(SUN-SENTINEL) 25 June 2008:

We’ve all had our little spats with our significant others while they are behind the wheel, but the one that happened in Florida last week between two young lovers got a little out of hand when Marquita Cherrell Armstrong jumped out of a car driven by Jeffery Dawayne Watson. The problem is that they were traveling on a busy Tallahassee interstate. Not surprisingly, Armstrong sustained serious injuries.  But at least she proved her point.  And had the last word no doubt.

(UPI) 28 May 2008:

A couple who got married on April the 27^th are ordered to court on June 25^th. They are to answer a number of charges related to a fight with another wedding party.

Disorderly conduct and assault are among the charges, as well as public intoxication. Although the fight involved people from the other wedding party, it started as a marital tiff between the newlyweds.

I know getting married is a rather stressful time, but I would have thought that getting over the first argument could have waited a little longer. Maybe they have decided to get the worst of the marriage over and done with, and spend the rest of their married lives making up.

(TIMESUNION.COM) 22 April 2008:

Mail carrier Lisa Harrell of Albany, New York was in the right place at the right time this past week when she literally caught a baby that fell from the sky.

She doesn’t usually deliver to 306 Second Street in Albany until about 2 pm, but she happened to be at the address three hours early for a special delivery.

As she was delivering the package, she looked up and saw a baby in the window. As she rang the doorbell, something fell from the sky and struck her arm. Instinctively, she put out her arms and caught the projectile, which happened to be the baby she had just seen in the window.

“The baby fell right into my arms. Everything happened so quick,” said Harrell.

Her boss is hailing her as a hero but Harrell believes she was just in the right place at the right time.

(MSNBC.COM) 8 April 2008:

The iconic Easter Island statues were disrupted by a Finnish tourist who chipped an earlobe off one of the ancient Moais. The tourist had to pay a $17,000 fine and promise not to return to Easter Island for three years. He also had to make a public appology to the people whose ancestors are represented by the statues, some up to 1000 years old.

(THE ADVOCATE) 26 March 2008:

Thomas Beatie is a normal guy. He and his wife Nancy live in Oregon and are expecting their first child. Except Nancy is not the one carrying the child. Thomas is pregnant.  Thomas is transgender female to male, legally male, and legally married to Nancy. When Thomas had his sex reassignment procedures, he kept his female reproductive organs. Nancy has a hysterectomy and therefore is unable to carry a child for the couple. When the couple decided they wanted a child, Thomas stopped taking his testosterone injections. After four months, his body knew what to do. He was able to get pregnant without the aid of fertility drugs or any additional hormone treatments.  The sperm came from a sperm bank. Many people they’ve encountered are hostile and angry, but they are thrilled that the pregnancy is free from complications and they are expecting a baby girl on July 3.

(WFTV.COM) 25 March 2008:

Detectives said 24-year-old Shawanda Butler of Ocala went to Little Angels Adoption Agency in Sebring, Fla. in November 2007 claiming she was three months pregnant and wanted to give up the baby for adoption. The agency then began providing assistance to Butler for such things as medical bills, rent, clothing and groceries.

According to investigators, the adoption agency sent an agent to Butler’s home in February to confirm the pregnancy, but Butler refused to get up from her couch or show her stomach. The agency representative said Butler then went into a bedroom where the agent saw her put a pillow under her shirt.

The adoption agency then contacted authorities who arrested Butler on Tuesday on claims she defrauded the agency of $5,000. She is being held at the Marion County jail.

(MSNBC) 6 March 2008:

A woman who called in a bomb threat to an airport in an attempt to break up with her boyfriend will spend two years in jail and pay almost $20,000 in restitution. She called the airport saying there was a bomb on the flight her boyfriend was on. She thought that when he found out she made the calls, he would break up with her. Mission accomplished.

(RENO GAZETTE JOURNAL) 20 February 2008:

From the Reno Gazette Journal:  “Thomas Ballard of Delhi, La., recently called a buddy to crow about his success while playing a video game on the Xbox.

‘I have killed them all!’ said the ecstatic 29-year-old during the late-night call.

Unfortunately for Ballard, he called the wrong number. The confused lady on the other line, who spied Ballard’s number via caller ID, rewarded his gaming efforts by calling the police.

The good news for Ballard is that police ultimately realized he didn’t actually kill real people. The bad news? While checking him out, police also found out he had a five-year-old warrant for cocaine possession.”

(CBS NEWS) 14 February 2008:

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that at least 82 American youths have died from “playing” the “choking game.” The kids used various household items including dog leashes to wrap around their neck to temporarily cut blood flow to their head. “The goal is a dreamlike, floating-in-space feeling when blood rushes back into the brain.” The CDS estimates that 20 percent of teens and preteens play this “game.” Nearly 90 percent of the deaths were boys and the average age is 13.  Warning signs that a child is engaging in this activity include bloodshot eyes, marks on the neck, frequent and severe headaches, disorientation after spending time alone, and ropes, scarves, or belts tield to bedroom furniture or doorknobs or found knotted on the floor.

(NEW YORK DAILY NEWS) 12 February 2008:

An unamed retired math teacher from Canada narrowly survived sex play at a bondage club in New York that he frequents. He was found blue, hanging in a dungeon at the Nutcracker Suite sex club. Dressed in a dog collar and stilletos, he was paying staff to check on him every hour. His wife was told that he was found unconscious on one of the streets of New York. She said, “I thought New York was safe.”