USA Today Roundup

From the USA Today

Georgia
Macon - Northbound lanes of Interstate 75 were closed for nearly six hours after a truck carrying butane lighters overturned and burned, igniting the lighters. The accident about 8 a.m. Wednesday blocked off I-75 north at the Interstate 16 east interchange north of Macon. Firefighters stopped the blaze, and emergency response crews cleared the highway before 2 p.m.

Gotta light?

Hawaii
Honolulu - The Women's Community Correctional Center plans to ban smoking after Nov. 16, becoming the only state prison to do so. Acting warden Eric Tanaka notified the more than 250 convicts at the prison in Kailua. Staff members estimate more than half the inmates are smokers.

I see a lawsuit coming…cruel and inhumane punishment. They expect these women to stop smoking cold turkey just because the warden doesn’t think they should smoke? It is hard enough to quit when you want to quit. And who is going to deal with the violence that occurs because they have no outlet for stress and boredom? The guards. I’m sorry, but this is stupid. No, I am not a smoker and I don’t believe smoking around non-smokers is a good thing, but this is going a little far.

Idaho
Aberdeen - City officials say the thousands of potato trucks that drive through town every fall on their way to processing plants threaten the safety of schoolchildren. Drivers don't need professional licenses to operate the spud trucks, which sometimes weigh up to 80,000 pounds.

And we all know that children can’t be held responsible for looking both ways before crossing a street.

Indiana
Evansville - Vanderburgh County Jail officials posted a dress code stating women cannot wear revealing clothes when visiting prisoners. It bans halter tops and see-through garments and requires that women wear bras. The jail's commander said some women have exposed themselves to male inmates in video visitation booths, in plain view in the jail's main lobby.

Man! Those inmates are just having a bad week.

Iowa
Zearing - Police arrested a convicted sex offender who taught arts and crafts for three days to his daughter's class at Colo-Nesco Middle School. Robert Moore, 49, is accused of violating a court order that prohibits him from having contact with minors.

That is just scary. How would you ever know if the dad next door isn’t a pervert? And since he is a convicted sex offender, how does he spend time with his daughter? Isn’t he supposed to be supervised? And do they live in the same house???

Maine
Auburn - A double-murder defendant is suing Androscoggin County Jail, saying his civil rights were violated when female guards could see him while he showered. Gary Gauthier, 25, filed the lawsuit in county court after a district judge dismissed the case. He's charged in the fatal beatings of two men.

Oh please! How many men do you know that would be upset by women watching him shower? Oh…maybe he has a little pecker and was embarrassed. That explains it.

Massachusetts
Amherst - Students at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst are being warned to tone down the partying. Town officials plan to allow both local and campus police to respond to out-of-control disruptions on and off campus. Stephen Tocco, chairman of the UMass Board of Trustees, said partying is preventing it from becoming one of the USA's top public universities.

Imagine that! A college town with a drinking problem.

Minnesota
Minneapolis - A Metro Transit bus driver who objects on religious grounds is being allowed to abstain from driving buses that carry gay-themed ads. But a union leader said the bus company is condoning intolerance. At issue is a billboard for Lavender magazine that shows the face of a young man with the slogan, "Unleash Your Inner Gay."

I’m not sure what to say about this. One part of me wants to say, “Do your job!” But another part wants to support his right to his religious belief. Hmmm….I think I will go with the “Do your job!”

St. Paul - Police are investigating new allegations against a man who locked his girlfriend's daughter in a dog kennel as a form of discipline. Eric Bare, 43, was convicted last year of unreasonable restraint and sentenced to 90 days in jail plus probation. Court documents indicate the girl told therapists that Bare also repeatedly raped her and filmed her performing sex acts.

They should lock him in the dog kennel and let the other inmates have turns.

Dalol - At least one family in rural Roseau County won't be dining on ruffed grouse. Willie Krzoska and his wife, Martha, say they've been befriended by a grouse who showed up on their deck in April. They have pictures showing "Birdie" on Willie's lap. The bird even likes to ride with him. "When I start up either the four-wheeler or lawn mower, she comes at me," Willie said.

Too funny!!!!

Nebraska
Lincoln - Nebraskans needing to obtain a driver's license this week are out of luck until Friday. All the state's 98 license offices will be closed for employee training. Nebraska motor vehicles Director Beverly Neth said customer service is part of the training.

They couldn’t stagger the training so the department was kept open at least for part of the day? Typical DMV bullshit.

Nevada
North Las Vegas - Nellis Air Force Base officials apologized and began an investigation after a burning illumination flare fell from a military jet, lighting up an area near downtown North Las Vegas and hitting the ground outside a home about 5 miles from the base. The flare missed rooftops and vehicles. No injuries were reported and damage was slight.

Ooops.

New Mexico
Ruidoso - The state Children, Youth and Families Department agreed to immediately notify Ruidoso-area radio stations about escapes from Camp Sierra Blanca. Several residents asked why they weren't told last month when two teenage boys escaped for about 24 hours from the juvenile corrections camp, which is unfenced.

If the boys are so dangerous that residents feel threatened, why isn’t there a fence around the camp? From what I read about the camp, it is mostly for minor offenses. I’m not sure I would be so upset about a couple of teenage runaways from a minimum security camp.

Santa Fe - Police are cracking down on motorists who fail to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks. Police will use a federal grant to help target 16 intersections over the next three months, officials said. Officers will conduct sting operations, sending a decoy pedestrian into a crosswalk and then issuing tickets to motorists who don't yield to the walker.

I thought it was illegal to purposely cause someone to break the law and then ticket them. Maybe I am wrong. I have my own solution for people that don’t stop for pedestrians. It usually includes a verbal barrage and some hand motions.

Ohio
Ravenna - The Army plans to search for bomb fragments in the area of the Ravenna Arsenal this spring, more than 60 years after an accidental explosion killed several workers and sent debris over a 600-acre area, officials said. The government will use metal detectors and interview arsenal neighbors in the search for overlooked debris that could be "live."

Better late than never, I guess. Leave it to the Army to wait 60 years before looking for “live” debris.

Rhode Island
Cranston - The director of the state prison fired three correctional officers, including a captain who allegedly forced an inmate to taste his own feces. The firings follow an internal administrative hearing that found multiple violations of corrections department policy. The three men also face assault charges brought by the state police.

More problems for the inmates. They just can’t catch a break this week.

Utah
Ogden - Federal prison officials won't release Tracy Sanchez, 36, a drug dealer with a fatal disease. Sanchez, convicted and sentenced in 2003 to 30 years in prison, has an illness that leads to kidney failure. Kathleen Kenney, assistant director of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, said Sanchez could re-offend if released.

Good grief! Instead of turning this person loose to pay for their own medical care, the feds have decided to let the government pay for it. I could understand if this was a serial killer or mass murderer, but a drug dealer? Please.