PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - It's a bit late for the holidays, but the
state's beer sellers are now free to let Santa's Butt Winter Porter sit on
their shelves.
The Maine Bureau of Liquor Enforcement had blocked a beer importer
from selling the brew, along with two beers with labels depicting
bare-breasted women. Those decisions were reversed after the state
attorney general's office determined that the company probably would win
the lawsuit the American Civil Liberties Union filed on its behalf last
month.
Doggie Diet Pills Jan 5,
2:23 PM (ET)
By ANDREW BRIDGES WASHINGTON (AP) - Is your hound round? Too much
flab on your Lab? Is your husky, well, husky? A new drug may provide some
help.
The government approved the first drug for obese canines on
Friday. Called Slentrol, the Pfizer Inc. (PFE) drug is aimed at helping
fat Fidos shed extra pounds.
Two Faced Calf Born In California RURAL
RETREAT, Va. (AP) - One of the newest arrivals at Kirk Heldreth's dairy
farm is drawing crowds. A calf with two faces was born Dec. 27 at Heldreth
Dairy Farm, and word has spread in southwest Virginia as residents flock
to his farm.
The animal is normal from its tail until its unusually large head.
The calf breathes out of two noses and has two tongues, which move
independently, according to Heldreth. There appears to be a single socket
containing two eyes where the heads split.
"It's the craziest thing I've ever seen," the dairyman said.
During the calf's birth, Heldreth said he first thought there were two
calves.
The calf has two lower jaws, but only one mouth. Heldreth feeds
her through a tube, and acknowledges he probably can't maintain that
feeding schedule for long. The calf was the product of artificial
insemination, which was supposed to create a genetically superior
specimen. "Genetically, this is one of my better calves," he said.
Bob James, a professor in the dairy science department at Virginia
Tech and Heldreth's former teacher, said such births are unusual. "In my
25 years, I've seen it maybe two or three times, but it's pretty rare," he
said. James said the abnormality could be caused by a developmental
problem or a genetic quirk.
According to MedicineNet.com, the condition is called diprosopus.
It happens when twins start to form and don't completely separate. In most
cases, the twins are completely fused with one set of limbs, but part or
all the face is duplicated.
Heldreth said the calf doesn't appear to have any other physical
ailments or complications. "It's as healthy as can be," he said.
Heldreth expects many more people will be curious enough to stop by.
"I'll just have to tie the dogs extra tight," he said.
Dog Found 1300 Miles From Home Returned
Jan 5, 4:57 AM (ET)
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Seven months after disappearing from her yard in Colorado, a rat terrier named Daisy walked into the arms of Tracie Crass in Knoxville, some 1,300 miles away. Thanks to Crass, Daisy got an airplane ride home.
Crass spotted 2-year-old Daisy wandering down her sidewalk on Christmas night. She assumed the 12-pound dog had slipped out of its home amid holiday festivities, so she brought the pooch on her porch and waited for its owner to come looking for it.
When no one showed up by the next day, Crass telephoned the number on Daisy's rabies tag. She reached Daisy's veterinarian, who contacted Daisy's owner, Vonda Lundstrom of Aurora, Colo.
"The kindness of people gives you a reason to believe," Lundstrom said. "It's the best Christmas present."
A cell phone photograph of Daisy sent to Crass confirmed it was the same little dog that dug a hole under the fence at Lundstrom's home in April and disappeared. With help from Knoxville's Young-Williams Animal Center, Daisy flew home on Wednesday.
The reunion at Denver International Airport was memorable. "She licked me. She loved on me," Lundstrom said. "I have my baby back, that's for sure."
Lundstrom has no ties to Knoxville and she assumes somebody stole Daisy. She said she has since filled in the hole under her fence.
"I'm going to do everything in my power to see that it doesn't happen again," she said.
Idiots in the News
Jan 4, 4:27 PM (ET)
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - A burglar who smashed a glass door to break into a house couldn't quite find his way back out after treating himself to some beans and booze, then passing out.
Esteban Avila Jr., 45, allegedly entered the vacant home by smashing a sliding-glass door at the rear of the house just after noon Tuesday, said Santa Clara County Sheriff's Deputy Serg Palanov.
Avila apparently hung around the house for about two hours. During that time he helped himself to a can of beans and had a drink from the bar, Palanov said.
Then Avila grabbed a blanket and caught a nap on the living room floor. "This is likely someone who is homeless," Palanov said.
The homeowner had moved out a week earlier, but stopped by the house and, concerned that something might be afoot, called a neighbor.
As the pair crept into the home, they noticed a man sleeping on the floor. They retreated and called 911.
Sheriff's deputies arrived and booked him into Santa Clara County Jail for investigation of vandalism, burglary and unlawful entry. He also had three outstanding misdemeanor warrants, Palanov said.
Georgia Man Kills Half-ton Hog in Neighbor's YardJan 5, 5:17 PM (ET)
FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. (AP) - A wild hog weighing 1,100 pounds has been shot and killed in a Fayette County neighborhood. William Coursey, an avid hunter who shot the hog in a neighbor's yard, had it hanging from a tree in his front yard.
The Department of Natural Resources did not know whether the hog, one of four tearing up yards in the neighborhood for years, was a record for the state. Coursey said the other three hogs may have been killed previously.
Law Enforcement: This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/467/drug_police_corruption
There's continuing fall-out from the Henry County, Virginia, sheriff's office bust in October, another Tennessee cop running interference for drug dealers, a long-time fugitive INS officer caught, and, of course, a couple more jail guards bringing goodies to the prisoners. Let's get to it:
In Roanoke, Virginia, two former Henry County sheriff's deputies pleaded guilty to charges they were part of a conspiracy to sell drugs seized from drug dealers. Former Deputy James Alden Vaught pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy, while former Deputy David Allan King pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy and drug conspiracy. Both were among 20 people, including Henry County Sheriff H. Franklin Cassell and 12 other sheriff's deputies, who were indicted in October. Sheriff Cassell has resigned since being accused of turning a blind eye as his deputies sold drugs seized in investigations, as well as other misconduct. King faces up to 40 years in prison and Vaught up to 20 years, but their sentences will depend on how much they cooperate with the government in the cases against their colleagues. Meanwhile, another former Henry County deputy has been re-indicted in the case. Former Deputy Robert Keith Adams was originally charged with making false statements, but was hit with a new, six-count indictment December 21. Adams allegedly knew that Vaught had stolen two kilograms of cocaine and $40,000 in cash, but instead of turning him in, demanded $20,000. He is charged with concealing a felony, attempting to obstruct an official proceeding by encouraging a potential witness to withhold and/or present false evidence to federal investigators, making false statements and attempting to mislead federal investigators.
In Nashville, a city police officer was indicted by a federal grand jury December 21 for using his position to help his nephew distribute cocaine. Officer Ernest Cecil, 49, a 15-year veteran of the force, faces counts of conspiring to distribute over five kilograms of cocaine, possession with the intent to distribute over 500 kilograms of cocaine, brandishing a firearm during a drug trafficking crime, and robbery in violation of the Hobbs Act, a federal law that prohibits extortion affecting interstate commerce. Cecil was a narcotics detective from 1997 through 2004. He is accused of, among other things, protecting his nephew's drug dealing operation by warning him about police investigations.
In El Paso, a fugitive former Immigration and Naturalization Service officer was captured December 22. Jose Trinidad Carrillo, had been convicted of conspiracy to import marijuana, aiding and abetting the importation of marijuana, and bribery of a public official in 1994, but fled to Mexico. He returned to the El Paso area at an unknown date and someone informed US Marshals he was in the area. They arrested him without incident although he was armed. Carrillo was carrying false identification when he was arrested.
In Indianapolis, a Marion County Jail guard was arrested December 24 for trying to smuggle marijuana and cigarettes into the jail. Tacaria Eskew was arrested after jail supervisors told police she received a package containing 20 cigarettes and two small bags of marijuana hidden inside food containers. Eskew told the Indianapolis Star she was set up and didn't know who sent her the package.
In Albemarle, North Carolina, an Albemarle District Jail guard was arrested December 22 on charges he smuggled drugs into the jail. Ryan White, 25, had worked at the jail for about six months when she was arrested. She was in possession of the prescription drugs Flexaril and Darvocet when the bust went down. She was charged with possession with intent to sell/deliver a schedule IV controlled substance, selling/delivering a schedule IV controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance in a prison facility and providing a controlled substance to an inmate. All four are felony charges. White was?released on a $10,000 unsecured bond
