April 20, 2017
Condom-Clogged Pipe Leads Police To Prostitution Ring
Austin, TX (AP) Police say they cracked an Austin prostitution ring they were led to by a drainage pipe clogged with condoms.
 A police affidavit filed Tuesday said investigators learned that a massage parlor was operating in a shopping strip in northwestern Austin after the realty company that had just taken control of the property. The company grew suspicious of the activities of a tenant when they found hundreds of condoms clogging a waste disposal unit connecting the strip to the city sewer system.
Police say they found a massage parlor operating in the strip where female workers offered sexual services for pay. A woman and her husband have been arrested and charged with organized criminal activity and money laundering.
Contractor Bans Foul Language At School’s Construction Site
Philadelphia (AP) Foul language is being discouraged at one construction site in Philadelphia.
 WTXF-TV reports a sign saying “No Foul Language” has been spotted at the site of the new library being built on the Temple University campus.
The station asked about the sign and was told nobody complained about bad language. Instead, Madison Construction says it put up the sign so workers will keep it clean around the students and anybody else who happens by.
Contractor David Buehler says the company has meetings about workplace safety, and that avoiding cursing is also emphasized.
One student asked about the ban tells the TV station that they didn’t understand the point of it.
News Driver Retires After 57 years, 5 Million Deliveries
Gloversville, NY (AP) After nearly six decades and millions of newspapers delivered, Mel Rulison has called it quits.
 The 87-year-old retired last Sunday as a route driver for The Leader-Herald, a 7,500-circulation daily afternoon paper published in Gloversville, in New York’s Mohawk Valley.
The newspaper reports Rulison delivered 220 to 300 newspapers a day, seven days a week for 57 consecutive years. That’s more than 5 million papers delivered during that span.
Rulison was working for his uncle’s tannery when he took on newspaper deliveries as an extra job in 1960. After the tannery closed nearly 30 years ago he kept the delivery job, spending three hours a day dropping off papers at homes in a rural area 40 miles northwest of Albany.
On Monday, the newspaper threw Rulison a retirement party, thanking him for his 57 years of dedicated service.
Ohio Man Turns In $14,000 Found On Side Of Road
Worthington, OH (AP) An Ohio man says he was trying to set a good example for his children when he turned in $14,000 he found on the side of the road.
 WBNS-TV reports Jake Bowers found the money April 8 as he drove his family to a park in Worthington, a Columbus suburb.
Bowers said when he initially saw the bag on the roadside, he thought it might contain someone’s laptop. Instead, it was filled with $100 bills. Bowers took the bag to the Worthington police station, and it was returned to its owner.
A police report says the owner had taken the cash to a car dealer but left without buying a vehicle. He told police he must have left it on top of his car and driven off.
Florida Judge Teaches Yoga On Courthouse Lawn
Jacksonville, FL (AP) A Florida judge sometimes wears yoga clothes under her black robe.
 At noon on the last Friday of every month, Duval County Judge Eleni Derkie strips off the robe and heads to the front lawn of Jacksonville’s courthouse where she leads a yoga class that’s free to anyone who shows up.
The Florida Times-Union reports Derke has taught yoga since 2014 but says her counterparts in the legal profession aren’t always the easiest converts.
Courtroom bailiffs sometimes tease her, but Derke says yoga provides a few moments of peace during an otherwise stressful day. Sometimes, she’s even been known to urge jurors to stretch and take deep breaths during lengthy trials.
She’ll continue the classes this year until the weather gets too hot.
Man Gets 2-Cent Check From Government, No Clue Why
Lynn, MA (AP) A Massachusetts man has a ready answer when asked for his two cents’ worth: He presents a check he got from the government. Bruce Rideout, of Lynn, tells The Daily Item he got the 2-cent check from the U.S. Treasury Department a couple of days ago and has been carrying it around and showing his friends ever since.
 He’s not sure why he got the check and doesn’t plan on asking. The 79-year-old Air Force veteran and Lynn Water and Sewer Commission retiree had already received his income tax refund and his monthly pension.
He’s not going to cash the check. He has already visited a store to have a custom frame made. The cost? More than $82.
Police Impersonator Pulls Over Officer, Needs Real Lawyer
Miami (AP) Authorities say a man packing a blue light and a BB gun pulled over a non-descript car on Interstate 95, ready to play “traffic cop” again. Bad move: the driver he pulled over is a real police detective.
 The police report shows 46-year-old Pacheco Bustamante was arrested Friday morning on a felony charge of impersonating a Florida police officer.
It says Bustamante was driving a Ford Crown Victoria similar to many police vehicles when he approached the detective’s unmarked car and activated a siren. The detective pulled onto the highway shoulder, then arrested Bustamante when it became clear he’s no officer.
The report says Bustamante told police he had done this before.
It wasn’t immediately clear if Bustamante has found a real lawyer to represent him.
Oklahoma Police Chief Issues Himself A Speeding Ticket
Sperry, OK (AP) The police chief of a small northeast Oklahoma community says he issued himself a citation for speeding, but only after being caught on video.
 Sperry Police Chief Justin Burch posted an apology on the department’s Facebook page Saturday, saying he was “wrong in traveling at 75 and 80 mph.” Sperry is about 10 miles north of Tulsa.
Burch admits he’s not sure he would have issued the ticket if not for the video, and that he had a “reason for being in a hurry.” Nonetheless, he admits he must “be held accountable.”
Burch says he wrote himself the more than $300 ticket and that he’ll pay it in full.
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