Pasadena, CA – Margit Arrobio’s Powerball ticket could have earned her $360 million in lottery winnings … had she bought it an hour earlier.

This tragic story is brought to you by: Cruel and twisted fate.

Margit Arrobio’s Powerball ticket was a welcome piece of exciting news when she discovered that she had all of the winning numbers for a $360 million jackpot, but before she could plan a vacation in Aruba and quit her job, she discovered that she had purchased the ticket an hour after the deadline and wouldn’t be getting any money for the worthless ticket.

“I called my gas station where I bought the ticket and I said, ‘I don’t get it. I have every number and yet they say there’s no winner,’” Arrobio recalled.

The person at the gas station asked her when she had purchased her ticket, one of five hopefuls, and she said 8pm. The attendant then told her that she had unfortunately bought it one full hour after the numbers had been announced.

Even worse, the Powerball jackpot shot up to a record $590.5 million just a few days later.

There has only been one reported winner, an individual from Florida, who will be taking home the entire jackpot by themselves.

Arrobio said that she was at first shocked, and the painfully disappointed.

Since the chances of winning the lottery are already so slim to none that it’s barely even worth playing, I’d just stop buying tickets if I were Arrobio. She came too close to the sun and got burned in this case, and sadly, this is the closest she’s ever likely to come.

Poor gal.

What do you think of Margit Arrobio’s Powerball story? Should the lottery grant her part of the pot, even though she was an hour late? Sound off!

[Image via: Anne Kitzman / Shutterstock]

Margit Arrobio’s Powerball Ticket Was A Winner, But Bought An Hour Too Late is a post from: The Inquisitr

San Francisco, CA – Sunday in San Fran played host to the 102nd Bay to Breakers race, in which tens of thousands of runners took part in the beautiful day of events.

According to the SFGate, roughly 30,000 registered participants joined up with many more unofficial entrants to run from Howard to Main street, a 7.46-mile trek to Ocean Beach.

First across the finish line was 23-year-old Tolossa Gedefa Fufi, a competitor from Ethiopia. Fufi clocked in at 35:01, which is the slowest winning time since 2003, and only the second time in the last 30 years that a winner took longer than 35 minutes to complete the race.

Second place was 30-year-old Ryan Hall, who was attempting to be the first American to win wince 1986. He clocked in at 35:40.

In the women’s race, 28-year-old Diane Nukuri-Johnson of Burundi came in first at 40:12, followed mere seconds later by Adrienne Herzog of the Netherlands.

Though San Francisco’s Bay to Breakers event was just as much a city-wide party this year as those previous, there was an increased police presence due to the April 15 bombing at the Boston Marathon, which killed three and injured over 260.

Large backpacks were banned, and everyone, including the elite runners, had their belongings checked this year. Even the race’s announcer asked the runners to be vigilant as they ran their course. ”Remember: If you see something, say something. And please, use the 1,000 Porta Potties along the route.”

But the increased security didn’t stop anyone from having a good time. ”I actually drove 9 1/2 hours from Palm Springs to see this,” said one man who watched the race. “Just basically to see the spectacle and do S.F. for a week.”

Did you participate in the Bay to Breakers race this year?

[Image via: Jose Gil / Shutterstock]

Bay to Breakers 2013: Thousands Run, Many More Party In San Fran is a post from: The Inquisitr

Fresno, CA – A drug bust after a 911 “butt-dial” has landed two careless crooks in prison.

Nathan Teklemariam and Carson Rinehart were recently arrested in Fresno. They were nabbed at a drug bust after a 911 butt-dial. Essentially, one of them accidentally called 911, and the pair were recorded as they talked about scoring drugs and breaking into a car.

The 911 operator tried to get their attention, but eventually just stopped and listened in, because let’s face it … these boys were too interesting to interrupt.

Looking to pass some time:

Suspect: “I just want to smoke weed so bad right now.”

Later, coordinating a break-in:

Suspect: “Get the bolt and give me the hammer just in case.”

Hitting pay-dirt:

Suspect: “They’re Norcos, yeee-ahh!”

A bold plan:

Suspect: “We’ll go back and search in a little bit and search the whole thing. But we’ll park far away, you know?”

By this time, the 911 operator had picked up a few clues as to where these two knuckleheads were, and had dispatched a few officers to check on them.

Hilariously, the 911 operator listens as the police approach the two.

Suspect: “He’s right (expletive) behind me, dude.”

Suspect: “Oh he’s following me Dog!”

Suspect: “He’s following the (expletive) out of me Bro!

Suspect: “Wow what did I do?”

They’re pulled over, their car is searched, and they are arrested on charges of breaking into a car, possession of stolen property and conspiracy to commit a crime.

Near the tail-end of the call, the suspects finally figure out how they were caught. “The phone really called 911?” asked one of the suspects.

The cop, hopefully with a smirk on his face, replied “Yeah.”

And that’s how a drug bust after a 911 butt-dial landed two careless crooks in prison.

[Image via: Vladimir Koletic, Shutterstock]

Drug Bust After 911 Butt-Dial Lands Two In Prison is a post from: The Inquisitr

San Francisco, CA – A restaurant called Bacon Bacon is being forced to close after complaints of an intoxicating obnoxious bacon aroma caused the Health Department to shut the operation down.

The popular pork-based restaurant in the Upper Haight is being forced to shut down this week after months of failed negotiations with neighbors and the Health Department.

It started like this: A handful of really uncool neighbors of Bacon Bacon complained of a constant “porcine aroma,” which is a $10 way to say “we hate the smell of bacon.”

Since you can’t lodge a formal complaint with the Department of Public Health over the smell of bacon, the instead expressed concerns about … grease disposal.

Sounds pretty lame, but the complainants ended up having a real point. The Department of Public Health showed up and poked around, and wouldn’t you know it, they found that the Bacon Bacon restaurant wasn’t exactly up to snuff.

It was the permits that did Bacon Bacon in, but the Health Dept. gave the owners 75 days to set things right before they’d be forced to shutter the place for good.

Despite a swell of online support from Bay Area residents who love the restaurant, Bacon Bacon is closing and won’t be able to appeal at a public hearing until July.

Owner Jim Angelus has tried to work out his differences with his unhappy neighbors to no avail.

“It’s frustrating,” Angelus said. “Two weeks ago, the health department showed up saying we had no permits. So we had a hearing and one person showed up saying they were opposed. They told us we had long enough to resolve these issues — and as a result, we have to cease operations May 17.”

Those neighbors, who were not identified, alleged that the Bacon Bacon restaurant was pumping bacon grease directly into the sewer system and apparently even offered to pay for an air filtration system for the restaurant’s owners. That seems kind of sketchy, but that’s what their lawyer said.

But at the end of the day, Bacon Bacon needs to follow the rules to stay in business, says Ted Loewenberg, president of the Haight Ashbury Improvement Association. If they’d just get their papers in order, they could re-open, and there’s an online petition with about 1,800 signatures belonging to people who would like to see that happen.

Have you ever eaten at the Bacon Bacon restaurant? What do you think of the smell of bacon?

[Image via: Anna Hoychuk, Shutterstock]

‘Bacon Bacon’ Restaurant Closing After Bacon Aroma Plagues Community is a post from: The Inquisitr

Sacramento, CA – You read about Etta Lopez, the woman so desperate to quit smoking she went to the extreme measures of assaulting a police officer, right? She got her wish.

Etta Me Lopez, 31, slapped a California sheriff’s deputy this week because she wanted to go to jail. It was the only thing she could think of that would help her finally kick the habit.  So she waited outside the Sacramento County jail for several hours on Tuesday. When Deputy Matt Campoy emerged, Lopez suddenly slapped him and hit him in the arm as he tried to restrain her.

“I stepped to the left, she stepped to my left,” Campoy recalled. “I stepped to the right, she stepped to my right. I stepped to the left again and she suddenly stepped into me and slapped my face.”

Lopez pleaded non contest to a misdemeanor charge of battery against a peace officer (because she wanted to go to jail, remember) and was sentenced to 63 days in jail.

Campoy told the Sacramento Bee that Lopez only slapped him so she’d be sent to jail because there’s no tobacco allowed.

“She knew that the only way to quit smoking was to go to jail because they don’t allow tobacco in the jail,” said Campoy. “She waited all day for a deputy to come out because she knew if she assaulted a deputy she would go to jail and be inside long enough to quit her smoking habit.”

Campoy also joked about the surreal attack.

“I’ve been telling everybody that I have a new Irish name: Nick O’Derm,” Campoy said.

Though nicotine works its way out of the body between 24 and 48 hours, the body goes into intense withdrawal afterwards (sometimes called “smokers flu” for its flu-like symptoms) for several days or weeks. It usually takes months for your body to completely get over its nicotine cravings, and your mind, much longer. But like they say, everybody is different.

Do you think that 63 days is enough time for Etta Lopez to quit smoking? Sound off!

[Image via: Africa Studio, Shutterstock]

Woman Who Slapped Cop Gets Plenty Of Jail Time To Quit Smoking is a post from: The Inquisitr

Hollywood, CA – Law enforcement officials are on the lookout for Spider-Man, after the masked superhero stole $6,000 in cash and credit card information from a Starlines Tour Bus company employee.

On Friday morning, the worker was leaving the business’ Hollywood Boulevard headquarters when the web-slinger snatched the paper bag filled with cash and receipts, said the Los Angeles Police Department’s Lt. Rich Galbaldon, who is a watch commander in the Hollywood Division.

Police have been questioning other Spider-Men who were spotted in the area between the TCL Chinese Theatre (formerly Grauman’s) a tourist hot spot.

No arrests have been made thus far, but other superheroes including Superman, Batman and Catwoman, have pledged to aid police in their search for the Spider-Man thief.

This isn’t the first time an ill-intentioned Spider-Man has been wanted by Hollywood authorities.

In 2009, a Spider-Man impersonator allegedly punched a man in the face and arms. Police showed up and arrested one of four Spider-Men present at the scene, though the victim seemed to believe they had gotten the wrong one. As such, the victim refused to press charges.

Superhero impersonators lining Hollywood Boulevard isn’t an uncommon sight. These impersonators will pose for photos, though sometimes a dispute, even a fight, will break out over “sidewalk territory” or “aggressive begging,” which some impersonators have been accused of in the past.

Of course, then there are real-life superheroes who are just plain bad. Let’s not forget Stan Worby, the infamous “Bradford Batman,” who turned a wanted man in to police, only to be busted months later for theft himself … while accompanied by the man whom he originally turned in.

Anyway. What do you think of this story? Are you upset to see Spider-Man become a criminal?

[Image via: Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com]

Hollywood Cops Searching For Spider-Man Thief is a post from: The Inquisitr

Stockton, CA – A high school teacher has been dismissed for attempting to build a porn empire from her school laptop.

A lot of teachers try to make some extra money on the side (heck, it’s how I ended up in writing full time), but for Heidi Kaeslin, a 37-year-old teacher formerly of Stockton’s Lincoln High School, that extra money was apparently meant to come from porn.

She didn’t seem to get very far into her empire, as she was busted after setting up several domains from her school laptop, one of which was mysluttyteacher.com (side note: A little surprised that wasn’t already taken).

A panel form the state Office of Administrative Hearings confirmed their decision to dismiss Kaeslin this week, saying that files they found on the school laptop were “pornographic, lewd, vulgar or repugnant.”

Some members also branded Kaeslin’s behavior “immoral.”

Kaeslin was a special education teacher and girls’ soccer coach, and had been employed at Lincoln since 2002. She got caught when her estranged husband told officials that the domain names were registered to her home.

She also allegedly had a partner in crime in retired cop Richard Fields who was employed at Lincoln as a resource officer. Fields is also reportedly Kaeslin’s lover, but that is so Daily Mail “allegedly,” I don’t even want to comment on it.

In any case, Fields told the Stockton Record that the domain names were bought with the intention of building a profitable pornographic empire, before the parties involved got bored with the project. He also said that the allegations were “completely overblown,” so you get the feeling they didn’t get very far.

But students apparently told a local TV station that mysluttyteacher.com had an ad stating:  ”Have you ever seen your teacher’s breasts before? Well now you can see them.”

Kaeslin herself admits that her attempt to build a porn empire online amounted to pretty bad decision making, but doesn’t think she deserved to be canned.

“Some people might say, ‘What you did was immoral,’ ” she said. “I feel like what I did personally, I should not have done. That’s why I stopped. Yes, I made a bad decision, not just about accessing and categorizing but even just having an affair. Yeah, I made some bad choices. Do I feel like I should be fired over it? No.”

Watch a video report of Kaeslin’ case below. The best part is the student reactions to the story. Ain’t nobody got time for that!

[Image via: dencg, Shutterstock.com]

California Teacher Fired For Running Porn Empire From School Laptop is a post from: The Inquisitr

Zombies may be violent, shuffling, brain-eating monsters, but that doesn’t mean they can be held accountable for their actions in a court of law.

Now, when the zombie apocalypse happens, if we’re able to fend them off and reasonably rebuild society to what it once was, what are we going to do with the surviving zombies, in a legal sense? Put them on trial for their crimes? Execute them outright? Just like with any other zombie-related though experiment, it depends on what kind of zombie we’re talking about.

Ryan Davidson is a lawyer who also runs Law and the Multiverse, a blog that examines comic book and pop culture tropes under the scope of real-life law. When asked by The Huffington Post about how legally culpable zombies are for their actions, he said it depends.

“It depends on how the disease works,” Davison said. “If zombies are effectively unconscious, then they would be incapable of performing voluntary actions and thus immune to criminal liability (or civil liability, for that matter). The zombies in the most recent I Am Legend movie appear to be fully conscious, if perhaps a bit aggressive, so they could potentially be found liable. But in most others, probably not.”

He also noted that the law considers persons wither fully alive or fully dead: There is no in between. Fortunately, that’s also how it seems to work in zombie fiction. You either have irreversibly dead zombies or “rage” zombies, who are still living people.

“If ‘zombies’ are re-animated corpses, then no. The dead have no rights,” he said. “But if ‘zombies’ are living people infected with some kind of virus, like in 28 Days Later, then still have all the same rights they did before infection.”

Davidson and his partner James Daily discussed all of the legal ins-and-outs of the post-zombie world on Friday at WonderCon in Anaheim, California. They were joined by physicians H. Eric Bender, M.D., Praveen R. Kambam, M.D., and Vasilis K. Pozios, M.D., who also have an interest in pop culture.

Perhaps most interesting was the question of insanity. If a zombie could be cured of his condition, would he then be able to claim insanity as a defense? Daily said that a zombie would technically fit the definition of insanity (roughly defined as being so impaired that you didn’t know that your act was wrong), though Pozios stressed that they weren’t equating people with mental illness to zombies.

As far as trying an individual who was currently a zombie, don’t waste your time.

“A full-blown zombie would likely not be able to work with legal counsel or follow the trial, and thus would be Incompetent to Stand Trial,” Pozios explained. “Not to mention, it would be pretty difficult to assemble a jury of his peers.”

Zombies Aren’t Legally Responsible For Their Actions, Says Lawyer is a post from: The Inquisitr

Richmond, CA – A one-year-old boy was hit by a stray bullet during a California shooting on Thursday, March 28.

Authorities are currently looking for the individual responsible for firing at least four shots in the Iron Triangle neighborhood on Thursday afternoon. A 1-year-old boy and man on a bicycle were treated for injuries after both were shot by the gunman.

Police said the boy was and his father were inside their home when the unidentified person started shooting. The child was reportedly hit in the neck by a bullet after it went through a window.

The 1-year-old was taken to Children’s Hospital in Oakland for treatment. He is expected to survive after undergoing emergency surgery.

“This shouldn’t happen, my son didn’t do nothing to nobody, I didn’t do nothing to nobody. I go to work and come home you know. And it’s not my fault I live in a certain area,” father Rosshan Ali told KGO-TV.

Ali explained that the child’s mother was in the shower when the shooting started. The boy’s father said the 1-year-old was being held by his grandmother when he was injured.

“As far as I know my mom was inside watching him,” Rosshan said. “Like I said, my fiance came home from work. She was in the shower, and next thing you know, shots fired and my mom grabbed him and ran into the kitchen.”

Richmond police are currently offering a $25,000 reward for any information that leads to the arrest of the man responsible for the shooting. Investigators aren’t sure what prompted the attack.

“You have a one-year-old child who was literally in the arms of the grandparents. They are feeding him and bullets come into the house,” Richmond Police Chief Chris Magnus explained.

He added, “I am really angry about this. I am sickened, I am appalled. This is completely unacceptable and it is our highest priority to catch those who are involved.”

Fortunately, the 1-year-old boy who was hit in the neck by a stray bullet is expected to recover. Authorities are still searching for the gunman as of this writing.

[Image via Shutterstock]

1-Year-Old Hit By Stray Bullet In California Shooting is a post from: The Inquisitr

Martinez, CA – What’s the best way to get a 2-year-old to observe nap time? If you answered “hog-tie the little rascal,” then you are completely unfit to teach a classroom full of rambunctious kids. You’re also probably Angela Calcagno.

The Courthouse News Service reports that California parents John and Mary Roe are suing Centerpointe Church and Preschool, saying that their 2-year-old daughter was hog-tied by her teacher when she wouldn’t sleep during naptime.

Additionally, teacher Angela Calcagno “tormented” Mrs. Roe “with a picture of her hogtied daughter and boasted that she had been the one who did it,” parents claim.

Parents also complain that Calcagno was only employed by the preschool because the principal is sexually attracted to her. She apparently does not have any license or credentials.

“This complaint stems from Calcagno’s untenable practice of ‘hogtying’ (i.e., binding the hands and feet with tightly applied masking tape) children who could not sleep during naptime,” the complaint states. “Further, Centerpointe Church and Preschool’s principal administrator allowed this serious regulatory violation to occur because, due to his sexual attraction for Calcagno, he wanted her working there even though she was unlicensed.”

The parents called the hog-tying practice “sickening” and “draconian,” and opine that Calcagno only did it because she “viewed naptime as her personal time, and punished and restrained any non-napping child to ensure this.”

Additionally, they say that their 2-year-old now has an inability to sleep for more than a few hours. The girl wakes up frequently in a panic, and has an irrational fear of tape, “exclaiming such things to her parents as, ‘mommy, no more tape’ and similar statements.”

The Roes are getting psychiatric intervention for their daughter and are seeking punitive damages for false imprisonment, battery, negligence, negligent hiring and supervision, fraud, breach of contract and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

What do you think should happen to the “teacher” who hog-tied a student who wouldn’t sleep during naptime?

California Teacher Allegedly Hog-Ties Toddler Who Won’t Nap is a post from: The Inquisitr

An SUV drove off the road in California over the weekend, plummeting over 200 feet and killing the driver. The survivor, a 9-year-old girl, hiked back up the embankment in search of help for her dying dad.

The Los Angeles Times reports that the accident took place in the middle of the night early Sunday morning. When the Ford Escape ran off the road, it flipped several times before coming to a rest upside down. The young girl smelled gasoline and turned off the vehicle. She freed herself and, after seeing that her dad was unresponsive, departed in search of help.

Her first stop was a home 1,000 feet away. A light extended out through the darkness, but when the girl knocked on the door, no one answered. The girl went back to check on her father before beginning her upward journey.

The girl tackled the difficult terrain between her and the Sierra Highway. Once there, she journeyed towards a commuter rail station about a mile away. She grabbed the attention of a passing motorist, who then called the police.

Unfortunately, it was too late. By the time police officers arrived at the SUV, the father was dead. Alejandro Renteria, 35, had died from injuries sustained in the crash. Police suspect alcohol may have played a role in the crash.

A young girl walking alone at in the dark of night is never the setup for a good story. Any number of tragic events could have taken place that night, in addition to the father’s death. As it stands, the girl is being cared for at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. She was treated for minor injuries, and families members told a local CNN affiliate that the girl is faring well, considering.

Not all children’s stories have a happy ending. The 9-year-old girl deserved a better reward for hiking in the dead of night to get her dying dad some help.

[Image via ShutterStock]

9-Year-Old California Girl Hikes After Crash To Get Help For Dying Dad is a post from: The Inquisitr

Domaine Javier, who appeared on MTV’s True Life in 2011, is suing California Baptist University nearly two years after the school expelled her for being transgender.

Javier was accepted to California Baptist University’s nursing program with a scholarship in music and academics. The university later mailed her a letter accusing her of fraud a couple months after she revealed on True Life that she was biologically male. Officials accused her of trying to conceal her identity and presenting false or misleading information.

Javier’s expulsion was finalized on August 30, 2011, the week before she was to begin attending the school.

“I didn’t do anything wrong,” Javier told a local paper after the incident occurred. “They said, ‘On your application form you put ‘female.’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, that’s how I see myself.’”

Javier has identified as a female since she was a toddler. Some transgender people undergo sex-change operations, but not all. Javier chose not to, but she feels her decision makes her no less of a woman.

Now Javier is suing the university for violating California’s Civil Rights Act. Her lawsuit asserts that the university’s actions have cost her roughly a half-million dollars in scholarships and future wages.

“There is no indication from these facts that the student intended to misrepresent herself or her identity to the school,” Suzanne Goldberg, a professor at Columbia Law School who specializes in sexuality and gender law, told The Huffington Post. “In fact, as the complaint points out, to represent herself as male would have also created the appearance of fraud. It’s a we-win-you-lose framework.”

California prohibits discrimination based on gender identity, but private universities generally are not covered by the law. California Baptist University requires applicants to agree not to engage in homosexual acts or cohabit with someone of the opposite sex, but there is no official policy against admitting transgender students.

California Baptist University is a private, Christian university located in Riverside, California. The university was founded in 1950 with an enrollment of just 120 students. Roughly 6,000 students attend the school today.

Conservative schools had had some success defending anti-gay policies, but Javier’s sexual conduct is not the issue at hand in this case. Javier is simply a transgender woman, and she may have a fighting chance at winning this lawsuit.

Transgender Woman Sues University After Being Expelled is a post from: The Inquisitr

Manson Family member Bruce Davis had his parole denied by California Governor Jerry Brown on Friday. Davis had been recommended for parole for the first time in his 40 year stay in the California prison system in October. After a mandatory review process, the decision was handed over to Brown on February 3.

The Governor’s office then had 30 days to make a decision as to whether or not Davis would be granted his release. It appears that the prospect of Davis being the first member of the Manson cult to actually be released from prison solely based on good behavior was too much to bear.

Reuters reports that Brown wrote a six page opinion reversing the decision of the state’s parole board. In the document, Brown pointed to the heinousness of the crimes the group committed as being the driving factor in the decision:

“As our Supreme Court has acknowledged, in rare circumstances, a murder is so heinous that it provides evidence of current dangerousness by itself. This is such a case.”

The Los Angeles times says that Brown also pointed to the fact that Davis was still not taking full responsibility for his own actions as a reason to keep him in prison:

“Until Davis can acknowledge and explain why he actively championed the Family’s interests, and shed more light on the nature of his involvement, I am not prepared to release him,”

The governor did heap praise on the Manson Family member for the work he had done to improve himself since he went to prison. Over the last 40 years, Davis has earned degrees in both religion and philosophy. The former Charles Manson acolyte also apparently teaches bible study and leads group counseling sessions.

Davis was 26 when he was convicted and imprisoned in 1972 for the murder of two men, Donald “Shorty” Shea and Gary Hinman.

Do you think this Manson Family member will ever be a free man?

Manson Family Member’s Parole Denied By California Governor Jerry Brown is a post from: The Inquisitr

A California couple on a “dream trip” biking in Peru are now missing.

The US State Department has confirmed that Jamie Neal and boyfriend Garrett Hand, both 25, have gone missing after a “once in a lifetime” biking trip through South America.

The California couple began their journey around the November/December transition, said Jamie Neal’s boss, Jeff Jerge. She works at the Pedaler, a bike shop in California run by Jeff Jerge.

According to ABC News, Jeff Jerge said:

“I’m beyond worried. I’m super concerned.”

Jeff Jerge said that Jamie Neal and Garrett Hand had known each other for a while. They began dating last summer and planned their bike trip together through South America. Garrett Hand is a fisherman from Alaska.

Jeff Jerge’s wife Kim said:

“It’s kind of like it was a dream trip for them. It’s their first big adventure.”

Jeff Jerge, who has been running his bike shop for two years, said:

“They wanted to originally ride from here to South America, and we thought going through Mexico was particularly dangerous, so we talked to them about skipping that, and they did decide to fly down to South America and start their trip there. At the point they wanted to leave, we all felt it was potentially dangerous.”

Throughout their bicycle trip through South America, Jamie Neal and Garrett Hand posted updates and pictures to Facebook, their last of which being on January 25:

“Finally found Kraft Mac ‘n’ cheese in South America! Stoked LOL.”

Jamie Neal was a lover of bicycling and a talented mechanic, and the couple had the trip well planned out.

What do you think happened to the California couple who went missing in Peru?

Calif. Couple on Biking ‘Dream Trip’ Missing in Peru: Two young bike enthusiasts from California have disappea… bit.ly/Yvy0nn

— Maria Gordon (@eurogemonline) February 25, 2013

California Couple Missing In Peru is a post from: The Inquisitr

Google is building a new Googleplex customized with amenities that makes 35,000+ employees happy and working for Google more fun.

The current Google campus in Mountain View, California wasn’t built by Google. It is the former home of Silicon Graphics (SGI), the company that created the digital dinosaurs for the movie, Jurassic Park.

Google moved in and transformed boring office space into a tech worker’s paradise complete with cafés, workout facilities, lava lamps, dogs (cats are only allowed via YouTube), hair salons, swim-in-place swimming pools, game stations, laundry facilities, daycare, and doctors.

Vanity Fair was given an exclusive look at Google’s plans for a new campus Google is calling “Bay View.” Bay View will still be in Mountain View, but will be closer to San Francisco Bay. It’s being designed by the architectural firm NBBJ based in Seattle.

The project’s design was inspired by Google’s appreciation for data analysis. The company gathered information about how its employees work and which groups benefitted from being close to other groups. There will be nine buildings all shaped like boomerangs. The buildings will be connected by bridges, and the new headquarters will span 42 acres.

Vanity Fair spoke with Google civil engineer David Radcliffe about the new layout:

“The layout of bent rectangles, then, emerged out of the company’s insistence on a floor plan that would maximize what Radcliffe called ‘casual collisions of the work force.’ No employee in the 1.1-million-square-foot complex will be more than a two-and-a-half-minute walk from any other, according to Radcliffe. ‘You can’t schedule innovation,’ he said.”

The current Googleplex requires shuttles or bicycles to get from building to building, so it’s easy to see why Google would want to build it’s new campus from scratch.

Google Is Building A New Campus From Scratch is a post from: The Inquisitr

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie toured through California this past week, passing through liberal strongholds to raise money for his re-election campaign.

Christie visited Beverly Hills on Sunday, kicking off his three day campaign trip through California. He visited a luncheon at the Beverly Hills Hotel where over 30 people from the entertainment industry attended at $3,800 per ticket. The event was hosted by former Dick Clark Productions CEO Allen Shapiro and US Digital Gaming co-founder Richard Bronson. According to the New York Post, attendees included New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch, Modern Family actress Sofia Vergara, former Disney Executive Vice President Gary Wilson, and the Los Angeles Dodgers co-owner Peter Guber.

Governor Chris Christie arrived in Silicon Valley on Tuesday where Mark Zuckerberg hosted a private fundraiser for Christie at his Palo Alto home. The Facebook CEO and billionaire supported President Obama during the last election. Zuckerberg, whose company was the first social media organization to receive a GLAAD award, has frustrated some Democrats by showing support for a Republican governor who struck down a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in this state.

According to BuzzFeed, some Democrats fear that Christie’s liberal northeastern state and national popularity masks his conservative record. Other Democrats appreciated Christie’s praising Obama’s leadership in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, which many saw as an endorsement of the President that helped to sway undecided voters just days before the election.

Christie has called for gun control to be a part of the national discussion in the wake of the shooting in Newton, Connecticut. In addition, Newsmax reports that New Jersey has the second toughest gun control statues in the country. Christie did not enact these statutes, but he has not championed repealing them either. He has, however, opposed creating new gun sanctions, claiming that the current laws are sufficient.

Christie has to appeal to liberals if he hopes to remain Governor Chris Christie after New Jersey’s next election. While he does not want to lose the support of his party, his state went for Obama 58 percent to 41 percent in 2012, and this is a reality he cannot ignore.

Image via L.E.MORMILE / Shutterstock.com

Governor Chris Christie Garners Liberal Support is a post from: The Inquisitr

Christopher Dorner is officially dead after officials say that they have positively identified the killer’s remains.

San Bernardino Sheriffs released a statement obtained by TMZ that read: “The charred human remains located in the burned out cabin in Seven Oaks have been positively identified to be that of Christopher Dorner.”

Officials say that Dorner’s charred body was identified through dental records.

Christopher Dorner was a former LAPD officer who more or less declared war on his former employer alleging unfair dismissal, racism, and corruption within the oft-criticzed and scandal-ridden institution. After releasing a chilling manifesto online, in which he declared that “the department retaliated toward me,” the accused cop-killer lead police on manhunt that lasted many days.

The drama finally came to a head when it was discovered that Dorner was hiding out in a remote cabin in Big Bear, CA. He engaged police officers in an intense gun battle, shooting and killing one cop in the fight and wounding another.

Afterwards, the cabin caught fire (by his own hand, or possibly due to the LAPD) and Dorner was thought to have died inside.

Dorner has inspired a culture of supporters, who saw him as a fighter for justice against a corrupt system. Dorner characterized his fight against the LAPD as a “necessary evil,” and the police themselves gravely injured several suspects during the manhunt, bringing their tactics under scrutiny.

You can read Christopher Dorner’s full manifesto at PolicyMic, but let us know what you think. Was Christopher Dorner misunderstood, or a killer? Sound off!

Christopher Dorner’s Body Officially Identified From Dental Records is a post from: The Inquisitr

Tony Award winner, John Kerr Died on Saturday February 2nd in Pasadena, California; the apparent cause of his death was heart failure while at Huntington Hospital.

John Kerr was a stage and screen actor, best known for his part in “South Pacific”, “The Pit and the Pendulum”, and “Tea and Sympathy”.

According to US Weekly, he is survived by his wife, Barbara Chu, son Michael Kerr, daughters Rebecca Kerr, Jocelyn Kerr-Thantrakul, stepchildren Sharon and Chris Chu, and seven grandchildren.

Though he is known for his multiple roles in films and on stage, he is also known for turning down the role of Charles Lindbergh in “The Spirit of St.Louis”. The film was set to feature Lindbergh’s historic trans-Atlantic flight. The reason for Kerr refusing the role was due to the fact that Lindbergh was a Nazi sympathizer.

As reported by The New York Times, John Kerr was born on Nov.15, 1931. His parents were in the entertainment industry. His mother, June Walker, was an actress and his father, Geoffrey Kerr, was a playwright.

His education included his graduation in 1952 from Harvard College, and his graduation from Law School at University of California in 1969. He began attending Law School in 1966 while working on his T.V. role in “Peyton Place”.

Shortly after he left the entertainment business, and pursued a full time career in his private practice managing personal injury and medical malpractice cases.
His son, Michael Kerr had the following to say about his father’s journey:

“My dad originally intended to become a novelist,” Michael Kerr said. “He saw acting as a way to support himself in the meantime. Then he won the Tony. Then he went to Hollywood.”

John Kerr had only a few roles in his career, but they were all spectacular. He will be missed.

John Kerr, Tony Award Winner For “Tea and Sympathy”, Dies At The Age Of 81 is a post from: The Inquisitr

Former Los Angeles Police Department officer Christopher Dorner, who is now a fugitive and a suspect in three killings, may have already fled the country, according to a federal court document.

In a criminal complaint filed in federal court on February 7, Dorner is charged with fleeing the country to avoid persecution, reports NBC News. It says that there was reason to believe that he had crossed into Mexico. Interestingly, an affidavit included with the complaint (pdf here) was written on the same day that the search for Dorner led to his abandoned and burned truck in the mountain resort of Big Bear.

US Marshals Service Inspector Craig McClusky writes in the affidavit that “the recent observations of a suspect matching Dorner’s description attempting to flee to Mexico” and said “there is probable cause to believe that Dorner has moved and traveled in interstate and foreign commerce from California to Mexico” to avoid arrest and prosecution.

The manhunt for Dorner continued Monday, with police chasing multiple leads and sightings only to come up with nothing. So far the LAPD has received more than 600 tips on Dorner’s possible location, probably because of the $1 million reward they’ve placed on his head. As it often the case with such a hefty reward, the number of fraudulent leads might be inhibiting good police work.

Also Monday, the Riverside County District Attorney’s office filed a charge of murder against Dorner for the death of Officer Michael Crain, who was shot in what was described as an ambush, reports NY Daily. “We felt the state of the evidence dictated there was no reason to withhold filing charges,” Riverside County District Attorney Paul Zellerbach said. “He’s a felon at large.”

Do you think that Christopher Dorner has already fled to Mexico?

Christopher Dorner In Mexico: Accused Killer May Already Be Gone is a post from: The Inquisitr

Hundreds of police officers and numerous helicopters are combing through Southern California in search of Christopher Dorner. Investigators believe Dorner shot and killed a fellow officer before fleeing.

Strong winter storms have covered up Dorner’s tracks, which has made it harder for officers to track his movement.

Dorner killed the officer and then killed another officer’s daughter and fiance. Investigators say Dorner was upset for what he believed was an unjustified firing.

Catching Dorner is important because of his vendetta against the Los Angeles Police Department. Dorner left behind an 11-page manifesto in which he promised to target police officers and their families. In his manifesto Dorner wrote:

“I will bring unconventional and asymmetrical warfare to those in LAPD uniform whether on or off duty.

“I never had the opportunity to have a family of my own, I’m terminating yours.”

Officers had focused their manhunt near the Barona Indian Reservation; however, it was later revealed that a tip called into their hotline was likely a hoax.

Dorner is a military trained marksman who knows how to cover his tracks. Police on Thursday afternoon found his pickup truck torched near Big Bear Lake, approximately 100 miles east of his shootings in Los Angeles.

Along with helicopters, hundreds of police officers began conducting door-to-door searches in the hopes of turning up a lead.

Officers warn that an approaching snowstorm could make it even more difficult to find Christopher Dorner if he is hiding in the areas mountainous terrain. The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for the area, with up to 10 inches of snow possible. With 50 mph winds possible visibility could be reduced to a quarter-mile.

Authorities are worried that Dorner could continue his killing spree against area police if he is not arrested in the near future.

Massive Manhunt For Cop Killer Now Includes Hundreds Of Officers, Helicopters is a post from: The Inquisitr

Yucaipa, CA – A tour bus crash has left eight people dead and 42 injured Sunday. The tour bus had gone out of control on a Southern California mountain road after it struck a car and flipped, plowing into a pickup truck.

The tour bus crash happened around 6:30 pm about two hours drive from Los Angeles, leaving State Route 38 littered with debris. The tour bus came to a stop sideways across the two lanes with its front end crushed. California Highway Patrol spokesman Mario Lopez said Emergency crews freed passengers who were trapped in the tour bus bound for Tijuana, Mexico,.

This comes less than a month after rapper Rick Ross crashed a Rolls Royce after a drive-by shooting, as previously reported by The Inquisitr.

Authorities had a difficult time getting an accurate count of the injured or dead due to the terrain. Lopez said the death toll could have been 10, though only eight could be confirmed.

California Department of Transportation spokeswoman Michelle Profant commented on the apparent carnage:

“It’s really a mess up there with body parts.”

InterBus Tours manager Jordi Garcia said his company ran Sunday’s trip. According to Yahoo News, Garcia reports that 38 people departed Tijuana at 5 am for a day of skiing at Big Bear. He adds:

“The information that we have is that the bus’ brakes failed and the accident occurred.”

The tour bus driver, who survived the chaos, stated that the tour bus had lost its brakes going down a mountain road. As he struggled with the brake failure, the tour bus rear-ended a sedan, and then hit a pickup truck with a trailer. According to CNN, the tour bus company had been accident free for the previous two years.  Their video report is below.

In Vancouver, according to The Inquisitr, a clothing store building isn’t so lucky, as it has suffered 10 cars crashing into it in spite of pleas to the city.

This California tour bus crash could be your friendly reminder to get your brakes checked before you head up or down a mountain.

Tour Bus Crash In California Leaves Eight Dead, 42 Hurt is a post from: The Inquisitr

While test driving a private owner’s car, Gail Castle of California used it to pull a bank robbery.

Gail Castle, 51, asked to take a test drive with a 1987 Chrysler 5th Avenue. The owner, who asked to remain anonymous, insisted on coming along for the ride. A few blocks down the road, Gail Castle asked the owner to pull over at a Bank of America so she could withdraw the $2,200 asking price. She emerged minutes later with a purse stuffed full of bills.

They drove on to the man’s house where she had planned to pay for the car, but the police had caught them on their way back.

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, a Georgia bank robbery landed three siblings in jail for 35 years each. Unlike Gail Castle, they will be getting some quality family time behind bars.

According to Bayou Buzz, Gail Castle had handed a note to the Bank of America teller with the words:

“This is a robbery and I don’t want anybody to get hurt.”

The vehicle’s owner told the station:

“I turned my left signal the other side of the crosswalk here, and that’s when the sirens went off. I thought, ‘What in the world is going on?’”

The police were not yet aware that the man was not willingly involved in the crime, and just the owner having been taken along for a test drive gone wrong. They ordered him to step out from his vehicle, and that’s when Castle had threatened to shoot the man if he did so. Thankfully, Castle was bluffing and didn’t actually have a firearm in her possession.

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, a woman in Ohio tried to run over her instructor after she failed a driving test. Gail Castle looked to be more scheming, and not a vessel of road rage.

According to Yahoo News, the man told the local news why he defied her after the bank robbery and risked getting shot:

“I thought I’d rather take a chance on her shooting me in the back.”

Gail Castle wanted to be interviewed after her arrest, while the vehicle’s owner decided to remain anonymous.

Did Gail Castle plan this bank robbery for the fame? Or was the test drive a botched ruse to steal the car?

Woman uses test drive as getaway vehicle for bank robbery. Seller on ride-along undoubtedly thinking “WTF!?!” kdvr.com/2013/01/28/wom…

— Paul Hsieh (@PaulHsieh) February 2, 2013

Test Drive Car Used In California Bank Robbery is a post from: The Inquisitr

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is seeking a second term, and can officially count on Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s vote. Word is, Zuckerberg is going to host a fundraiser for the popular-yet-acerbic Governor next month.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Zuckerberg’s fundraiser for Christie will be “part of Christie’s first out-of-state campaign trip.” The young Facebook mogul first met Christie in 2010 after making a $100 million donation to Newark’s public schools. The two have reportedly maintained regular contact ever since.

The 28-year-old social media entrepreneur and billionaire recently expressed interest in helping Christie in his re-election bid, with both camps settling on the February event, reports Mediaite.

“Mark and (his wife) Priscilla have worked closely with Governor Christie on education reform in the Newark school system,” said Facebook spokeswoman Sarah Feinberg. “They admire his leadership on education reform and other issues and look forward to continuing their important work together on behalf of Newark’s school children.”

The event will take place on February 13 at Zuckerberg’s home in Palo Alto, California. It is believed to be the first time the Facebook boss has hosted a campaign event in his own home, and the guests will be among his circle of friends and colleagues. Donations will be set for a maximum of $3,800, which is New Jersey’s legal limit per election.

Facebook has slowly become more political in recent years, but Zuckerberg’s registration, according to Santa Clara County’s registrar of voters, indicates no party preference.

What do you think of Mark Zuckerberg’s support for Chris Christie? Are you a fan of the New Jersey governor?

Mark Zuckerberg To Host Fundraiser For Chris Christie is a post from: The Inquisitr

Is Demi Moore dating Harry Morton, restauranteur and ex-flame of troubled actress Lindsay Lohan? Insiders say no, but …

Moore and Morton have been spotted in public several times, even recently after sources claimed the two were not a couple. The New York Post reports that the 50-year-old actress was spotted holding hands with the 31-year-old Pink Taco founder while taking in a Stanley Kubrick show at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art on Saturday.

About a week ago, the two were photographed laughing together outside a Beverly Hills, California restaurant after what spectators called a “romantic dinner.”

“Demi was very giddy during her date with Harry,” a source told People. “She was really into him and seemed to very much enjoy his company.”

Moore and Morton have apparently known each other for a while, but have grown closer in recent days.

Morton’s family made a fortune with the Hard Rock Cafe chain, but Harry is best known for his brief romance with Lindsay Lohan back in 2006. For two months, Morton and Lohan were an item before the former called it quits over all the troubled actress’s drama.

Demi’s life has been tumultuous of late as well. She’s not yet divorced from Ashton Kutcher, but stirred up the gossip hounds after a brief romance late last year with 26-year-old art dealer Vito Schnabel. Sources say he cut the romance short because Moore proved to be too much of a “distraction.”

That’s right, we said “distraction.”

Are you a fan of Demi Moore?

Demi Moore Dating Lindsay Lohan Ex Harry Morton [Report] is a post from: The Inquisitr

President Obama is in chilly Washington DC for his second inauguration today, but many of us have forgotten that his place behind the podium could have been filled by another: His Republican challenger Mitt Romney. So what is Romney up to on inauguration day? Hanging out in sunny California with “no big plans.”

NBC News reports that the former presidential contender is spending Inauguration Day at his home in La Jolla, California, enjoying the sun and a forecasted high of 73 degrees.

An aide said that the former Massachusetts governor and his wife, Ann Romney, have “no big plans.”

Of course, the aide was inevitably asked whether or not Mitt Romney had any plans to watch President Obama’s second inaugural address today. The reply was: “Doubtful.”

The LaJolla Patch reports that Romney has been keeping a very low profile since his election loss last November. He’s been spotted in public a handful of times since then, meeting with incumbent President Obama because it looks good to the press, and a viral sighting of the former governor pumping gas, because the Internet found it hilarious.

(It was pretty funny).

Romney’s son Tagg told The Boston Globe in December that his dad was never really enthused about becoming the president anyway.

“He wanted to be president less than anyone I’ve met in my life,” Tagg told the newspaper. “He is a very private person who loves his family deeply and wants to be with them, but he has deep faith in God and he loves his country, but he doesn’t love the attention.”

Which either means that Romney is a sore loser, or that he was a GOP puppet (something that many Conservatives feared all along). Which do you think?

Where’s Mitt Romney On Inauguration Day? In California With ‘No Big Plans’ is a post from: The Inquisitr

When we think of children, we usually imagine a complete disregard for the rules and endless discipline that we wonder if it will ever sink in. One child, however, has embraced the rules of life and has been writing them down as he learns them.

A Walmart employee in California is seeking to reunite a child with a book of rules and advice more useful than most literature meant for the child’s age, says Dentistry IQ. Raymond Flores found this incredible book while scanning the parking lot of the Citrus Heights Walmart store for empty carts. After reading a few of the pages, Flores realized the book was more than interesting.

Flores commented on the book:

“Don’t get into other people’s business. Don’t call each other names. Clean up your messes. No eating other people’s food. One hundred eighteen is don’t keep saying please if someone says no … I like that. They put a lot of hard work into it. These rules mean a lot to them and probably to the parents, as well.”

Other rules listed in the book included:

“Ware [sic] your seatbelt,”

“Resicle [sic],”

“Put your shoes by the front door when you take them off.”

Flores also mentioned:

“Rule number 154 was to protect this book.”

According to FOX News, now Flores is on a mission to emulate the child and his comic book superhero Batman, and find its rightful owner.

Anyone with information about the author or the book is asked to email FOX 40’s Sonseeahray Tonsall at s.tonsall@fox40.com.

Walmart Employee Finds Child’s ‘Book Of Rules’ In Parking Lot is a post from: The Inquisitr

Encino, CA – Joe and Tina Simpson, the parents of Jessica and Ashlee, have put their Encino mansion back on the market yet again, though this time for a dramatically lower asking price than what was originally listed in October.

The Simpson mansion was just put back on the market for $3,595,000, which is considerably less than the $4,395,000 it was originally listed for back in October. The 1.5 acre estate on which the Simpson mansion sits is at the heart of a guard gated community of 19 similar mansions in Encino’s Royal Oaks.

Joe and Tina Simpson’s home was listed at the beginning of October. Around mid-October, the couple announced that they were getting a divorce, with much of the gossip alleging infidelity (and possibly a young, gay lover for Joe) as the primary reason.

“Tina realizes there’s a lot at stake in this divorce case, especially considering the financial earnings for her and Joe through their joint-management of Jessica and Ashlee,” a source told Radar. “But now the battle lines have been drawn and with Joe’s selection of attorney it just got a little more complicated.”

Either way, the Simpson mansion saw another drop by late October, suggesting a desire for expediency in the selling of their home.

Joe and Tina Simpson bought the mansions back in 2001 for $2.1 million, according to property records. The couple are originally from Texas, but decided to move to Hollywood as their daughters’ fame grew, and they moved into managerial positions.

Here are some photos of the Simpson mansion from Estately (you can view the full listing there as well):

Joe And Tina Simpson’s Mansion Goes Back On The Market (For A Lot Less) is a post from: The Inquisitr

The gay and lesbian community has faced some harsh criticism in the past, but in the last couple of years it has seen a lot of legislative backing. Now California, one of the first states to embrace it, is host to some classroom backlash.

Monday’s meeting of the Capistrano Unified School District’s school board should be rather interesting to say the least. At the meeting, Stan Wasbin, a father of four, plans to protest how local schools are becoming “re-education camps” due to excessive focus on gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender agendas, says the San Juan Capistrano Patch.

Wasbin, a resident of San Clemente, asked in a three-page letter that his concerns about the supposedly agenda-driven movement be placed on the official board discussions, says Yahoo News. He states:

“In our public schools, we want our children to learn math, music, science, English, art, American history and a foreign language or two. That’s a lot, and that’s enough. If someone has made an important contribution … and that person happens to be classified as LGBT — then by all means, let’s teach our children about that person — but not because of that person’s sexual identity group.”

Wasbin suggested that the politicization of public school curricula could ultimately lead to anti-LGBT consequences:

“Today, the state political winds blow from the left; but tomorrow, they could blow from the right, and then our children may be forced to learn about the role and contributions of other groups, such as gun owners, death-penalty proponents and anti-abortion advocates. Do we really want to politicize public education like this?”

Should we allow specifically LGBT material to be spotlighted just because of sexual orientation or identity? Or should we just place it in the Social Studies curriculum and call it a day?

California Father To Protest LGBT Movement In Classroom is a post from: The Inquisitr

NASA is currently thinking of capturing an asteroid and placing it in the moon’s orbit.

According to Gizmodo, researchers at the Keck Institute for Space Studies in California have “confirmed that NASA is mulling over” a plan to put an asteroid into lunar orbit.

Said plan would require the launching of a special robotic spacecraft to grab an asteroid before placing it in the moon’s orbit. This mission is estimated to cost around $2.6 billion and could be underway by the 2020′s.

Now, why would NASA want to put an asteroid in lunar orbit? The moon doesn’t need a moon of its own.

The Obama administration has said that it wants to sent astronauts to an asteroid that is near Earth.

So far, the best target is a space rock called 1999 AO10. Taking a trip to this asteroid would require a dangerous six-month trip by the astronauts in question. If NASA could bring that targeted Asteroid into lunar orbit, it would be much safer for the astronauts.

According to New Scientist, a specially designed spacecraft would be necessary for the current proposal to work.

The Keck team’s vision is to launch a slow-moving spacecraft, propelled by solar-heated ions, with an Atlas V rocket.

The specially designed spacecraft would then propel itself out to a targeted asteroid. The asteroid would probably be no bigger than seven meters wide.

After briefly studying the asteroid,  the robot would then catch the targeted asteroid in a bag measuring about 10 meters by 15 meters and head back towards the moon.

NASA is predicting that, altogether, it would take about six to 10 years to drag the asteroid into lunar orbit.

According to Louis Friedman of the Planetary Society the proposal still needs “some technical and scientific fine-tuning.”

It may not be easy, however, the moon just may have a moon of its own here soon.

NASA Wants To Put Asteroid In Moon’s Orbit is a post from: The Inquisitr

Are you ready for the most painful and awkward thing you’ll see all day? You probably saw the name “Jamie Kennedy” in the title and predicted something bad was on its way to your screen, but trust us when we say that whatever you expected: It’s worse.

Ready?

‘Twas New Year’s Eve 2012 when Jamie Kennedy joined a group of other D-list celebrities to host LA’s transition into 2012 at KDOC-TV. We have to give KDOC some credit for their ambitious New Year’s show. Although once-great (some of them) celebrities had hosted, the network must have been in such a rush to set up their dais that they forgot to hire a director for the event. Either that, or the station manager walked out half-way through the broadcast (and after the video, you might know why).

This awkward New Year’s Eve catastrophe contained everything that could possibly go wrong during a live broadcast: sudden and unexplained cuts, dead air, black screens, drunken celebrities, drunken hosts, drunken guests, and FCC-ignorant everyone dropping f-bombs left and right.

Setting the ball in motion is Mr. Kennedy, who used to be a halfway-decent comic, engaged in a swearing contest with one of the KDOC crew members during a segment that probably wasn’t meant for air (of course, aired it was).

Comedian Shawn Broyles tweeted a play-by-play throughout the event and, luckily for us, recorded the whole train wreck and posted it on YouTube, making for “hilarious viral embarrassment of epic proportions,” notes MSN Now.

Watch Jamie Kennedy host KDOC‘s New Year’s Eve train-wreck below. WARNING: NSFW

Jamie Kennedy Hosts Disastrous, Seriously Awkward New Year’s Eve Broadcast [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Pasadena, CA – Though it’s now over, The Rose Parade of 2013 was a huge success, even for its 124th run. The 2013 Showcase of Floats proved so popular that it was still on display in Pasadena yesterday until 5 pm.

Those visiting or living in Los Angeles were still able to observe the flower-infused floats a day after the Rose Parade of 2013. The entire group was parked along Sierra Madre Blvd. between Sierra Madre Villa Ave. and Paloma St. and along Washington Blvd. Between Woodlyn Rd. and Sierra Madre Blvd, reports The Examiner.

The price to enjoy these Rose Parade floats last minute was $10, though kids under the age of five could see them for free. It took about two hours to see them all, but curious families had until 5 pm to get to the show.

According to KTLA, you can download a Tournament of Roses-produced audio tour of the floats. Visitors could listen along as they walked through the display of Rose Parade floats and can still do so if you’re taking an online tour. It might take a little imagination to feel as though you’re really there, but we believe in you.

Cameras were allowed, so there are plenty of pictures online of the Rose Parade of 2013, a few of which we have included below. No pets, bicycles, skateboards, skates, or Segways were allowed. I didn’t think anyone but cops still used Segways, but there you go.

For more information about the Rose Parade of 2013, you can visit the Rose Parade website here. Check out video and pictures below!

Rose Parade 2013: See The Floats Here In Case You Missed Them [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Police are working to identify a body found encased in newly-poured concrete at an air conditioning business in Santa Fe Springs, a city in Los Angeles, California.

Police from the nearby city of Whittier said that they received information on Sunday from a tipster about a possible homicide in the area. Although the body has yet to be identified, authorities have already arrested Juan Alberto Galviz, 35, in connection with the homicide.

Galviz’s bail is reportedly set at $1,007,500.

“Detectives did some follow-up research and were able to make contact with a man named Juan Alberto Galviz on Sunday evening, and after some more investigation, determined that a homicide had occurred. He was placed under arrest, and we obtained a search warrant,” community relations officer Brad White said Monday, as reported by ABC News.

The body was discovered in a joint investigation between Whittier police and investigators from the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office. With the help of trained cadaver dogs, authorities discovered that a body had apparently been hidden in recently-poured concrete.

Investigators broke up the concrete and were successfully able to excavate the body. Although the body was found under concrete that was recently poured, White says that police are unable to determine when the homicide took place.

Authorities say that the homicide likely resulted from a feud between the victim and Galviz. Speaking to The Lead Type, police captain Aviv Bar said that no one else is being considered in connection to the homicide.

“We’re not concerned about a threat to public safety because we’re no longer looking for anyone else,” Bar said.

If you have any information, you’re urged to call Santa Fe Springs officer White at (562) 244-0045, or Captain Bar at (562) 567-9265.

Authorities Find Body Encased In Concrete Inside California Business is a post from: The Inquisitr

Do you know what to do if you ever had to rescue someone that has fallen into a frozen lake?

Gawker recently posted about a guy that fell into a frozen lake on Christmas morning in Wrightwood, California. His friend went to help him, however, he had no clue what he was doing and fell in himself. Then someone else came to help both of hem … and he fell in. Then some more people came to help them and they fell in.

Luckily, all of the people that fell into the frozen lake were pulled to safety. However, it could have all been avoided if they knew the proper procedure on how to rescue someone in that predicament.

According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, these people went about rescuing the first victim all wrong.

As soon as someone falls into a frozen lake, the first thing to do is call 911. Also, the people made the mistake to run to the edge of the ice. This caused the ice to weaken and the whole to expand.

The Minnesota DNR posted these directions on how to save someone from a frozen lake on their website:

PREACH ‑ Shout to the victim to encourage them to fight to survive and reassure them that help is on the way.

REACH ‑ If you can safely reach the victim from shore, extend an object such as a rope, ladder, or jumper cables to the victim. If the person starts to pull you in, release your grip on the object and start over.

THROW ‑ Toss one end of a rope or something that will float to the victim. Have them tie the rope around themselves before they are too weakened by the cold to grasp it.

ROW ‑ Find a light boat to push across the ice ahead of you. Push it to the edge of the hole, get into the boat and pull the victim in over the bow. It’s not a bad idea to attach some rope to the boat, so others can help pull you and the victim to safety.

GO ‑ A non‑professional shouldn’t go out on the ice to perform a rescue unless all other basic rescue techniques have been ruled out.

If the situation is too dangerous for you to perform the rescue, call 911 for help and keep reassuring the victim that help is on the way and urge them to fight to survive. Heroics by well‑meaning but untrained rescuers sometimes result in two deaths.

Here is the video that shows what happened when a big group of people tried to rescue one person that fell into a frozen lake, but went about it the wrong way:

What Not To Do When Trying To Rescue Someone From A Frozen Lake [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Fitness enthusiasts and fanatics seem to have the world as their oyster. Longer, healthier lives and physical endurance are some of the positive byproducts of the pastime. And some like to practice this pastime in public, much to the annoyance of some.

In Santa Monica, fitness is a way of life. Sprawling across the 420 acres of grass paralleling the Pacific Ocean are groups people furiously lifting weights, doing sit-ups, stretching on mats, and flexing their muscles with weight machines tied to whatever’s anchored to the ground.

Johnny Gray, an assistant track coach at UCLA and former Olympic runner remarks:

“It’s starting to look like a 24-Hour Fitness gym out there.”

Gray says he’s often forced to navigate around weight machines, barbells and other exercise equipment as he runs, reports FOX News. This is probably the norm for war veterans in the field, but not for someone just going for a morning jog.

Karen Ginsberg, the city’s director of community and cultural services, said other park users are complaining about fitness enthusiasts not only impeding pedestrian walkways but also making too much noise and ruining the natural landscape. Weights are killing the grass and exercise equipment is damaging the trees it’s connected to.

Ginsberg adds:

“Some people have also expressed concerns about people operating a business on city land and putting the city at risk of liability because they aren’t carrying insurance.”

So now the City Council has considered requiring trainers who hold workout sessions in the parks and beaches of Santa Monica pay an annual $100 fee and pay 15 percent of their earnings. City officials are also looking into restrictions on the use of weights, bands and other equipment, says Raw Story.

The trainers countered that like any responsible business operators, many are insured and are CPR trained. They have already paid their legal dues to hold classes outdoors, and though they don’t have to pay rent to anyone, they believe that’s enough cost for the kind of business they run.

Ruben Lawrence, who has offered boxing and fitness training classes in the area for six years, states:

“I could easily go back indoors but that’s what I wanted to get away from. I wanted to provide these programs to the masses at affordable rates to the community in a place people enjoy.”

Raisa Lilling, who offers workout classes to the mothers of newborns, said trainers like herself have been working to keep their students quiet and out of the way of tourists and casual pedestrians:

“I can absolutely see where they’re coming from, but a complete ban, I think, is a little extreme.”

Ginsberg emphasizes that planners are still working out the kinks in proposed regulations, and agrees there should be a middle ground.

Both sides are trying to find a win-win scenario for the benefit of all.

California Residents Versus Fitness Fanatics: To City Counsil We Go is a post from: The Inquisitr

Tamra Barney is planning an Orange county wedding with her fiancé Eddie Judge. She and Judge are opening a gym together in the upscale area of California. Barney has begun devoting a lot of attention to planning her second wedding and is sharing possible locations with her fans on Facebook.

Over the Christmas holiday the Real Housewives of Orange County cast member showed her fans a photo of the Resort at Pelican Hill as a possible location choice for exchanging vows with Eddie Judge. The exclusive resort boasts views of the Pacific Ocean and includes a beautifully decorated gazebo and space for several hundred guests, Radar Online notes.

Tamra Barney posted this on Facebook about her wedding to Eddie Judge:

“Did I tell you … I’m getting married! Wedding plans had to be put on hold due to the fitness studio taking up SO much of our time. Now that the studio is done we are planning our wedding. I can’t wait to share it with you. XOXO.”

During Season 7 of the Real Housewives of Orange County Judge proposed to Barney. Barney has allegedly spoken to Bravo producers about getting married during Season 8, which begins airing in the spring. The cameras were reportedly following Tamra as she shopped for her wedding dress and attended her bachelorette party. Most of the cast reportedly attended the festive event held in Barney’s honor.

C.U.T. Fitness OC will feature Body Pump classes, the exercise routine sensation created by Les Mills in New Zealand in 1990. A Kid’s Only fitness class will also be a part of the offerings at Tamra Barney’s fitness studio.

‘Real Housewives Of Orange County’: Tamra Barney Busy Planning Wedding is a post from: The Inquisitr

Wrightwood, California. Sledders fell through the ice one at time. All emerged safely.

Snow Tubers Falling Through Thin Ice [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Hemet, CA – A pair of suspects believed to be involved with the theft of cooking grease from an area McDonald’s location have been arrested. Both individuals were picked up by police on Friday.

According to UPI, the McDonald’s franchise owner alerted authorities to the situation. The unidentified man said he was waiting inside the restaurant for the suspects to return. When the alleged thieves came back later that night, the manager picked up the phone and called police.

Authorities said they arrested 22-year-old Noel Portillo and 24-year-old Ricardo Robles at the scene of the crime. Both men were sitting inside a truck outside the restaurant. Police said a metal tank possibly used in the transportation of the cooking grease was in the bed of the vehicle at the time.

The Associated Press reports that police took a look at the surveillance footage from the restaurant before placing both men under arrest. It’s believed the suspects were stealing the cooking grease in order to sell it. Companies use the grease for biodiesel fuel and have been known to pay between 30 to 40 cents per pound.

Police reportedly impounded the suspects’ truck after taking the men into custody.

The Press-Enterprise reports that cooking grease thieves have started targeting fast food restaurants all across the nation. In order to cut down on the number of incidents, new laws are quickly being put into place.

In places like North Carolina, efforts are being made to make the theft of cooking grease a felony. Those who are convicted of the crime could find themselves spending a fair amount of time behind bars.

According to the State Journal Register, grease thieves are targeting smaller businesses as well. The Amber Jack Alehouse in Springfield, Illinois reported that someone was stealing grease from the restaurant earlier this month. The owner estimates that roughly $200 worth of grease was stolen by thieves since last August.

Do you think the theft of cooking grease should be considered a felony?

Cooking Grease Theft Suspects Arrested In California is a post from: The Inquisitr

Actress Anjelica Huston received top honors from the animal rights group PETA this year.

Huston was crowned People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals’ Person of the Year in 2012. She served as spokesperson for a campaign which aimed to prevent the use of chimps in TV ads. Huston volunteered and narrated a hard-hitting film exposing the poor treatment and suffering of great apes in the entertainment industry, reports MSN.

Thanks to her efforts, the top 10 advertising agencies in the US adopted policies to stop using chimps in ads.

“Anjelica Huston is a true friend to all animals and the perfect choice for PETA’s Person of the Year 2012,” PETA rep Wendy Wegner told E! Online. “She has spoken out for great apes who are violently forced to perform on screen and for animals who are abused in the cruel horse-drawn carriage and fur industries. And this past year, a PETA video that she narrated helped convince all top 10 US ad agencies to ban great apes from their ads.”

PETA also honored Los Angeles as the City of the Year for 2012. They praised the City Council of LA for banning the sale of animals from breeders and puppy mills in pet stores. Los Angeles also endorsed the Meatless Mondays campaign and are set to vote on a measure which will ban circuses from the city, if it passes.

Huston once admitted that she used to wear furs before she learned of how animals were treated in the fur industry. “I grew up in Ireland and used to wear fur. I had a change of heart when I learned how minks and foxes on fur farms are crammed into tiny, dirty cages and driven so crazy by the confinement that many … cannibalize their cage mates.”

The actress has spoken out against furs as a fashion item since.

Anjelica Huston Honored By PETA As ‘Person Of The Year’ is a post from: The Inquisitr

A missing 17-month-old girl from California was found on the University of Kentucky campus on December 27. A telephone call from a concerned citizen led police to the girl who had been missing for over two months.

Safe and sound, the toddler is currently being cared for by Kentucky Child Protective Services.

ABC News reports that 17-month-old Alouette Day-Moreno-Baltierra of Los Angeles was discovered in a University of Kentucky parking lot after police received reports of a suspicious female walking the grounds with a stroller.

Responding officers observed that the child in the stroller was not properly dressed for the below-freezing temperatures, lacking coverings on her feet, head, and hands.

When approached by University officers, the woman identified herself as the child’s grandparent and refused to cooperate with further questioning. Authorities then traced the toddler’s birth certificate and learned that child was reported missing and last seen October 16 in an area of Los Angeles.

During a press conference on December 28 University of Kentucky Police Chief Joe Monroe stated:

“This is an example of where the responding officers followed a gut feeling that something just wasn’t right with the situation. We have been working with the Child Protective Services, LAPD and the FBI to make sure that we get Alouette returned safely to her legal custodian.”

An article by the Los Angeles Daily News writes that the woman, identified as 62-year-old Maria Baltierra-Dejesus, is now being detained by police and has been charged with child endangerment and custodial interference.

It is thought that Baltierra-Dejesus and the missing child may have been staying somewhere in Lexington, Kentucky over the course of several days, although the reasons are unclear.

In a strange twist, during the woman’s arrest police discovered receipts from wire transfers purchased by members of the Baltierra-Dejesus family. Police Chief Monroe speculated on their purpose:

“Family members were financially supporting the alleged grandmother since the baby has been missing, since October, while she’s been on the run with the child. We’ve received word [that] on one occasion she’s tried to leave the country with the baby, possibly a second time. She received passports issued while she was in California, which dated a week before the child went missing in October.”

What do you think of the missing 17-month-old girl from California being found on the University of Kentucky campus?

Missing 17-Month-Old Girl From California Found On Kentucky Campus is a post from: The Inquisitr

A South California bus stop was not a safe place to wait today, as a car crashed into it in Riverside.

Officer Bryan Galbreath says the accident happened about 1 pm Friday when a car rolled into the sidewalk, hit a light pole and then slammed into a bench where four people waited for a bus, according to ABC News.

The accident left two people injured and two dead. A woman and a girl were pronounced dead on arrival, and a man and a woman have been taken to the hospital with severe injuries.

The driver has been detained, and may or may not have been intoxicated.

Magnolia Avenue traffic is blocked off both directions west of Tyler. It is expected to be closed until at least 10 pm, says Press Enterprise.

Identities have not been released, and further details are still to come as the story develops.

California Bus Bench Crash Leaves Two Dead [Breaking] is a post from: The Inquisitr

A sweet and affectionate bobcat kitten is learning some lessons about the wild from volunteers trying to toughen her up. In order to be released back into her natural habitat, the cuddly kitty must first gain some fierce survival skills.

The Associated Press reports that the baby bobcat was rescued in August by firefighters in the Plumas National Forest. She was just a few weeks old and suffering with infected eyes and burned paws when she was found. Surviving the 75,000 acre fire, the friendly feline was given the name Chip by responders.

Chip was amazingly affectionate with the rescuers who found her lethargic and walking in circles during the blaze. She sweetly nuzzled the hands or boots of crew members each time they paused in their work. When they were unable to locate the animal’s mother, Chip was taken to the rescue shelter of Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care.

After being treated for her injuries, she was given a soft bed and food of the pulverized mice variety. Chip quickly headed down the path of recovery and was transferred to a wildlife center in November.

An article by The Sacramento Bee writes that volunteers at the Sierra Wildlife Rescue in Placerville, California are working with the orphaned kitten to toughen her up. Right now, she is simply too nice and friendly to survive nature on her own. The center is practicing “tough love” techniques to prepare Chip for the wild.

Jill Tripoli, a longtime volunteer wildlife trainer for the center, said the following:

“If you have a friendly bobcat in the wild, that’s not going to work.”

The bobcat’s new training regime includes being squirted with a water bottle if she attempts to be affectionate with human volunteers. She has been introduced to surly fellow rescue bobcats Tuffy and Sierra, which gives her a chance to observe their behavior. Together the cats must find their own food by chasing mice and rabbits.

The center’s techniques seem to be working and Chip is beginning to shy away from human contact. But it seems she has not entirely forgotten the human kindness she received. When humans approach her enclosure she will often peek her head out for a look.

What do you think of Chip the bobcat kitten getting toughened up by volunteers in preparation for the wild?

Bobcat Kitten Getting Toughened Up By Volunteers is a post from: The Inquisitr

Antioch, CA – Fifty-three-year-old, Frank Trout of Antioch is recovering from third degree burns caused from manufacturing pipe bombs in his home. Purportedly, Trout was in the middle of composing an explosive device when an accidental flash fire erupted, severely injuring him.  He’s since been arrested on suspicion of manufacturing and possession of destructive devices. Eerily, this is not the first time Trout has been arrested for this offense. Back in 2007, he had been detained, but charges were never properly filed.

Authorities responded to Trout’s home after witnesses reported seeing smoke, and a burned man leave shortly thereafter in a car. They caught up with him at the Sutter Delta Medical Center. There Trout admitted to how he came about his injuries, assuring he’d done it purely out of fun and not with any particular criminal intent. Neighbors were evacuated  and the Walnut Creek Bomb Squad was dispatched to properly remove all explosives and bomb-making materials from the residence. There were minor damages to the home due to the flash fire.

According to The San Francisco Gate, Police Sergeant Robert Quintero quoted Trout as confessing:

“He says he just likes to watch them blow up like fireworks.”

Penal code 12303 prohibits the possession of any destructive devices other than “fixed ammunition.” It can not exceed .60 caliber.  Violation can result in substantial fines and incarceration. California law specifies a guilty conviction of a public offense  shall be punished by imprisonment in the county jail for a term not to exceed one year, or in state prison, or by a fine not to exceed $10,000, or by both such fine and imprisonment.

California Man Arrested For Making Pipe Bombs In His Home is a post from: The Inquisitr

An anti-toy guns project that was initially launched in California in 1987 has begun anew. Santa Monica activist Jerry Rubin decided to re-launch the toy gun removal program after the tragedy at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown.

Rubin mailed a “personalized merit award” to all the children who sent him a letter and explained why they did not enjoy playing with toy guns, according to Fox News.  The California man ended the toy gun exchange after he ran out of teddy bears to give to the children who turned in their pretend guns. Rubin allegedly gave out 5,000 stuffed bears during the original run of the anti-toy gun campaign.

Jerry Rubin has reportedly spent many years working on environmental and anti-violence causes in the Southern California region, the Fresno Bee reports. In 1988, Rubin, as the director of the Los Angeles Alliance for Survival, took part in the fourth annual International Days of Protest Against War Toys, the Associated Press notes.

During the event a magician “turned” G.I. Joe and Rambo action figures into teddy bears and tossed them into the air for those in the small crowd to grab. Charles Peters, the magician, also made toy guns “vanish” into thin air and white doves appear in their place.

During the International Days of Protest Against War Toys event, Jerry Rubin had this to say:

“I think people can participate in making their own magic this holiday season and all year round. They can stop buying war toys and make them disappear from store shelves.”

Children have used toy guns during role playing games for more than a hundred years, yet the tragic mass shooting are largely a modern style of crime. When little boys and girls squirt water guns at one another or play with like there are police officers and soldiers, the pretend play typically involves protecting the good guys from the bad guys. Do you think a toy gun ban movement would help prevent another Sandy Hook or West Webster firefighters tragedy?

Toy Gun ‘Ban’ Re-Launched In California is a post from: The Inquisitr

A 49-year old snowboarder died Monday after being caught in an avalanche at a California ski resort. The tragedy occurred at the Donner Ski Ranch located approximately 90 miles northeast of Sacramento.

Storms affecting the Lake Tahoe area brought approximately three feet of new snowfall recently. The snow accumulation caused several avalanche-related emergencies, according to the Associated Press.

Identified as Steven Mark Anderson, Monday’s victim was snowboarding alone when the avalanche occurred. Anderson made the trip with friends, but the group had not been together at the time of the incident.

Nearly three hours after the avalanche occurred, the snowboarder’s friends became aware that he was missing. The Nevada County Sheriff’s Department received their concerned call at noon on Monday.

The delay caused the search to start hours after the man most likely fell victim to the rushing snow, says Deputy David Lade:

“They spent a lot of time trying to locate him.”

Rescuers recovered the victim’s body at the avalanche base at approximately 1:30 pm. A search dog located the man buried beneath two to three feet of snow. The area where Anderson had been snowboarding reportedly incurred snow drifts upwards of seven feet.

An article by KCRA reports that Anderson was probably buried in the drift for approximately five hours before being found. Recently returning to the area, this was Anderson’s first snowboarding excursion of the season.

According to the Nevada County Sheriff’s Department, there were several other skiers and snowboarders in the area when the avalanche struck, but none were affected adversely by the slide. The ski resort closed site of the avalanche following the California snowboarder’s death.

Snowboarder Dies In Avalanche At Ski Resort In California is a post from: The Inquisitr

Los Angeles, CA – The suspect recently apprehended in the Ashton Kutcher and Justin Bieber “swatting” case is reportedly only 12 years old.

Authorities said the boy spends most of his days sitting at his computer instead of hanging out with friends or attending school. According to TMZ, the pre-teen hacker currently resides with his mother in California.

Rumors also suggest the 12-year-old suspect is currently living in a very unstable environment. In fact, authorities are currently in the process of removing the child from his mother’s care. Authorities describe the family as “incredibly dysfunctional.”

The San Jose Mercury News reports the suspect often wiles away the hours communicating with other hackers on the internet. Authorities are convinced this is how the unidentified juvenile was able to obtain the addresses of his celebrity targets.

At present, police say the boy has not been charged with any crimes.

“It’s currently still under investigation; our detectives are in contact with the LAPD detectives in regard to their arrest,” Beverly Hills Police Lieutenant Lincoln Hoshino explained.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, a number of celebrities and businesses have been targeted by hackers over the past 12 months. In addition to Ashton Kutcher and Justin Bieber, someone decided to play these dangerous pranks on Miley Cyrus and Simon Cowell.

Although no one has been hurt as a result of the prank calls as of this writing, authorities are concerned that someone could get seriously injured during these “swatting” incidents. Police also stated they were currently looking into other suspects.

What do you think should happen to the 12-year-old boy accused of “swatting” Ashton Kutcher and Justin Bieber?

Ashton Kutcher ‘Swatting’ Suspect Is Only 12 Years Old is a post from: The Inquisitr

Los Angeles, CA – Authorities have reportedly made an arrest in connection to several celebrity “swatting” cases, according to The Associated Press.

Police have apprehended a juvenile believed to be responsible for prank calls made to the likes of Justin Bieber and Ashton Kutcher. The suspect was picked up by police on December 10.

However, details about the juvenile are few and far between as of this writing. The Los Angeles Police Department is currently refusing to release any information about the suspect’s identity to the media.

“The swatting practice is extremely dangerous and places first responders and citizens in harm’s way,” the department said in a press release.

The Los Angeles Times reports that authorities are still looking into “swatting” cases involving Miley Cyrus and X Factor judge Simon Cowell. Investigators said they are also making progress in similar cases linked to area businesses.

Officials are anxious to find the individuals responsible for these potentially dangerous prank calls. Los Angeles Police Department Commander Andrew Smith said someone is likely to get injured before too long.

“If these things continue, it’s only a matter of time before a tragedy occurs,” he explained. “We’ve got talented detectives who are committed to catching people who put other people’s lives at risk with these dangerous pranks.”

According to CNN, police officials said “swatting” occurs when “computer hackers utilize their skills to place false emergency calls of serious crimes in progress to law enforcement and fire dispatch centers, thus causing a large number of first responders [to arrive.] The swatting practice is extremely dangerous and places first responders and citizens in harm’s way.”

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office is currently reviewing the case against juvenile currently in custody. Officials said other suspects are being investigated as well.

What do you think should happen to people who are caught “swatting” celebrities and businesses?

Police Make Arrest In Celebrity ‘Swatting’ Cases is a post from: The Inquisitr

The shooting in Newtown, Colorado has several copycat shootings throughout the United States, according to Yahoo News.

Saturday morning, a gunman opened fire in an Alabama hospital.
Fortunately no casualties resulted, but a police officer and two hospital employees had been wounded, says the Chicago Tribune.
Police had been just around the corner and shot the assailant dead before he could do anything more.
Sergeant Johnny Williams reported that the officer and employees shot had been taken to a separate hospital for treatment.

A man in Cedar Lake, Indiana threatened another elementary school shooting.
Cedar Lake police were called to the home of 60 year old Von I. Meyer early Friday after the man had reportedly threatened to set his wife on fire and then head over to Jane Ball Elementary School and kill as many as he could, writes Weau.com.
He had been in possession of 47 guns and ammunition valued at over $100,000.

Similarly a gunman opened fire outside a California mall, reports Reuters.
This incident, which happened at the Fashion Island mall, happened only four days after a more tragic one in a Portland, Oregon mall.
No one was wounded, but one person fleeing on foot suffered minor injuries, police said.
Newport Beach police spokeswoman Kathy Lowe said:

“A male was shooting a weapon in the air and at the ground, standing by a vehicle.”

It’s hard to tell when related incidents will end, but with the Christmas shopping season combined with 12/21/2012, stress management is apparently reaching a new low.

Connecticut Shooting: Is It Spawning Other Shootings? is a post from: The Inquisitr

Lake Elsinore, CA – Over 700 dead rats and reptiles were recently discovered at a business in southern California, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Animal control investigators stated the reptile breeding business had essentially become a storage facility for a large number of dead animals. Officials are currently in the process of documenting all of the carcasses they found inside the establishment.

In addition to the 700 dead rats and reptiles, authorities removed 600 live snakes from the premises. Investigators also said the facility housed between 6,000 to 10,000 rats which were used to feed the reptiles.

Investigators were alerted to the conditions at Global Captive Breeders by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. The complaint was reportedly filed on December 7. Dead rats and reptiles were among many issues found at the facility.

The company describes itself as follows:

“Located in Lake Elsinore, California, we have a state of the art facility with over 6,100 square feet of space in which we house and breed our stock. We have made several improvements to the building to ensure we could create the optimal conditions for each species, as well as create an effective system for feeding, cleaning and breeding all our animals; with swamp coolers, 30 feet of stainless steel sinks, circulating fans and a large HVAC system, we are able to maintain a clean environment consistently kept at the proper temperatures.

We maintain a large rodent colony. This keeps our costs down for our clients, as well as provides a consistent supply of high-quality food for our animals. Our rodents are only fed Harlan Teklad 2018, 2019 and 7004 diets. We are continuing to upgrade our rodent caging from Freedom Breeder, to caging of our own design.

We hope to soon expand and will keep you updated on our progress as projects develop.”

The Press-Enterprise reports that animal control officials are unsure what should be done with all of the animals. Finding a place to dispose of all the corpses could also prove to be a difficult task to accomplish.

Animal Friends of the Valley was one of many organizations that helped out with the clean-up process.

“Our primary focus at this point is to ensure the health and well-being of the animals on the site,” executive director Willa Bagwell explained to the Los Angeles Times.

As of this writing, no one was been charged with any crimes. Authorities said attempts to reach the owners of the reptile breeding business have proven unsuccessful.

What do you think should happen to the company for having over 700 dead reptiles and rats inside their breeding facility?

Over 700 Dead Rats, Reptiles Found At California Business is a post from: The Inquisitr

Newport Beach, CA — A man was arrested after firing about 50 shots in a California parking lot on Saturday. The man, who fired the shots at a  Southern California shopping mall, prompted a lockdown of stores, which were crowded with holiday shoppers.

The man, Marcos Gurrola, 42, was taken into custody almost immediately by bicycle police officers charged with patrolling the open-air Fashion Island mall, reports ABC News.

Gurrola did not injure anyone in the incident, but the gunfire did cause a wide amount of panic, especially in light of the Oregon mall shooting last week, along with the Connecticut school shooting on Friday.

The mall was crowded when, as police spokeswoman Cathy Lowe stated, Gurrola fired into the air and onto the ground in the parking lot next to a Macy’s department store.

Sven Maric, who was celebrating his wife’s birthday at a nearby restaurant patio near the shooting, stated, “It’s a miracle nobody got injured. The bullets had to land somewhere, and he shot so many.” The Washington Post notes that police spokeswoman Lowe stated that some stores volunteered to close their doors temporarily while police investigated the man who fired shots in the parking lot.

Bret McGaughey, 22, who lives in Laguna Beach, stated that he was at the Apple store with his mom when nearby shoppers ran into the rear of the store and employees locked the front entrance. By his estimate, about 100 people stayed in the back of the Apple store until employees announced it was safe to come out.

The man who fired shots in the California parking lot was arrested for investigation of assault with a deadly weapon.

The video below is raw footage of the shooting incident.

Man Fires Roughly 50 Shots At Fashion Island Mall In California, No Injuries is a post from: The Inquisitr

Santa Cruz, CA – Supermodel Marisa Miller has become a mother for the very first time.

The 34-year-old former Victoria’s Secret model and her music producer/talent manager husband Griffin Guess welcomed son Gavin Lee on Thursday in California.

“I’m completely overjoyed by the birth of our son. I feel so blessed to be a mom and am so excited to experience this next part of life,” Miller told People.

Miller’s son, Gavin, was born at 7:58pm, weighing in at 8 lbs., 10 oz. and measuring 22¼ inches long.

The Daily Mail reports that Miller confirmed her pregnancy back in June, and announced in July that she was expecting a son.

“My husband and I have always looked forward to starting a family, but also wanted to enjoy just being married,” Miller said at the time. “After six years together, the time feels right. My sisters and I will all have babies in 2012 so it’s such an exciting time.”

She also admitted to concentrating on healthy dietary habits during pregnancy. “Even though I’m exhausted, gaining weight and breaking out from all the hormones, I’m really enjoying my pregnancy. It’s all for the baby so I couldn’t care less!”

Miller also stripped down, bearing her nude body and baby bump in a series of black and white photos for Allure.

Speaking about her marriage to Guess, Miller recently re-affirmed her devotion to her husband, married in 2006. “My job can definitely bring out a lot of insecurities or trust issues, but I’m so thankful we never had that. I don’t give my husband a reason to worry. Those kind of things can become a big problem in any relationship, and then especially with [my life] there’s a whole new set of challenges.”

Congratulations to Marisa Miller and her husband Griffin Guess on their new addition!

Supermodel Marisa Miller Gives Birth, Welcomes Son Gavin Lee is a post from: The Inquisitr