It’s taken 17 years and several trips to traffic court, but Edward
Stanley Harris has finally gotten what he deserves – an apology.

Harris, 40, of Philadelphia, has a twin, Edwin Shelby Harris. Sometime between October 1990 and May 1991 Edwin Shelby managed to get eight tickets for moving violations. Edwin pleaded guilty in Philadelphia Traffic Court in September 1991 and was ordered to pay $1501.

But Edwin hit hard times, drifted south and lost touch with Edward. Because the brothers’ names are so close in spelling, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, in the fall of 1992, sent Edward Harris notice his license would be suspended for nonpayment of tickets.

After a while, PDOT corrected its mistake and withdrew its suspension threat. It was the first of several mixups over the next 17 years. It seems every so often between November of 1992 and June of 2007, PDOT would rediscover Edwin’s unpaid tickets, and once again Edward would be threatened with the loss of his license; then Edward would go back to court and things would be straightened out once more.

In November of last year Judge Willie Adams refused to look at the paperwork of Edward Harris’ innocence, and told him to start paying the tickets or go to jail. Edward decided to take his case to the court of public opinion, and contacted the Philadelphia Daily News. 

Judge Bernice DeAngelis read the story, and said the court would not only give Edward a refund of $1800 in tickets and fines, but an aplolgy as well.  “I’d like the chance to look him in the eye and apologize from the bottom of my heart,” DeAngelis told the newspaper February 7.  “I see what we do in this court as a sacred trust. That might sound corny, but I truly believe it.  I’m sorry for everything he had to go through.”

Leatherback Turtle Sets Distance Record

In what may be the longest trip for marine vertebrae between breeding and feeding sites, a leatherback turtle has been tracked swimming from the coast of the Papua province in Indonesia to Oregon.

“This is an animal perfectly suited for doing this kind of journey,” said Scott Benson, research fishery biologist for the U.S. National Fisheries Service. Benson helped track the turtle and presented details of the journey at a sea turtle symposium last month.

Nine turtles tagged in 2003 were seen as traveling the longest distance, with one leatherback that reached Oregon and then headed for Hawaii before the battery on the satellite transmitter gave out. 

The 12,774-mile trip took 647 days.

Emu Causes Georgia Traffic Jam

Will the owner of the wandering emu found on Interstate 20 please retrieve your animal? It’s blocking traffic.

The emu, a three-toed, flightless bird that is native to Australia, was spotted by  motorists in east Georgia as they traveled the Interstate, blocking traffic as they gawked at the large animal.

If first appeared in the highway median between the Thomson and Camak exits, said Law Enforcement Captain Larry Barnard of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. “The biggest concern was the threat to motorists,” he said.  “Since an emu is technically livestock it doesn’t fall under our jurisdiction.”

The second largest bird, emus are sometimes raised as livestock. Pam Tucker, director of the county’s emergency Services Department, said Columbia County animal control officers helped capture the bird. “They surrounded it in the median – with a lot of caution. Because emus will hurt you,” she said. “One of the animal control officers grabbed its legs and another grabbed the upper body and another put a covering over its head, and they loaded it into the truck. It kicked so hard in the truck that latch on the truck broke.”

One person from Wilkes County called Thursday and said he was coming to see if the emu was his, But Tucker said he had not arrived.  “We’re hopeful,” Tucker said.  “Emus are a diffucult animal. After four more days, we will put him up for adoption.”

Futile Stunt of the week

A Knoxville man claims he was framed, and passed out teddy bears to reporters proclaiming his innocence.
 
Clifford Clard, 47, was charged with shooting out a red light camera earlier this week. When he appeared in court Thursday, Clark distributed teddy bears bearing the message “Save the Cliff”.

Clark said he would represent himself.  He is charged with felony vandalism and reckless endangerment. Police alleged he shot out the camera with a rifle.

When arrested near the scene there was a deer rifle in his van. Clark claims he is innocent, and has set up a web site that claims he was framed.

The Sky Is Falling!

A Calgary, Alberta a woman was in her room shortly before 9:30 a.m. when chunks of ice crashed through her roof February 7, missing her by only a few feet, according to the Calagry Alberta fire department.

Fire crews found several chunks of ice about six inches long on the bed, as well as pieces of shingles, drywall, insulation and plywood.

Jeff Budai, fire department spokesman, said his best guess is that the “frozen liquid” fell from a passing airplane. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is looking into the incident and confirms that a couple of airplanes were in the area at the time.