Curses, foiled again
Authorities responding to a bank robbery in Daytona Beach, Fla., arrested suspects Randall Fredric Walker, 38, and Jason Warren Dietrich, 35, after their getaway vehicle ran out of gas while leaving the scene.
A man wielding an ice pick entered Black Diamond Equipment in Salt Lake County, Utah, and demanded cash and precious metals. The Salt Lake Tribune reported that when the nightshift manager pointed out the company, despite its name, sells mountaineering gear, not diamonds or precious metals, the robber settled for some office computers and climbing equipment and left.
Non-problem solved
Intending to make street crossing safer, even though there have been no incidents, officials in Lemoyne, Pa., spent $250 to place plastic bins at two of the borough’s busiest intersections and fill them with bright orange flags. Signs direct pedestrians to take a flag, hold it while crossing the street, then deposit it in the opposite bin. The Patriot-News reported Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pa., tried a similar initiative but gave up after a year because, according to college official Christine Dugan, people kept taking the flags.
When guns are outlawed
Authorities in Shelbyville, Tenn., reported that “a verbal altercation” between James Earl Taylor, 40, and Mary S. Childers, 44, led to an assault with Cheetos. According to the Shelbyville Times-Gazette, sheriff’s Cpl. Kevin Roddy charged both of them with domestic assault because he couldn’t determine the primary aggressor since the Cheetos left “no physical marks on either party.”
No fun allowed
Local officials ordered a halt to construction of China’s first sex theme park after they became incensed over the park’s risqué nature. The New York Times reported that photos on the Internet showed workers “pulling down a pair of white plastic legs and hips that appear to be the bottom half of a giant female mannequin towering over the park’s entrance. The mannequin is wearing a red G-string.” According to China Daily, Lu Xiao-qing, manager of Love Land in Chongqing, had planned to display naked human sculptures, giant models of genitals, sex technique workshops and a photography exhibit about the history of sex. He insisted the park was being built “for the good of the public” and would help adults “enjoy a harmonious sex life.” Compiled from the nation’s press by Roland Sweet. Submit items, citing date and source, to P.O. Box 8130, Alexandria VA 22306.
