesus Christ as the dead person people would most like to meet.

The former wife of Prince Charles - who was killed in a car crash in 1997 - came ahead of playwright William Shakespeare, scientist Albert Einstein and actress Marilyn Monroe in the poll, bur couldn't match the 33 per cent of the vote given to the son of God.

A spokesperson for TV dinosaur drama 'Primeval', who conducted the survey of 3,000 people to mark the launch of the DVD release of the show's third series, said: These results show that Jesus Christ will always be the British Public's 'Superstar'.

"But we were fully expecting Princess Diana to top the poll as she won the hearts of the nation and no-one has ever really forgotten her place within the Royal family or the impact she made on ordinary people."

Other famous people appearing in the top 10 were artist Leonardo da Vinci, in sixth place, musicians Elvis Presley and Freddie Mercury in seventh and ninth, and children's author Roald Dahl in eighth.

The top 10 was rounded off by famed rights campaigner Martin Luther King.

Top 10 dead celebrities people would most like to meet:

1. Jesus
2. Princess Diana
3. William Shakespeare
4. Albert Einstein
5. Marilyn Monroe
6. Leonardo da Vinci
7. Elvis Presley
8. Roald Dahl
9. Freddie Mercury
10. Martin Luther King

House boarded up with resident inside

JAMES ELI SHIFFER

Star Tribune

Last update: June 8, 2009 - 8:10 AM

On May 12, the day the city inspector came to board up his house, Ted Poetsch was eating lunch. After living all of his 53 years at 823 Penn Av. N., Poetsch had an hour left to pack his stuff and get out.

Cane in hand, he lurched around, throwing a few things in bags, putting Kitty in the carrier. He heard the contractor outside starting to drill into the door frame.

Poetsch made his way down his narrow stairway, resigned to the end he had resisted for three years, through personal financial missteps, the false promise of a foreclosure "rescue" and a court victory that gave him short-lived hope.

He came to the door and realized that he was too late. A truck had driven away from the house, prompting those outside to think the tenants were gone. Poetsch had been boarded up inside his house.

City officials say Poetsch had ample warning that they were coming that day, but they say his brief incarceration was an unprecedented mistake. In many ways, Poetsch's experience is emblematic of the forces that have fastened plywood over so much of the North Side and urban neighborhoods across America.

The house at 823 Penn, vacant and already a target for thieves, is now owned by Fannie Mae. In September, the federal government took over the mortgage giant in a multibillion-dollar bailout after it was brought to the brink of collapse by the housing meltdown.

Poetsch got no such assistance. The city determined that the house was potentially unsafe and that Poetsch was essentially a squatter in the only home he had ever known. Now this North Side neighborhood has one fewer neighbor and one more boarded house.

"Everybody loses," said Poetsch's onetime attorney, Josh DuBois, who helped Poetsch get out of his boarded house that day in May.

Link to Video:

http://www.startribune.com/local/47167767.html?elr=KArksUUUU

Springfield mother struck by daughter learning how to drive

The Republican Newsroom

LORI STABILE

SPRINGFIELD - A 17-year-old girl who was practicing how to drive in a cinema parking lot struck her mother and broke her legs, Springfield police said.

Sgt. Thomas E. Long said the mother was sitting on a fence when she was struck with the 2001 Ford Windstar van Saturday morning.

"She was stopped, but not being familiar with the vehicle, she accelerated and hit her mom," Long said.

He said the girl was trying to put the car in park. The mother was brought to Baystate Medical Center. The accident was reported at 10:48 a.m. at 1250 St. James Ave., the movie theater parking lot behind Springfield Plaza, he said.

The owner of the car, the girl's father, Treavor Blair, 39, of 181 Nursery St., was cited for allowing an unlicensed operator to operate the vehicle, Long said.

Posted: June 8
Updated: Today at 6:40 AM
Cops: Speeder said he was chasing pot thief

Times Leader staff

WEST HAZLETON – Police say a man they arrested in a traffic stop told them he was speeding because he was chasing someone who stole marijuana from him.

While borough police were conducting “Buckle Up” – a special grant program to target drivers not using seat belts late Friday night, they stopped a vehicle they said was driving at an extremely high rate of speed and switching lanes without using turn signals.

During a traffic stop, police say they observed a glass bowl used for smoking marijuana on the front seat in plain view. Police also found 15 individually packaged baggies of marijuana and 13 ecstasy pills during a search of the vehicle.

Police say the driver, Ryah Neaus, 21, of 824 Seybert St., Hazleton, told them he was speeding “because he was chasing the person who just robbed him of his Apple iPhone and three bags of marijuana.”Neaus was charged with possession with intent to deliver, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia, police said.

He was also cited with careless driving and failure to wear a seatbelt.

Heinz creates world's smallest microwave (and you can plug it into your laptop)

Sean Poulter

The Daily Mail
Last updated at 4:15 PM on 08th June 2009 

It is the world's smallest, portable microwave and can be powered via a link to the USB port on a laptop computer.

The turquoise device -called the Beanzawave - has been created in partnership with Heinz to allow workers tied to their desks to create a warm snack, or hot drink, to see them through the day.

However, it might also sustain a hard-working student through the many hours of lonely revision.

Heinz has come up with a novel device that will heat up food at the desk of busy workers

And the convenience of powering it from a laptop computer means you could tuck into a hot snack while flying on holiday or even on the train.

To date, the device, which stands just 7.4inches tall by 6.2in wide and 5.9in deep, is only a prototype.

However, experts at the Microwave Association insist the sophisticated miniaturised technology does exist to turn the eye-catching gadget  into a reality.

The mini-micro has been designed by microwave expert Gordon Andrews and Stephen Frazer, an authority on industrial design and managng director of Frazer Designers.

Apart from its size, the key breakthrough is the use of a combination of mobile phone radio frequencies to create the heat to cook both on the outside and within in under a minute.

Mr Andrews, the managing director of GAMA Microwave Technology, said it is possible to 'tune' the radio-frequencies to provide the best results with any small product.

'It is possible to heat a pie, a burger, a cup of soup or tea in quick time,' he said. 

'There is the option of powering it with lithium ion batteries that would make it completely portable, which would be a help to fishermen, campers or sportsmen.'

Mr Andrews said he created the oven after being approached for help by Heinz, who wanted a portable microwave that would work with its Snap Pots.

The Beanzawave is powered from a USB cable plugged into a computer

The main drawback, with component prices at current levels, is the fact that the mini-micro would carry a hefty price of around £100.

However, just as mobile phones have become cheaper, so the cost of production could fall to the point where it becomes profitable to manufacture on a large scale.

Mr Andrews said the product conforms with all the safety standards of a normal microwave oven, including protective walls and a door mechanism which kills the power when it opens.

Heinz claims there is a ready market for the ovens. Its research found 69 per cent of office workers find they are so busy at their terminals that they do not have a chance to go out for lunch every day.

Heinz Beanz marketing manager, John Alderman, said: 'Heinz Beanz and Hoops Snap Pots are one of the most innovative and successful new product launches in this category for the last two years, boasting sales of over £22million.

'They were designed in response to the changing eating habits of Brits, who require a quick solution to mealtimes, a trend which is even more relevant in today’s environment.

'The single serve microwavable Snap Pots allow people to quickly heat and eat. We are therefore delighted to be working with Gordon as the Beanzawave is the perfect partner to Heinz Snap Pots, allowing a nutritious snack to be whipped up anywhere in just 60 seconds.'

Heinz said that any decision on whether to support production will depend on the feedback it receives from the public.

FCI employee thwarts would-be robber outside his Waterbury home

Sunday June 7, 2009

With tumors on his face and head that would make even the most compassionate of souls like Mother Teresa say “ B! What is that?!” Huang Chuncai, 31 bravely underwent a potentially life ending surgery to get part of his 33 pound tumor removed. Yep, not only is it a tumor, but it’s 33 pounds of it, too. But he has to further undergo another surgery to remove rest of the tumor .Known as "China's Elephant Man," Huang Chuncai suffers from exceptionally large tumors that have stunted his growth, left his bones undeveloped, caused his spine to buckle and restricted his breathing. Now, Huang undergoes a risky surgery

                    WARNING!!!! ---"EXTREME DISFIGURATION"

  http://nachofoto.com/gallery/China_s_Elephant_Man_goes_life_challenging_surgery-1/5

        NOTE: MORE PHOTOS AVAILABLE AFTER YOU CLICK ON THE LINK THEN CLICK THE TITLE

http://incredinewz.blogspot.com/2009/06/chinas-elephant-man-man-with-worlds.html

Friday, June 5, 2009