Unusual News
Cigarette Giant Bans Smoking at the Office
Reynolds American, maker of Camel, Kool and other cigarettes, has decided to bar the smoking of tobacco products at its corporate headquarters.
“We’re well aware that there will be folks who see this as an irony, but we believe it’s the right thing to do and the right time to do it,” said a Reynolds spokesman.
The firm has put a big marketing effort behind its electronic cigarettes, and those have been excluded from the smoking ban. read more
California County Tried to Seize Marijuana Plants without Warrant because Growing them Wasted Water
Officials insisted the plants had to go in order to help preserve water supplies, and the situation was so dire police need not obtain a court order first.
Judge Thelton Henderson wrote: “The need to reduce water use, even during a drought, falls below the level of urgency associated with emergencies justifying a warrantless search in existing case law. The county’s inexperience in obtaining warrants...does not excuse the requirements of the [U.S.] Constitution." read more
The 25-Year-Old Unsolved Kidnapping that Led to a Significant Increase in the Recovery of Missing Children
In 1989, 11-year-old Jacob Wetterling was abducted in St. Joseph, Minnesota.
His parents, Jerry and Patty Wetterling have dedicated themselves to not only finding their lost child, but also helping other parents see their children come home safely.
While Patty Wetterling has “helped change the landscape of missing children, from sex offender registries to police training,” the rate of missing children found has increased significantly—from 62% in 1990 to 97% today read more
Tennessee Woman Jailed for Having Overgrown Lawn
Karen Holloway of Lenoir City had been cited by the city for the heinous crime of not pruning her bushes or mowing her lawn. When the yard wasn’t cleaned up, she had to appear in court with no lawyer.
She asked the judge, Terry Vann, if she could perform five days of community service to avoid spending time “with child molesters, and people who’ve done real crimes.” Vann insisted she spend time in jail, but did reduce the sentence to six hours.
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Sex Offenders Run for Office in Minnesota
The Moose Lake Sex Offender Treatment Program (MSOP) is for sex offenders who have completed their criminal sentences, but are deemed too dangerous to live without supervision. So they’re confined to the Moose Lake facility and are restrained by handcuffs and leg irons during any trips to the outside world, such as to a doctor.
The program’s residents would like to change the conditions under which they’re held. So they’re registering to vote. read more
Turning Guns and Bullets into Jewelry
The Cook County department seizes about 1,500 guns per year. The weapons usually come from drug houses, or are found during the serving of evictions. Typically the guns are taken to an incineration facility for destruction.
The newly created jewelry is sold by Liberty for prices ranging from $35 to $1,600. From 20% to 25% of the profits from those sales will go to Children’s Home + Aid, a nonprofit working to stem violence in Chicago neighborhoods.
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Small Texas Fracking Company Earns Title of Worst Energy Sector Polluter
It’s not Chevron, ExxonMobil or Shell whose wells were found to leak the most methane in 2012. Instead it was a small company, Halcón Resources, which won the title for allowing the highest percentage of the gas to escape into the atmosphere.
Halcón’s wells sent 6.5 metric tons of methane into the air for each million cubic feet of natural gas produced at its fracking wells in 2012. Second and third on the list were two other small producers, Bill Barrett Corp., and Unit Corp. read more
See-Through Envelope Window Revealing Account Number Leads to Lawsuit
Convergent Outsourcing, collecting a debt allegedly owed to T-Mobile by Courtney Douglass, sent Douglass a collection letter. Such letters are regulated by the FDCPA, which states that the outside of the envelope can contain only the address of the collector. However, Convergent used an envelope with a glassine window which revealed Douglass’ account number and a symbol that could reveal how much money Douglass allegedly owed.
Douglass sued, claiming the disclosure violated the FDCPA. read more
Supreme Court Justices Ginsburg and Scalia in Rare Dissent Agreement
They are the legal equivalent of the Odd Couple on the U.S. Supreme Court: Liberal Ruth Bader Ginsburg and conservative Antonin Scalia. Rarely do these justices agree on much, but recently they found themselves on the same side in criticizing a decision by the court’s majority. Scalia and Ginsburg were joined by Justice Clarence Thomas in their dissent. read more
Atheist Jailed for Refusing 12-Step Program Wins $2 Million Settlement
After a year in prison on a drug possession charge, Barry Hazle Jr. was ordered into a 12-step program run by Westcare. The program included references to a “higher power” and God. Hazle requested another program, but was told there were none.
A federal judge ruled that Hazle’s civil rights were violated by making him attend a program that conflicted with his beliefs. He will receive $1 million from the state and $925,000 from Westcare. read more
Political Campaigns find that Online Advertising Space—Just Like TV and Print—has Its Limits
There’s only so much of the best of anything and Internet advertising is no different, particularly for election campaigns.
Election strategists around the country have been planning to use online ads as well as television in their campaigns. But in some markets, only campaign managers who thought ahead will be able to run their commercials without interruption on sites like YouTube. That’s because the most sought-after ads are limited in number.
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Privacy Expectations are Focus of Unusual Cell Phone “Pocket Dial” Eavesdropping Case
If a person accidentally calls someone from their cell phone, do they have a right to privacy protecting any conversation heard on the other end? The courts don’t think so.
One man's pocketed phone made a call to a woman who listened in on his private conversation for 90 minutes. She passed what she heard to a third party. The man claimed violation of privacy and the case went to court, where justices so far haven't been sympathetic. read more
Bangladeshi-Americans Fight Street Sign that Honors Dictator
Chicago is being sued for an honorary renaming of a street after Bangladesh’s former president, Ziaur Rahman, with the suit claiming the move honored a ruthless dictator.
Critics compare Rahman to Iraq’s Saddam Hussein and Chile’s Augusto Pinochet.
“Said sign has been erected to honor a dictator that oppressed the people of Bangladesh,” the complaint states, calling it “an affront to the Bangladeshi Community of Chicago.”
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Americans Know More about ISIS and the Minimum Wage, Less about Poverty Level and Government Spending
The level of familiarity Americans have with current affairs can largely depend on what the mainstream media is focused on, a new poll shows.
The questions most respondents got right was that the federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour and that Syria is one of the Middle East countries partially occupied by ISIS.
Only 20% of respondents knew that 15% of Americans live below the poverty line, and 20% knew that the federal government spends more on Social Security than any other program. read more
From Honey Laundering to Honeygate and the Honey Lobby, Intrigue Buzzes around U.S. Honey Industry
Policymakers in Washington have a sticky situation on their hands involving all things honey related.
The honey lobby wants the U.S. Department of Agriculture to adopt rules that clearly define what honey is and what it isn’t.
Industry representatives also want the government to crack down on illegal imports of honey, known as honey laundering. Customs agents recently uncovered as part of “Project Honeygate” at least two American honey plants breaking the law read more
Looking for Revenue, Postal Service Proposes Delivering Groceries in the Early Morning
The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) delivers mail despite snow, rain, heat and gloom of night. Soon we’ll see if the same goes for a can of green beans.
In a bid to bring in revenue to help it trim red ink, the USPS has been running a test, delivering groceries to homes in the early morning.
So far the project has been attempted only in the San Francisco Bay Area, where it has averaged 160 food deliveries a day between 3 a.m. and 7 a.m. in conjunction with Amazon.com. read more