CAROLINA NATURALLY: Apr 2, 2016

Saturday, April 2, 2016

The Daily Drift

Welcome to Today's Edition of Carolina Naturally.

Today also happens to be International Pillow Fight Day ...!

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Today in History

1792		The United States authorizes the minting of the $10 Eagle, $5 half-Eagle & 2.50 quarter-Eagle gold coins as well as the silver dollar, dollar, quarter, dime & half-dime.
1796		Haitian revolt leader Toussaint L’Ouverture takes command of French forces at Santo Domingo.
1801		The British navy defeats the Danish at the Battle of Copenhagen.
1865		Confederate President Jefferson Davis flees Richmond, Virginia as Grant breaks Lee’s line at Petersburg.
1910		Karl Harris perfects the process for the artificial synthesis of rubber.
1914		The U.S. Federal Reserve Board announces plans to divide the country into 12 districts.
1917		President Woodrow Wilson presents a declaration of war against Germany to Congress.
1917		Jeannette Pickering Rankin is sworn in as the first woman to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives.
1931		Virne “Jackie” Mitchell becomes the first woman to play for an all-male pro baseball team. In an exhibition game against the New York Yankees, she strikes out both Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.
1932		Charles Lindbergh pays over $50,000 ransom for his kidnapped son.
1944		Soviet forces enter Romania, one of Germany’s allied countries.
1958		The National Advisory Council on Aeronautics is renamed NASA.
1963		Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King begins the first non-violent campaign in Birmingham, Alabama.
1982		Argentina invades the British-owned Falkland Islands.

Justice Kagan Just Wrote The Most Interesting SCOTUS Opinion Of The Year

Justice Kagan Just Wrote The Most Interesting SCOTUS Opinion Of The Year

Man says he feels awful about historic railway bridge he accidentally destroyed with fire

It didn't take long for a fire to completely destroy an historic wooden train bridge in Porcupine Plain, Saskatchewan, Canada, last Friday. And now a nearby resident is expressing deep remorse after a grass fire he started grew out of control and ignited the structure. Brian Foster lives 200 meters away from the bridge, which has been a landmark in the town since 1929 when it was first built. But on Good Friday, a controlled grass fire that Foster had started near his property spread quickly, and engulfed the bridge in flames.
After the accident, Foster can't shake the deep sense of remorse he feels. "It was an accident," Foster says. He said he was burning grass on the walking paths and cross-country ski trails on his property. He said he tries to maintain the trails for the benefit of the community. "I was burning some of the long grass on a steep incline … and as soon as it touched those creosote-covered posts, the flames just shot right up to the top," he recalled. "I tried to put it out with snow but that didn't work," Foster said. He said he was thankful that passers-by noticed the fire and called the local fire department.

YouTube link.

Crews were dispatched and also made an attempt at dousing the flames. "They didn't have much more luck," Foster said. Foster said that, just as farmers use burning techniques on stubble in their fields, his goal was to manage vegetation on his property. "It's actually a fairly good time of the year to burn because we have a lot of snow on the ground," Foster said. "It helps to control the fire." Foster said he has been rattled by what happened. "I haven't had much sleep the last couple of days," he said. "The scene has replayed as I'm trying to sleep. It's been a tough ride emotionally.

"I assure you that my family and I will be among those who are the most saddened by our loss," Foster added. "I apologize for my carelessness to all who will miss our railway bridge. I also thank the fire department and the RCMP for taking time from their Good Friday holiday to deal with a fire that should never have happened. Again, I offer my most sincere apologies." Foster, who retired five years ago after a career in education, said he has contacted both the RCMP and CN police. He said he has not heard about possible repercussions. "I have no idea what to expect," he said. "But I did it … I've taken responsibility."
There's an audio interview with a very remorseful-sounding Mr Foster here

Austin City Council passes measure barring questions about convictions from job applications

'A young woman sitting in front of two people during a job interview' [Shutterstock]

Austin City Council passes measure barring questions about convictions from job applications

“People get exactly what it’s called — a more fair chance,” council member Greg Casar told KTBC-TV. “A shot at somebody getting to know them without the stigma of a criminal record.”

Student Accused In BDSM Sexual Assault Case Wins Rare Legal Victory

Student Accused In BDSM Sexual Assault Case Wins Rare Legal Victory

Mississippi’s New Anti-LGBT Bill Claims That Women Can Be Fired For Wearing Pants

Mississippi’s New Anti-LGBT Bill Claims That Women Can Be Fired For Wearing Pants

You probably know a Quiverfull family — this anti-women 'christian' cult is everywhere

'The Willis Family' sings a song in a promotion for TLC (Screencapture)

You probably know a Quiverfull family — this anti-women 'christian' cult is everywhere

There’s been some speculation recently about whether the Willis Family, the musically-talented mega-family of 14 featured on TLC’s creatively-titled reality TV show, “The Willis Family,” follows the Quiverfull movement.

Milwaukee County's Abele To Disenfranchise Black Voters

Milwaukee County's Abele To Disenfranchise Black Voters

Abele has a long history of racial discrimination

Top Infrastructure Official Explains How America Used Highways To Destroy Black Neighborhoods

Top Infrastructure Official Explains How America Used Highways To Destroy Black Neighborhoods

Quick Hits

Mayor and his neighbor in dispute over rock

Rick Brink, the mayor of Harbor View, Ohio, and his neighbor Jon King don’t see eye to eye. What has come between the two residents is a granite rock, about twice as large as a basketball. Except it’s not there anymore. The “decorative landscaping (rock)” was stolen on March 14 from the corner of an East Harbor View Drive property where Mayor Brink lives, according to a theft report he filed two days later with the Lucas County Sheriff’s Office. That corner is on the side of the house where Mr. King, 19, lives, with the property line half a foot from the house. The rock is valued at $40, according to the report. It was bought about eight years ago from Select Stone Co. LLC, in Springfield Township, the mayor said.

Harbor View, Ohio’s smallest village, is located between Oregon and Lake Erie. A total of 123 people lived there in 2010, according to the US Census, which estimated its population in 2014 at 100. “The victim told deputies someone stole his landscaping artifact (rock),” deputies wrote in the report. “... He thinks that his neighbor took it due to an ongoing feud that he is having with him. He says that there has been [a] physical threat in the past made against him.” Mayor Brink, 49, said that he and his girlfriend saw Mr King pick up the stone, carry it across the street, and throw it into an empty lot on three occasions during the past month. Each time, the mayor retrieved the rock and put it back, he said. When the mayor did not see the rock on March 14, he went over to Mr King’s residence and “told him he needs to replace the rock,” at which time Mr King told him to leave.
Mr King said he has never touched or moved the stone and denied being involved in a feud with the mayor or having ever threatened him. He said he moved into the house about two months ago and had since had just one run-in with the mayor when the latter showed up on his doorstep March 14. “He came over and started yelling,” Mr King said of the mayor. “[He was] yelling just about everything. I just told him to get off my doorstep.” When asked, Mr King mentioned that the mayor accused him of taking the stone. Mr King also said that he does not have a job and that he is a 2014 high school graduate. A sheriff's deputy who took the incident report wrote in it that he told the mayor “not to go there anymore” and “if there is a problem to call police.” “There is no proof at this time that the neighbor took the rock,” the report said.
Mayor Brink, who was elected mayor earlier this year, agreed but said he had a village marshal talk to Mr King about replacing the rock. Suzanne Barker, a board member of the Ohio Mediation Association and senior case coordinator and volunteer coordinator at Community Mediation Services of Central Ohio, said she never heard about a neighbors’ dispute over a stolen landscaping stone. “People are usually very conflict-averse and [in a potential neighbors dispute case] most people would find an attorney and ask for advice,” Ms Barker said. “My advice is to go and talk to your neighbor first. But do it when you are calm. If someone comes to you yelling and screaming, you don’t even hear what they are saying. You become defensive and get into a fight-or-flight mode.” Neither Mr Brink nor Mr King are listed as the owners of the houses where they live, according to Lucas County records. Mr Brink said the listed owner of the house he lives in is his girlfriend; Mr King said he lives in his parents’ house.

Police investigate mystery meat left alongside several roads

Police are investigating the case of the mystery meat found alongside several roads in Epping, New Hampshire, over the weekend. The discovery of chicken, drumsticks, sausage, Angus steaks, pork chops and wild game meats, including venison, was made by residents who notified police on Sunday. Police Capt. Jason Newman said an estimated 30 to 40 packages of meat were discarded on Red Oak Hill, Rocky Lane, Old Nottingham Road and Route 87. Much of the meat was still partially frozen.

“This is not your average investigation,” Newman said. It appears packages of meat were thrown out of a moving vehicle about every 200 feet. Red Oak Hill resident Jude David picked up a whole frozen chicken near her house and disposed of it. “I was horrified by the amount of meat that was just discarded all over the place. We’re not talking a small package. There was a lot of product,” she said. While most of the meat was still in its packaging, Newman said the labels were ripped off, which made it difficult to identify the source. However, police got lucky with one piece of meat.
“We found a package where they forgot to pull the label off and because of that we have some leads,” Newman said. The label indicated that the meat came from a local store, but Newman declined to identify the market as police continue their probe. At this point, police haven’t pinpointed a motive for the strange meat display. “We’re still investigating what the motive would be in doing this,” Newman said. Investigators don’t believe the meat was thrown out to attract wildlife, he said.

YouTube link.

They’re also not sure if the meat’s sell-by dates were expired, but Newman said he doesn’t believe that played a role in the meat-dumping. If the person responsible is found, police plan to pursue misdemeanor illegal dumping charges. “This is an unusual circumstance, but we’re certainly going to investigate it so we can prevent it from happening in the future,” Newman said. Highway Supervisor Dave Reinhold said workers cleaned up the meat on Monday and threw it away. Anyone with information is asked to call the Epping Police Department.

Man surrendered to police after finding himself stranded on island surrounded by alligators

Authorities say car chase suspect Richard Lange, thought he could evade officers by jumping into a large lake in Montgomery County, Texas, but his game plan quickly changed after he got into the alligator-filled water.

Lange was driving at around 8am on Monday when deputies attempted to stop him to check if he had been in a hit-and-run accident or needed help after they noticed front-end damage on his vehicle. He was also driving on three wheels at that point, police said. Witnesses told police that Lange hit up to a dozen cars while driving before police made the stop.
Lange then allegedly jumped into the lake, that is frequented by lots of large alligators, and swam to an island about 100 feet away, where he stayed for the next four hours. Department of Public Safety troopers, Conroe Fire Department and Montgomery County Hospital District EMS responded to get Lange off the island and into custody. A Montgomery County Sheriff’s K-9 unit was sent onto the island right before Lange emerged at the north end of the island, flagging down officers to get him.
Authorities used a boat from the Conroe Fire Department to get Lange off the island. He was eventually arrested without incident. Lange was taken to the Montgomery County Jail and is facing charges of driving while intoxicated, evading arrest and two counts of failing to stop and render aid. “When people get intoxicated,” Mike Atkins with the Precinct 3 Constable’s Office said, “you never know what’s going to happen with them.”

Teenagers broke into home and ate cereal

Police say four burglary suspects accused of breaking into a home in Pflugerville, Texas, last weekend stayed in the victim's travel trailer overnight and ate their cereal.

According to the arrest affidavits, Charles Olszowy, 17, Allen Marzett, 18, and Horacio Cortez, 17 are charged with burglary of a habitation, a second degree felony, and engaging in organized crime. The fourth person involved was a juvenile.
Court documents say the victim was not home at the time of the burglary, but a neighbor saw the four teens inside a travel trailer parked in the home's front lawn. When she confronted them the group fled, but police were able to find them a short distance away.
The affidavit says Olszowy admitted to police they had spent the night in the travel trailer and had entered the home to "chill." They had removed a safe from a bedroom but were unable to open it - but they did take change from a dresser and eat cereal before they were caught, court documents say.

Man jailed for killing friend who asked to be punched in the face

A man has been jailed for three years after killing a friend who asked to be punched in the face, police said.

Patrick Ryan, 25, hit Phillip Evans while they were were drinking on 11 October, after Mr Evans claimed he had "never been knocked out before". The 42-year-old could not be revived, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard.

Ryan, of Wednesfield in the West Midlands, pleaded guilty to manslaughter at an earlier hearing and was sentenced on Tuesday. Det Insp Martin Slevin, from West Midlands Police, said: "Mr Evans had been a happy family man until working night shifts affected his sleeping pattern and he took to drink to relax,.
"This resulted in him losing his family and spiraling into alcoholism. He lost his life tragically and his neighbor and friend is now serving time for his death and will have to live with the consequences of their brutal pastime for the rest of his life."

Woman called police after finding her husband sleeping in bed

Police in Germany were called to an unusual incident at a hotel on Sunday after a woman reported an unknown man in her bed.

The 44-year-old rang police for help in Lahnstein, near Koblenz, Rhineland-Palatinate, after waking up to find the alleged stranger between the sheets.
But when officers arrived, it turned out that the supposed interloper was in fact the woman's husband. The couple, who were said to be intoxicated, later made a further report to the police that people wearing ape masks had been wandering around the hotel.
The officers and hotel staff attempted to calm the couple without success. In fact, the woman was so distraught that she later went to a nearby police station and reported the events again.

Man arrested for stabbing brother with salad fork in dispute over ownership of meat in pot roast

Police say a man from Muncie, Indiana, stabbed his brother with a fork during an disagreement-turned-brawl over ownership of the meat in a pot roast. Rodney Stephen Gilliam, 49, was arrested late on Monday after he attacked his sibling with "a three-prong salad fork," a police report said.

The 35-year-old victim was treated at IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital for a puncture wound to his left forearm and head cuts, according to the affidavit. Rodney Gilliam told authorities he was cooking a pot roast with potatoes at about 11:20pm when his brother, who lives in the same home, began to insist that the meat belonged to him.

During an ensuing struggle, Rodney Gilliam said, his brother tackled him and he armed himself with the salad fork. The stabbing victim went to a friend’s house, the report said, and they were en route to the hospital when their vehicle was pulled over by police. The victim was then taken to the hospital by ambulance.
Officers said they found “large amounts of blood” in the home and on the clothing of Rodney Gilliam, who had called 911 dispatchers to report his brother was “taking advantage of him.” Gilliam was being held in the Delaware County jail on Tuesday under a $20,000 bond, preliminarily charged with aggravated battery.

Man accused of breathing fire at three different locations

A man from Gloversville, New York, was arrested for allegedly breathing fire on three different occasions at public places. According to police, Jeffrey Wasula, 35, was arrested for inhaling a flammable substance and setting it on fire as he released it from his mouth. Police said Wasula was observed committing the action three times inside places of business and worship as well as near a gas pump.

The first incident took place at around 5:40pm on March 18 at the Church of Holy Spirit in Gloversville. Parishioners were getting ready for their first Family Fun Night when police received a call for a “fire breather.” “Numerous reports of an individual going from different places inhaling some sort of an aerosol, then blowing it through his mouth and lighting it on fire at the same time,” Cpt. Michael Scott with the Gloversville PD said.

The second incident took place at around 9:40pm on March 24 at Cumberland Farms in Gloversville. Police said he went right up to the gas pumps. “Harm wise, it’s endless,” Cpt. Scott said. “It could permanently maim someone, burn a building down. We’ve had two arsons recently. It’s a big concern for us.” The third incident took place at around 11:30am on March 26 at Mohawk Harvest Co-Op in Gloversville. The manager said that it seemed as though Wasula was trying to put on a show. When the manager asked Wasula to leave, he was met by officers.

“Through our investigation and some of the video footage, we were able to see, we were able to identify who the person was,” Cpt. Scott said. “One of our officers walking in the downtown area made contact with the individual and had taken him into custody at that point.” Police said Wasula’s alleged actions posed substantial risk for physical injury as well as risk of starting a fire. He was charged with three counts of Reckless Endangerment in the Second Degree and two counts of Disorderly Conduct. Wasula is known to police, but they wouldn’t expand on his criminal background. He was arrested and later arraigned in Gloversville City Court. He was sent to Fulton County Correctional Facility in lieu of $2,500 cash bail or $5,000 bond.

Husband who drove six miles with wife clinging to roof of car said he didn't know she was there

A Florida man was arrested last week after traveling six miles with his wife on the roof of his vehicle, police say. According to investigators, Richard Addy, 69, and his wife Elizabeth argued early last Tuesday morning after they had consumed “several drinks over the course of the night” at a couple of bars. Richard told police that he eventually decided to “leave the scene” without his 50-year-old spouse.

Addy said that he drove away in a 2011 Toyota Sequoia, but “did not realize that his wife was on the roof of the vehicle.” It was only when he stopped at a traffic light that he “heard her banging on the roof and realised that she was there.” However, instead of stopping, Addy drove on, he claimed, because he “did not have a cell phone to call the police.” Addy said that he went by the county courthouse in the hope of finding a “police presence,” but when he spotted no officers, he continued driving.
Addy finally came to a halt when Officer Christopher Ruediger of the Stuart Police Department spotted Elizabeth on top of the vehicle and pulled the car over. Elizabeth, the officer noted, “was yelling for help and waving her hands at me.” The vehicle was stopped at an intersection six miles from where Addy began his trip. After Ruediger helped her down, Elizabeth said that she was “banging on the roof and screaming for help the entire time.”
The report, however, does not reveal why Elizabeth climbed on top of the car in the first place. While Ruediger noted detecting “a strong odor of alcoholic beverage” coming from Addy’s breath, Addy was only arrested for reckless driving, a misdemeanor, and permitting a passenger to ride on the exterior of a vehicle. The reckless driving citation issued by Ruediger noted that, “Wife riding on roof for several miles.” On Monday, Addy pleaded not guilty to both charges.

Video Shows Evolution of Largest Dinosaurs

Freakishly long necks led to the evolution of the world’s largest dinosaurs, suggests a new video.

Dog rescued after getting stuck in base of tree

A dog became trapped in the base of a tree in Port Orange, Florida, on Friday.

Passers-by spotted the confined canine and called authorities after they heard a whimper while walking their own dog.

Port Orange police and firefighters teamed up with veterinarian Dr Katie Malensek to free the animal from the roots. Malensek sedated the dog while first responders used chain saws, Jaws of Life and winches to get her out safely.
Rescuers originally dubbed the pup "Jane the dog" until they took her to Ravenwood Veterinary Clinic and located the owner, who told them the dog's name is Sailor. Sailor is unharmed and now back with her family recovering.
There's a video of Sailor being freed here.

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