Old-Time Family Feud
Motorist Clyde White of Corbin, Ky., was charged with attempted murder in August after police arrested him following a road-rage chase that reached speeds of more than 100 mph. White, who had repeatedly used his vehicle to ram his two siblings in their vehicle, is 78 years old. In the other vehicle were his brother, 82, and sister, 83.
The Continuing Crisis
Chicago massage therapist Liudmyla Ksenych, testifying for the prosecution in August in a sex-trafficking trial, happened to notice from the witness stand that the defense lawyer, Douglas Rathe, was a former client of hers. The judge immediately declared a mistrial. Rathe later said he visited Ksenych four times in 2009 but that "nothing inappropriate" happened.
People Different From Us
(1) Travis Keen, 28, was arrested in Ouachita Parish, La., in August and charged with indecent exposure while driving around the parking lot at a Walmart. According to the police report, Keen explained that, based on experience, "when he comes to Walmart, he gets aroused." (2) In Idaho Falls, Idaho, in August, police warned William Falkingham, 34, that he'd better stop wearing his large bunny suit in public. One resident complained that her son had been frightened and that others were "greatly disturbed."
Redneck Chronicles
(1) In July, Lon Groves, 40, was arrested in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., after a brief standoff with police following an incident in which he allegedly held a handgun to the head of his wife in an argument over which of their granddaughters was the wife's favorite. (2) In August, pastor Daryl Riley of the New Welcome Baptist Church in St. Elmo, Ala., was tased, allegedly by the church's music minister, whom Riley had just fired (which led another parishioner to pull a knife and begin stabbing wildly in a melee). Said the music minister's mother, "He done cut me."
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Oops!
"Sorry, Honey. I Was Aiming at the Dog": (1) Betty Walker, allegedly firing at the pit bull that she saw lunging at some children, hit the dog with one shot and her husband, 53, with a second shot, killing him (Jackson, Miss., July). (2) Brent Bater, allegedly firing at the family dog, instead hit his wife once in the head, killing her (Twin Peaks, Calif., February). (3) Samuel Campos, 46, allegedly firing at the family Chihuahua after having inadvertently wounded it the day before, instead hit his girlfriend, 41, killing her (Willits, Calif., March).
News of the Self-Indulgent
While too many children in Third World countries die from starvation or lack of basic medicine, the young kids (some still in preschool) of TLC's reality TV show "Outrageous Kid Parties" celebrate birthdays and "graduation" (from or to kindergarten) with spectacular events that sometimes cost $30,000 or more. According to an August ABC News report, typical features include a Ferris wheel, a roller coaster, a dunking booth, animal rides and live music, as well as the obligatory limo or horse for making a grand entrance.
Bright Ideas
In August, the Japanese construction firm Maeda Corp. ordered its 2,700 employees to adopt standard, short hairstyles—a "bob" for women, with a longer fringe that could be swept to the side, and a routine short-back-and-sides cut for men, with a slightly longer cut on top. Maeda said it was responding to the government's plea to reduce energy usage, since less hair would lead to less water and hair-dryer usage.
© 2011 Chuck Shepherd
