Innocent while black. In this recurring news topic, on October 18, CNN reports that a black Georgia man, Leonard Cure, who had been released from prison for a crime he didn’t commit, was returning home from visiting his mother, and was shot by a police deputy at a routine traffic stop, and later pronouced dead by medics. Cure was 56.
He actually has that much money? Self-proclaimed performance artist Alex Jones, host of the entertainment show Info Wars, was reminded that the 1.1 billion dollars he owes the families of the Sandy Hook victims was real, and not part of his performance. A Texas judge ruled that he can’t use Chapter 11 bankruptcy to avoid paying all or most of the money owed to the victim’s families that were named in the lawsuit. Jones also declared personal bankruptcy late in 2022. While his show is syndicated, he appears to make most of his money selling health products.
Mickey Mouse Parliament. A train carrying EU officials from Brussels and headed for Strasbourg, took a wrong turn and ended up about 12 km east of Paris, France, in Marne la Vallée Chessy, the location of a Disneyland resort. The officials on the train ride became known derisively as “Team Disneyland”. There was a 45 minute delay, before the train was re-routed. Mickey Mouse himself was unavailable for comment. (16 Oct)
Hallowe’en props. The half-naked body of 34 year-old Robert Owens was found on the lawn in front of an empty house in China Grove, North Carolina, after a groundskeeper had mowed grass around it, and who thought it was a Hallowe’en prop or a mannequin for K9 training, as the property had been previously used for dog training. His remains had been lying there for at least a day before a construction worker made the grim discovery and later Robert’s family identified his body. (17 Oct)
Bomb threat, but it depends. A Copa flight en route to Tampa, Florida from Panama City was routed back to Panama and evacuated of all of its passengers on the tarmack following a suspected bomb in one of the bathrooms. After the bomb squad was called in to inspect the landed and emptied plane, the “bomb” they suspected turned out to be an adult diaper. (13 Oct)
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