Curses, Foiled Again
Moments after robbing a tourist of her gold chain on a street in Miami Beach, Fla., the gunman returned to the scene in his Mercedes and confronted the victim about the poor quality of the jewelry, complaining it was fake. The victim flagged down police and pointed out Daniel Sion Palmer, 26. “That was a brazen move,” Det. Ernesto Rodriguez said, “and because of that, he was able to be apprehended.” (Miami’s WTVJ-TV)
Pain of Progress
Photo provided by David Guo via flickr
A 29-year-old California man was diagnosed with a torn tendon in his thumb caused by playing “Candy Crush Saga” on his smartphone “all day for six to eight weeks” with his left hand, according to a study reported in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine. One of the authors, San Diego orthopedic surgeon Dr. Dori Cage, cautioned that the rise in the number of people with smartphones who spend lots of time texting or tapping on their cellphones or tablets has the potential to lead to a “texting thumb,” a repetitive stress injury that affects the thumb and wrist. She said that people experiencing pain from texting might instead use voice control, such as Siri on an iPhone, or “actually pick up the phone and call somebody” to communicate. (U-T San Diego)
High on the Dial
Radio station KREL-AM in Colorado Springs, Colo., abandoned its unprofitable sports-talk format to become the nation’s first radio station dedicated to marijuana programming. Its new call letters are KHIG. KHIG-AM airs three local shows: “Wake and Bake” from 7 to 9 a.m., “High Noon” from noon to 1 p.m. and “High Drive” from 5 to 7 p.m. It also broadcasts three hour-long newscasts from Los Angeles-based National Marijuana News Service and programming from Chicago-based RadioMD. Six local medical marijuana dispensaries signed up as advertisers. “I just saw a business opportunity,” general manager Mike Knar said, noting that public response has been “amazing.” (Colorado Springs’ The Gazette)
Second-Amendment Follies
Photo provided by Emie Decker via Thinkstock
Larry McElroy, 54, fired his 9 mm pistol at an armadillo outside his home but wound up shooting his mother-in-law. Sheriff’s investigators in Lee County, Ga., determined the bullet ricocheted off the animal, hit a fence, went through the back door of his mother-in-law’s mobile home, through a recliner she was sitting in and into her back. The 74-year-old victim wasn’t seriously hurt. Authorities do recommend shooting armadillos as an effective way of getting rid of them but suggest using a shotgun, which, investigator Bill Smith said, has “a spread pattern with a lot less range.” (Albany’s WALB-TV)
Holiday Follies
Earlier this year Arkansas lawmakers rejected a proposal to remove Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from the state holiday honoring the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Arkansas is one of three states that jointly celebrate the two men on the third Monday in January. The proposal designated Nov. 30 as a state memorial day honoring Lee and Confederate Gen. Patrick Cleburne and would have repealed June 3 as a state memorial day honoring Confederate President Jefferson Davis. (Associated Press)
All Hands on Deck
Photo provided by TOTO3138 via Thinkstock
Hoping to relieve traffic congestion in Washington’s Puget Sound area, state Rep. Jesse Young proposed using decommissioned Navy aircraft carriers to form a 3,700-foot-long bridge linking Bremerton and Port Orchard. “I know that people from around the world would come to drive across the deck of an aircraft carrier bridge, number one,” Young explained. “Number two, it’s the right thing to do from my standpoint because this is giving testimony and a legacy memorial to our greatest generation.” (Britain’s Daily Mail)
Storage Compartment
After Jesse Roepcke, 27, was arrested for aiming a laser pointer at motorists in Ormond Beach, Fla., officers conducting a strip search at the Volusia County jail said a bag of leafy green substance fell out of his rectum. They noted the contents smelled like marijuana. (United Press International)
High-Jump Challenge
Having failed to stop intruders from climbing the fence surrounding the White House, the Secret Service is adding a second layer of steel spikes to the existing iron picket fence tops. The spikes will measure 7.25 inches tall, with a half-inch steel pencil point at the top, protruding outward multiple inches, to create an acute angle. The measure is only temporary, according to National Parks Service official Jenny Anzelmo-Sarles, who said the goal is to have a completely new fence built by fall 2016. (CNN)
