February 1, 2018

Tons Of Mardi Gras Beads Down The Drains In New Orleans

New Orleans, LA (AP) - Let the good times roll - just not into New Orleans’ storm drains.

That’s the plea from city officials.

Local news outlets report cleaning crews have sucked out more than 46 tons (42,000 kilograms) of Mardi Gras beads from catch basins on along a five-block stretch of St. Charles Avenue downtown, a popular parade route.

Department of Public Works Interim Director Dani Galloway said Thursday that the four-month emergency program had cleaned 15,000 catch basins altogether as of Wednesday, removing roughly 7.2 million pounds (3.3 million kilograms) of debris.

It’s part of a $22 million contract to tackle city’s drainage system in response to heavy August flooding.

Galloway asked residents to step up and clear neighborhood catch basins, and said the city is looking at installing temporary ``gutter buddies.’’

Man Finds Foot-Long Venomous Centipede, Preserves It

Hilo, HI (AP) - A Big Island resident has a centipede that’s more than 1 foot long (30 centimeters long) on display at his home.

Retired taxidermist Clayton Cambra spotted the 14.5-inch (37-centimeter) insect in woods behind his home and decided to capture it with a bucket, the Hawaii Tribune-Herald reported Sunday.

Cambra said the venomous arthropod stood up ``like a cobra’’ when he captured it.

``Standin’ right up. It’s creepy,’’ Cambra said. ``He crawled out of that bucket four or five times before I got him here.’’

He got the centipede inside a plastic bag and froze it in his freezer.

Cambra then thawed the centipede, pinned it to a Styrofoam board and injected it with formaldehyde.

``It’s a monster. Even when it was dead, I was nervous touchin’ it,’’ Cambra said.

Cambra said he rejected a $1,000 offer for the centipede.

``I don’t want to sell it,’’ Cambra said. ``I want to keep it. People collect all kinds of things. I know people on the computer (who) collect these alive and keep ‘em as pets.’’

Cop To Runaway Horse: ‘Will You Stop?’ Horse: ‘Neigh’

Hudson, FL (AP) - A Florida deputy was caught on video politely pursuing a four-legged suspect on a busy road.

Pasco County Sheriff’s Cpl. Art Madden on Wednesday spotted a chestnut-and-white horse galloping in and out of traffic on a road north of Tampa. Rolling down his law enforcement vehicle’s window, he asked the animal to ``please stop.’’ He also made kissy noises, to no avail.

According to authorities, he was able to herd the animal into a nearby housing development, and the mare finally came to a stop. Madden exited his cruiser and approached, only to have her run off again.

The horse eventually stopped a second time, and that’s when Madden threw his arms around her neck.

The horse’s owner, who had reported the animal missing, arrived and took it away unharmed.

NYC Museum Offers Solid Gold, Used Toilet To Trumps

New York City, NY (AP) - Donald and Melania Trump had a simple request: to borrow a Van Gogh painting from a New York museum for their White House private quarters.

Instead, the Washington Post reports the Guggenheim Museum’s curator came up with a pointedly satirical counter-offer: a solid gold toilet used by visitors in a museum restroom until last August.

The first couple wanted Van Gogh’s ``Landscape With Snow,’’ featuring a man and his dog.

Curator Nancy Spector, who’s been openly critical of Trump in social media, emailed the White House in September that the Trumps could borrow the toilet installation titled ``America’’ _ Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan’s jab at the nation’s greedier instincts. The toilet has an estimated value topping $1 million.

The Post said the White House has stayed silent on the offer.

It’s Not Too Cold For This Outdoor Bar In Maine, Carved Out Of Ice

Bangor, ME (AP) - Leaning in to the cold weather gripping Maine this winter, a Bangor restaurant is rolling out a seasonal bar carved out of ice.

This is the third year that Timber has had carvers craft the cold bar in front of the restaurant. WABI-TV reports the bar is made from 44 blocks of ice weighing in at over 9,000 pounds.

Lead carver Tim Pierce says his team started carving Wednesday and plan to finish up by Friday morning. The ice bar is scheduled to open Friday night and will operate for the next two weekends.

Police On The Hunt For Thieves Who Stole 44 Tons Of Chocolate

Berlin (AP) - Police say two truck trailers loaded with 44 tons (48.5 U.S. tons) of chocolate were stolen in southern Germany and there’s no sign of the sticky-fingered perpetrators.

Police said Monday the trailers packed with 400,000 euros ($496,100) worth of chocolate were stolen from an industrial park in Freiburg on Friday night.

One was found Saturday hauled by a Polish truck that had stopped at a rest area near the German-French border. The driver fled on foot and the trailer was still full of the stolen chocolate.

The second trailer was found in Lahr, also near the border with France. Two thirds of the chocolate and the thief were gone.

Police say they’ve launched a search for the thieves and are appealing for any witnesses to come forward.

EPA Official Wore Disguise To Spy On Driving Test

Madison, WI (AP) - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Regional Administrator Cathy Stepp wore a fake nose and sunglasses to try to help her daughter pass a 2011 Wisconsin driving test after she failed her initial attempt.

Stepp had her daughter, Hannah, introduce her when she addressed her staff for the first time Jan. 11 after President Donald Trump appointed her, the Chicago Tribune reported .

During her tenure, the agency also scrubbed language stating that humans are causing climate change from its website and the number of environmental enforcement cases decreased sharply.

Stepp asked her daughter to introduce her in an attempt to humanize her, according to the Tribune. During the introduction, Hannah Stepp said her mother wore the fake nose and sunglasses so she could follow someone taking the Wisconsin driver’s test. She said she had failed her first test and her mother wanted to learn the route to help her practice for her second attempt, which she passed. She told the newspaper that her mom always carries a fake nose around.

Cathy Stepp issued a statement Friday through EPA spokeswoman Rachel Bassler saying ``this was a lovely opportunity for my daughter to help me introduce myself to my new colleagues. She told an exaggerated, humorous story to poke a little fun at me. It surprises me that anyone would take it otherwise.’’