March 5, 2015

Men Built Mystery Tunnel To Use As Man Cave

Toronto (AP) Two young men who built a mysterious tunnel in Toronto had no criminal intent, police said Monday. They just wanted a man cave.

Const. Victor Kwong said tips from the public helped them identify the two men in their 20s responsible for building the underground chamber near a Pan Am Games venue. News of the tunnel’s discovery set off a social media frenzy, with theories of its purpose ranging from zombie hide outs to affordable housing.

Kwong said the two men just wanted to have fun and there was never any danger to public safety.

“It was a place for them to hang out. They started out as goal to make a cool place and that’s what they did,” Kwong said.

He said investigators checked out their explanation and the case is now closed. He said the men will not be charged, though they could face a fine.

The bunker, discovered in January by a conservation officer in a densely wooded area, is located 25 meters (27 yards) from the fence of the Rexall Centre, which is to host tennis events for the Pan Am Games.

“The minute they were found they were apologetic,” Kwong said.

Nebraska Police Find Pot Inside Container Labeled ‘Not Weed’

Lincoln, NE (AP) A man in Lincoln, Nebraska, has been cited for possessing pot inside a container that had been slapped with a label reading: “Not Weed.”

The Lincoln Journal Star reports that Lancaster County deputies stopped the man’s vehicle around 9 p.m. Saturday.

Officers found the plastic sour cream container during a search of his car, and the driver acknowledged that the pot belonged to him.

He was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving and cited for having less than an ounce of marijuana.

Restaurant Pays 101-Year Old For His Birthday Breakfast

Manchester, NH (AP) A restaurant’s policy to give customers a percentage off their bill on their birthday actually became a 7-cent refund for man who turned 101. Joseph Nelson, who celebrated a birthday breakfast at the Belmont Hall and Restaurant in Manchester on Monday, told WMUR-TV he never thought he’d live this long.

The restaurant’s policy is that customers get a percentage taken off the bill on their birthday based on their age. At 101 years old, the restaurant owed Nelson money.

Nelson ate scrambled eggs and ham, topped off with a piece of chocolate cake.

Southern California Beach Turned White By Hail

Huntington Beach, CA (AP) The beach at Southern California’s “Surf City” has been turned white by a dumping of hail from a fast-moving storm.

The National Weather Service says at least an inch of icy pellets coated the sand at Huntington Beach after the system roared ashore Monday morning.

Brianna Burkhart, who works at Duke’s restaurant on the city pier, says the sky suddenly turned dark and then opened up.

She says when it was all over the beach was completely white and it looked like it had snowed.

It’s the second winter storm to hit the area in several days. Over the weekend a smattering of hail was reported to the north on Venice Beach.

Plane pilots reported seeing funnel clouds over the ocean about 25 miles off Redondo Beach.

Fog Machine In Art Installation Prompts False Fire Alarms

Pittsburgh (AP) Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. But fog signals art, as Pittsburgh firefighters are quickly learning.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that firefighters have been called to a downtown public square at least twice including on Thursday morning by people who reported smoke when they saw machine-generated fog that’s part of a new art installation.

“A Winter Landscape Cradling Bits of Sparkle” by artist Jennifer Wen Ma is a small oasis of mulched trees enveloping a small, boardwalk path.

The fog machine belches every 10 minutes to simulate a cloudy mountaintop.

The Office of Public Art, a public-private agency, says firefighters are being advised and the intensity of the fog bursts may be toned down to lessen the chance of future false alarms.

The installation runs through April 12.

Mystery Solved: Source Of Bad Smell In Louisville Found

Louisville, KY (AP) Officials with Louisville’s Metro Air Pollution Control District say they’ve identified the source of the bad odor that residents have been complaining about for a week.

The agency told news outlets a naturally occurring chemical in the soil called geosmin is to blame for a musty, mildew-like smell that has led to dozens of complaints.

Air district spokesman Tom Nord said the chemical has a low odor threshold and has been “exacerbated by the wet, muddy conditions in the wake of the recent snowfall and rain.”

Nord said the smell is not toxic and isn’t coming from industrial sites. He said the Louisville Water Company has dealt with geosmin previously and told the pollution control district that it might be to blame.