Sign of the times

First the project costs almost $15 Million and has created 17 jobs!  That's nearly $1 Million for each job created.

More stupidly is the $10,000 spent on a sign to show that it's funded by the Stimulus Act.

Nationwide at least $5 Million of the Stimulus Act money has been spent telling you the money spent for the project comes from the Stimulus Act money.

Signs of the Stimulus

Some Call it Transparency, Others Another Example of Government Waste
By JONATHAN KARL and GREGORY SIMMONS - ABC News

As the midterm election season approaches, new road signs are popping up everywhere – millions of dollars worth of signs touting "The American Reinvestment and Recovery Act" and reminding passers-by that the program is "Putting America Back to Work."

On the road leading to Dulles Airport outside Washington, DC there's a 10' x 11' road sign touting a runway improvement project funded by the federal stimulus. The project cost nearly $15 million and has created 17 jobs, according to recovery.gov.

However, there's another number that caught the eye of ABC News: $10,000. That's how much money the Washington Airports Authority tells ABC News it spent to make and install the sign – a single sign – announcing that the project is "Funded by The American Reinvestment and Recovery Act" and is "Putting America Back to Work." The money for the sign was taken out of the budget for the runway improvement project.

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Four injured, not three, and one killed

I posted about this the other day. 

The news is that he is now charged with one count of intoxication manslaughter and four counts of intoxication assault.

Soldier charged in highway death

By Valentino Lucia - Express-News


A man accused of driving the wrong way on U.S. 90 and causing the death of a San Antonio man has been identified as an active-duty U.S. Army soldier.

Pvt. Jacob Vincent Perez, 22, charged with one count of intoxication manslaughter and four counts of intoxication assault, is attached to a military intelligence battalion stationed at Lackland AFB, said Greg Ripps, a spokesman for the battalion, based out of Fort Sam Houston.

Perez remained jailed in lieu of $130,000 bail. He enlisted last year in California and arrived in San Antonio in May, Ripps said.

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No longer a safe place

In a church?

A safe haven no longer.

Man arrested for molesting child at church

By Valentino Lucio - Express-News

A San Antonio man was arrested Tuesday evening after he admitted to molesting a 12-year-old girl at a Southwest Side church earlier this year.

Ramon Sanchez, 73, was charged with one count of indecency with a child by contact and was set to be booked into the Bexar County Jail. Bail was set at $75,000.

The alleged incident occurred on Jan. 10 at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses at 319 Price Ave., which both individuals attend. Sanchez offered the girl money and told her to meet him near the bathrooms, an arrest affidavit states. The unidentified girl then met him outside the restroom area, where Sanchez kissed her on the head, fondled her, gave her $20 and returned to the church, according to the affidavit.

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For a jury to determine

I imagine this will go to trial.

Inmate's suicide prompts family to sue county

By Eva Ruth Moravec - Express-News

Relatives of a man who killed himself in the Bexar County Jail last summer have sued Sheriff Amadeo Ortiz and his staff, claiming they failed to properly supervise him and follow their own procedures during a year in which more inmates there committed suicide than in all the previous decade.

Jonathan Ramirez, 19, hanged himself by a bed sheet in a cell on the jail's sixth floor last August, days before he was set to be released, said his grandmother, Olga Perez, 61, who filed the lawsuit in April with Ramirez's father.

Perez said her grandson had been jailed on a charge of indecency with a child for about a year, partly in the suicide prevention unit, when he was found dead.

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My Apologies

Dear Readers,

My apologies for late posting today I was at the hospital with Mrs. Man o' Law.

She will stay there at least until tomorrow.

Regards,
Man o' Law

The last out

Having grown up in New York City I've been a long-standing Yankees fan.

Rest in Peace George, you kept the Yankees great.

BREAKING NEWS:

New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner dies

NEW YORK (WABC) -- The Associated Press is reporting New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner has died after suffering a massive heart attack. 

Steinbrenner was rushed to St. Joseph's hospital in Tampa, Florida, where he was pronounced dead.

Steinbrenner turned 80 on July 4th.

During Steinbrenner's ownership since 1973, the longest in club history, the Yankees have earned 11 pennants and 7 World Series titles.

Motherly love gone wild

This is just plain creepy.

Sex with son lands mom in prison

BY TAMMY STABLES BATTAGLIA
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER


A Waterford mother will spend at least nine years in prison for having sex with the 14-year-old son she gave up for adoption when he was a few days old.

Aimee L. Sword, 36, apologized for her actions at her sentencing Monday in Oakland County Circuit Court, said her attorney Mitchell Ribitwer.

Judge Daniel O'Brien sentenced Sword to nine to 30 years in prison.

Sword received yearly updates and pictures from the boy's adoptive family in Grand Rapids, Ribitwer said. But when she didn't get a picture when the boy turned 14, she contacted him online through a social networking site.

"When she saw this boy, something just touched off in her -- and it wasn't a mother-son relationship, it was a boyfriend girlfriend relationship," Ribitwer said. "Aimee's searching for a reason why this happened. She can't understand it. She's going to get some counseling."

Originally charged with four counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, the former Macy's makeup counter clerk pleaded guilty to having sex with the boy once. Investigators said she had sex with the teen in a Grand Rapids hotel and also at homes in Waterford in 2008.

After the teen got into trouble in Grand Rapids, his adoptive mother -- not knowing about the relationship -- agreed to allow him to stay with Sword in Waterford. Married at the time, Sword shared her home with her husband and five other children, toddlers to late teens.


 But after he returned to Grand Rapids, he talked about the incidents to a counselor, who reported them to police.

"It's the first time I've really seen something like that between a mother-son," Oakland County Prosecutor Jessica Cooper said Monday after the sentencing.

Call her Cleopatra, the Queen of denial

This is unbelievable!

Not only does the father throw the kid into oncoming traffic.  Thankfully she survived relatively uninjured but the Babymama doesn't believe the story .  Saying that he was under attack and did what he could to protect the baby.

I think Child Protective Services needs to get involved here and quickly.

Dad tosses tot into traffic

By Jessica Greene - nbcbayarea.com

A 21-year-old Oakland man is in police custody after he threw his baby daughter into the path of a moving car, according to cops.

Police say an off-duty officer saw the man, later identified as John Taylor, shake the 18-month girl and throw her into oncoming traffic on Fifth Avenue near East 15th Street around 5:39 p.m. Saturday. A Volkswagen Jetta almost hit the toddler, police say, and the car's undercarriage burned and scraped the girl.

The girl, Jayla, lives with her mother and had been visiting with her father that day. After Taylor allegedly threw his baby daughter into the lane of traffic, he took off running, pounding on and kicking cars along the way, police said.

While a neighbor pulled the baby girl out from underneath the Jetta, police chased Taylor down.

The girl's mother, Alena Bartholemew, doesn't believe the story. She says Taylor was under attack and did what he could to protect their baby.

"I'm hurting now because I know my baby's father is in jail facing charges and I don't feel that it is reasonable," Bartholemew told NBC Bay Area. "Anybody who feels that they think that John had thrown the baby out, please get that out your mind -- there is no reason to believe that. He is a great father to her."

Drivers in the neighborhood tried to stop Taylor as he ran from cops. When officers caught up with him, they found him in a violent scuffle with those motorists. Police hit Taylor with a Taser and arrested him.

Taylor was arrested on suspicion of of willful cruelty to a child, vandalism, resisting arrest and battery on a police officer.

More drunken mayhem on the streets of Ol' San Antone

The news this morning was that one driver was killed and three others in another car were severely injured.

The wrong-way driver traveled the wrong-way for a while when he struck the first car killing its driver then continued on and struck the second car sending all three occupants to the hospital.

The report continued stating the wrong-way driver, now called the defendant, was very drunk and of course, was himself, un-injured.

He is now facing charges of intoxication manslaughter and intoxication assault.

Wreck at U.S. 90 is fatal

By Guillermo X. Garcia - Express-News


Police and firefighters were at the scene of a massive late-night traffic accident on U.S. 90 and Zarzamora St. on the city's Southwest Side that resulted in at least one fatality. The Texas Department of Transportation website noted that officials shut down the highway at Gen. McMullen Drive shortly after 11 p.m. The website said at least one fatality was involved.

San Antonio police said a driver entered U.S. 90 going the wrong way and struck or was hit by several oncoming cars. At least one of the cars involved rolled over as a result of the collision.

More than a dozen fire units and EMS responded, as did about two dozen police officers, according to dispatchers.

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Yum!

Nope never hesitated to dip before but now upon further reflection I might.

But dang, there sure is some good salsa out there.

Ay!  Mamacita's creamy-style green salsa is muy delicioso!

Outbreaks tied to diners' salsa, guacamole rise

By Don Finley - Express-News

Ever hesitate before dipping that chip into the complimentary bowl of salsa? It might be justified.

Federal health officials said Monday that 4 percent of food-borne outbreaks linked to restaurant fare between 1998 and 2008 were traced to contaminated salsa or guacamole. That was up from 1.5 percent between 1984 and 1997.

The reason? It's not certain, but the two popular Mexican food items might not always be refrigerated properly, and they are often made in large batches, “so if you have a small amount of contamination, it could affect many servings,” said Magdalena Kendall, an epidemiologist with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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"Robbing from other robbers"

That's what the last Newton brother, Willis,  said in an interview shortly before his death in 1979 at the age of 90 years old.

During their robbing spree the gang robbed more than 70 banks in Texas, the Midwest and Canada.  One train robbery, still holds the U.S. record, in which they got $3 Million.

The photo is from the movie The Newton Boys where Matthew McConaughey played Willis Newton.

1922 New Braunfels bank heist stuff legends are made of

By Greg Bowen The Herald-Zeitung

The Newton Gang struck New Braunfels State Bank, located downtown a short distance from the courthouse, at 10 minutes past noon on March 9, 1922.

The robbery became celebrated in the annals of bank stick-up lore, said historian and writer G.R. Williamson of Kerrville, who is writing a book on the gang’s exploits.

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Well you see there might could be a mistake......maybe....somewhere..

So let me see if I've got this straight?

The Swiss found no mistakes in the extradition documents and/or the procedures but because they weren't satisfied that a mistake may have occurred they are denying the extradition request.

You wanna bet some money changed hands?

Polanski will not be extradited to the U.S.

swissinfo.ch

Filmmaker Roman Polanski will not be extradited to the United States, the Swiss Justice Ministry has decided.

"The reason for the decision lies in the fact that it was not possible to exclude with the necessary certainty a fault in the US extraditionary request," it said in a statement on Monday.

The announcement follows months of uncertainty over whether Polanski would have to return to the US to face sentencing for having unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl in 1977.

"Considering all the aspects of this case – and in particular the extradition request which is not satisfying as far as the presentation of the facts of the case is concerned and the principles of state action deriving from international public order – the extradition request has to be rejected," the statement concluded.

According to Swiss Justice Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf, the US has accepted the decision. The US does not have the possibility to appeal.

At a press conference in Bern on Monday, Widmer-Schlumpf emphasised the fact that Switzerland had acted without pressure from other countries.

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A bit over the top

Huh?

  "His feelings of betrayal personify a slave master mentality. He sees LeBron as a runaway slave. This is an owner employee relationship -- between business partners -- and LeBron honored his contract."
-- Rev. Jesse Jackson on Cavs owner Dan Gilbert's comments about LeBron James

Oh brother!

Jackson rips Gilbert's LeBron comments

ESPN

CHICAGO -- Jesse Jackson criticized Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert on Sunday, saying Gilbert sees LeBron James as a "runaway slave" and that the owner's comments after the free-agent forward decided to join the Miami Heat put the player in danger.

Shortly after James announced his decision last week, Gilbert fired off an incendiary letter to Cleveland's fans, ripping the 25-year-old and promising to deliver a title before James wins one. He called James' decision "cowardly" and later told The Associated Press he believes James quit during a handful of Cavaliers playoff games.

"He has gotten a free pass," Gilbert told the AP in a phone interview late Thursday night. "People have covered up for [James] for way too long. Tonight we saw who he really is."

Jackson said Gilbert's comments were "mean, arrogant and presumptuous."

"He speaks as an owner of LeBron and not the owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers," the reverend said in a release from his Chicago-based civil rights group, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. "His feelings of betrayal personify a slave master mentality. He sees LeBron as a runaway slave. This is an owner employee relationship -- between business partners -- and LeBron honored his contract."

Messages were left Sunday night seeking comment from Gilbert, the Cavaliers and James.

Jackson also called Gilbert's comments an attack on all NBA players and said the owner should face a "challenge" from the league and the players' association.

NBA spokesman Tim Frank declined comment.

He has the sole of a bandit

I'm sure this will made into a movie.

How did they know the guy they caught was him?

Why; just look at the photo.

'Barefoot Bandit' nabbed after 2 years as fugitive

By JUAN McCARTNEY and MIKE MELIA, Associated Press Writers


NASSAU, Bahamas – For two years he stayed a step ahead of the law — stealing cars, powerboats and even airplanes, police say, while building a reputation as a 21st-century folk hero. On Sunday, Colton Harris-Moore's celebrity became his downfall.

Witnesses on the Bahamian island of Eleuthera recognized the 19-year-old dubbed the "Barefoot Bandit" and called police, who captured him after a high-speed boat chase, Bahamas Police Commissioner Ellison Greenslade said at a celebratory news conference in Nassau, the capital.

Greenslade said shots were fired during the water chase but he did not say who fired them. He also said Harris-Moore was carrying a handgun that he tried to throw away.

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The gang that couldn't shoot straight

I'm waiting for someone to claim that the shooters were either Tea-Party members or right-wing nut-jobs who hate unions.

Don't laugh someone out there is thinking this for sure.

Anyway, I am glad no one was killed and the intern was in stable condition.

Intern shot in drive-by on wrong house

By Michelle Mondo - Express-News

A college intern for the Southwest Workers' Union was injured early Sunday in a drive-by shooting on the city's East Side after alleged gang members shot at the wrong house, authorities said.

The shooting occurred at 2:30 a.m. in the 300 block of Idaho, according to Officer Matt Porter, a spokesman for the department.

Porter said James Domingue was shot in the buttocks by a bullet that went through the walls and into a back bedroom of the house.

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