Chicken Fat Clogs Major Traffic Artery

Mar 13, 1:29 PM (ET)

MONROE, La. (AP) - Chicken fat clogged a major traffic artery Tuesday, a day after a leaky truck left a stinky, slippery trail along a one-mile stretch of Interstate 20.

The vacuum truck crossed the Ouachita River before it was pulled over about 3:30 p.m. Monday.

The truck's owner, Dixie Hydro-vac Specialist Co., an industrial cleaning company from West Monroe, tried to clean up the mess with a chemical, but then it started to rain, said John Kelly, district administrator for the state Department of Transportation and Development.

Crews spread sand over the gunk, which was mainly in one eastbound lane, and worked Tuesday to scoop up the mess and keep it from oozing farther on the concrete bridge deck, Kelly said. Traffic was able to use the second lane. "The stench was overpowering," Kelly said.

He said the crews couldn't just turn fire hoses on it because that would have sent the smelly pollution straight into the river. The time for finishing the cleanup depended on whether it rained again, he said.

A second truck was brought in to transport the remaining fat. The spill was considered noxious but not toxic, according to a hazardous materials officer, Monroe fire officials said. It wasn't immediately clear where the fat originated.

Festival Rescheduled Because of "17-Year Locust"

Mar 13, 9:20 PM (ET)

HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. (AP) - The longtime Ravinia Festival has revised its summer concert schedule because of the buzz created by a certain red-eyed bug. Cicadas, known for their loud hum and unique 17-year life cycle, are expected to make a debut this June.

So officials from the almost 103-year-old music festival will move several outdoor concerts indoors. They also pushed the date of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's annual summer concerts back to July 6, later in the season than usual. By then, the chirping critters should cease.

The subtleties of the music "would get completely lost and drowned out," said Welz Kauffman Ravinia Festival president and CEO.

The 1 1/2-inch-long black bugs, which can number several hundred thousand per acre, don't sting or bite. Once they emerge, they spend their two-week lives climbing trees, shedding their crunchy skins and reproducing - and making lots of noise.

While some types of cicadas hatch each year, others arrive in 13- or 17-year cycles. Many of the insects also appear localized in different parts of Illinois.

Often mistaken for locusts, periodic cicadas last emerged in large numbers in the state in 1990.

In anticipation for this year's appearance, several museums, including Chicago's Notebaert Nature Museum, are planning special exhibits.

"They're really cool to watch," said Doug Taron, Notebaert's curator of biology. "They have these bright red eyes. And you can eat them."

Five Foot Gator Found in Tennessee Lake

Mar 13, 5:07 PM (ET)

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The alligator clearly wasn't from around here. Tennessee wildlife officers discovered a 5-foot alligator Sunday in Watts Bar Lake near Spring City, about 60 miles south of Knoxville.

"It was on a log sunning itself like a turtle," said Dan Hicks, spokesman for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.

Prior to the encounter, Watts Bar's gator population by all accounts was zero. Action by TWRA officer Burton Capps has restored that census.

"He was able to get close enough to it and euthanize it," Hicks said.

Alligators are not indigenous to Tennessee, and the state's climate is too cold to support a reproducing population. So when they're sighted, it's almost invariably because humans brought them here.

"Somebody probably bought this one as a pet down in Florida and kept it until it got too large and uncontrollable," Hicks said. "That's when they just let it go." Hicks said the Watts Bar alligator will be stuffed by a taxidermist and used as an educational display.

"When somebody says alligators aren't found in Tennessee, we can point to it and say, 'This one was,'" Hicks said.

Information from: The Knoxville News Sentinel, http://www.knoxnews.com

Why Do You Think They Call It Dope?

CHANDLER, Ariz. (AP) - A man who started a small fire while cooking methamphetamine drove to a Wal-Mart to buy a fire extinguisher when he couldn't put out the flames, sheriff's deputies said.

Jonathan Zaletel, 19, was greeted by Maricopa County deputies when he returned to his condominium late Tuesday, Lt. Paul Chagolla said.

The flames had been extinguished by a sprinkler system, and arriving firefighters found a small meth lab in the closet. A toaster being used to cook the drug had caught fire, Chagolla said, and Zalatel had tried putting it out using water and window cleaner before deciding to go buy the fire extinguisher.

Zalatel was booked on suspicion of manufacturing dangerous drugs, possession of chemicals and equipment to manufacture dangerous drugs, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana and criminal damage.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) - A middle-aged New Zealand woman rang police to report a theft of cannabis plants she had been growing at her North Island home, local media reported.

The crying woman told a constable at the police station in the city of Napier the plant theft was the fourth from her property in as many years. The 45-year-old woman, who was not named, lamented someone had again sneaked on to her property at night to steal her three carefully nurtured marijuana plants.

"I am a good person. I am sick of these low-lifes stealing my things," the woman told a police communications officer.

Senior Sergeant Mal Lochrie told local media Friday that the officer found it hard to stop smiling as the women gave details of the theft over the phone.

A community constable who visited her to take details of the theft had also warned her that her horticultural pursuits could have legal consequences, Lochrie said.

Police decided no action would be taken against the gardener, he said.

BETTENDORF, Iowa (AP) - A burglary suspect was arrested after he left behind a Corrections Department identification card he used to jimmy a lock, authorities said.

Officers said they arrested Robert Alan Fry of Rock Island, Ill., after investigating the theft Tuesday of a plastic jug containing about $400 in change from an apartment in Bettendorf. They said they found Fry's Illinois Department of Corrections ID card at the apartment and arrested him Wednesday at a Bettendorf motel.

Fry, 43, was charged with third-degree burglary, possession of drug paraphernalia and interference and was taken to the Scott County Jail, authorities said.

Fry was released from the Illinois prison system in January, having served two years and three months of a 10-year sentence for a Rock Island County burglary. Inmates who are released but are without legal identification like a driver's license can receive a Corrections Department-issued ID card.

Law Enforcement: This Week's Corrupt Cops Stories

http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/477/drug_police_corruption

An Oregon parole officer, a former Wisconsin prosecutor, a Houston crime lab tech, and a pair of New Haven narcs have all crossed over to the dark side this week. Let's get to it:

In New Haven, Connecticut, the city's top narc was arrested Tuesday on charges he stole thousands of dollars on the job. Lt. William White, head of the New Haven Police Department Narcotics Division, was arrested by the FBI after it caught him on video transferring $27,000 in department cash to his car. White is charged with theft of government funds and criminal conspiracy. Also arrested was narcotics Det. Justen Kasperzyk, who was charged with stealing less than $1,000, and three local bail bondsmen, who are charged with bribing White and other police officers to recapture fugitives they were seeking. On Wednesday, New Haven police announced they were disbanding the narcotics unit.

In Houston, TX, a former Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) lab technician was arrested last month on charges he stole more than 50 pounds of cocaine from the agency's Houston crime lab and sold it over a five-year period. Technician Jesus Hinojosa, 30, smuggled the stuff out a brick at a time, selling them for $11,000 to $13,000 each, according to authorities. In all, a DPS investigation has found 57 pounds of cocaine missing from the lab. Internal DPS audit reports show that the agency was aware of security breaches at the lab since 2003. Hinojosa is charged with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and is jailed on a $1 million bond.

In Neilsville, Wisconsin, a former prosecutor is charged with growing marijuana. Gene Radcliffe, who served as Clark County district attorney from 1977 to 1979, went down in an Illinois traffic stop where police found a gun, marijuana, drug paraphernalia, and hydroponic supplies. That led to Wisconsin charges of felony manufacture and delivery of marijuana, as well as two misdemeanor drug charges. A hearing is set for April 18; in the meantime, Radcliffe has checked in to a mental hospital for an evaluation.

In Portland, Oregon, a Multnomah County parole supervisor has resigned after admitting to stealing marijuana from a department property room and smoking it in front of coworkers at a holiday party. Shadman Afzal, 43, had been on leave since the December 9 party at his house, where he began hitting on a joint in front of his fellow parole officers. One of them recognized the container the weed came in as having been seized earlier and logged in at the department's north office. No criminal charges have been filed. Although Azfal hasn't worked since December and officially resigned in January, he is using up vacation time until March 19.