Unusual News
Foul-Smelling Sludge Coming Out of Los Angeles Suburb’s Taps
In a memo last month, the city said it had been hearing complaints for three years, but they’ve gone from “occasional” reports of brown water to “numerous” complaints about black water during the last six months. The water company assured residents that the black gunk coming out of their taps “can be unsightly and concerning,” but they should rest assured that it “is safe to drink.” read more
10 California Hospitals Penalized $700,000 for Botched Care
Fines ranging from $50,000 to $100,000 were meted out to medical centers in seven counties for incidents including the improper administering of feeding tubes and surgical materials left behind in a patient. Some of the cases are old—one dates back to 2010—but have only recently been closed. read more
Inexplicably Sick Sea Lion Pups Wash Ashore for Third Straight Year
“This is the third year that we’ve seen these mass die-offs, but this is the worst so far,” Shawn Johnson, director of veterinary medicine for the Marine Mammal Center, told the San Francisco Chronicle. “If this continues, there will be some long-term effects on the sea lion population.” read more
California Registers Its First Conviction of a Revenge Porn Site Operator
Kevin Bollaert was found guilty of identity theft and extortion—27 felony counts in San Diego County Superior Court—for posting sexually explicit photographs of women (often stolen or submitted by former companions) on his website, YouGotPosted.com, and charging to have them removed. The site housed 10,000 photographs. read more
LAPD Escorts Ex-Mexican Mafia Killer to Downtown Meeting with Business Leaders
The appearance of Ceritos native Rene Enriquez—the subject of the book “The Black Hand: The Bloody Rise and Redemption of “Boxer” Enriquez, a Mexican Mob Killer” —was meant to be an educational experience “to learn how a transnational criminal enterprise was built, branded and marketed,” according to a statement by the LAPD. 125 wealthy business leaders and local police chiefs attended. read more
Survivors of Mystery Goo that Killed Hundreds of Bay Area Birds Are Being Released
More than 100 birds died after being brought to the International Bird Rescue facility in Fairfield for treatment. They were covered in a sticky goo with rubber cement qualities, which mats their feathers, causing them to lose insulation and suffer from hypothermia. Another 220 birds are recovering. read more
Rep. McClintock Argues Minimum Wage Needs to be Low for “Minorities”
The four-term congressman, whose Fourth District encompasses Yosemite National Park, told a “Washington Journal” audience it would “rip the first rung in the ladder of opportunity for teenagers, for minorities, for people who are trying to get into the job market for their first job.” He did not expand upon why he included minorities among those just entering the job market. read more
Record Meth Seizures at the Border, but Drone “Mule” Is a First
The U.S.Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reported that seizures of meth at the Mexican border hit a record high in the fiscal year ending last September 30 and were up 33% around the San Diego area. But it wasn’t until this week that the drug trafficking passed a technological milestone. Mexican police said a drone carrying pounds of meth crashed in a Tijuana shopping mall parking lot Tuesday night, just steps from the border. read more
Anonymous Stanford Website Helps Unlock Confidential Admissions Files
The Fountain Hopper newsletter posted a Five-Step Plan™ explaining how students can request copies of their admission records from the university using the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). After a 45-day wait, they can peruse essays written about them by admissions officers, numerical valuations of their personalities, letters of recommendation, descriptions of interviews and other information generally regarded as confidential. read more
Pope Taps Junipero Serra for Sainthood Despite Pesky Complaints of Genocide
The pope said he would bypass the usual requirement that the candidate perform a second verified miracle, although critics might consider receiving a sainthood designation in the face of their complaints that the Spanish Franciscan missionary practiced genocide as pretty extraordinary. The pope will visit Philadelphia in September and might go to Washington D.C. and the United Nations in New York. A Serra sainthood could put California on the agenda. read more
“Eco-Terrorist” Freed from Prison When FBI Files Surface—After 9 Years
The FBI trumpeted the post-9/11 case as a blow against the growing threat of environmentally conscious “eco-terrorists”—leftist radicals who were taking deadly aim at corporate and government interests. But the bureau had failed to turn over thousands of pages of files to defense lawyers that seemed to paint a picture of entrapment. read more
Dead and Dying Seabirds Washing Up along Northern Coast
Cassin's auklets have been dying en masse since November, most strikingly in Northern Oregon. In California, they’ve shown up from the Point Reyes/Sonoma Coast area to San Luis Obispo. Scientists have not identified any disease or toxic exposure, although testing continues. Scientists believe they are starving and it could be related to the warming oceans. read more
16 State Firefighters Put on Leave over Sex, Lies and Missing Videotape
The suspensions with pay were made after the California Highway Patrol (CHP) delivered a preliminary report on their follow-up to an accusation by ex-Battalion Chief Orville “Moe” Fleming’s estranged wife, Meagan, that she had seen a tape of firefighters and prostitutes having sex on fire trucks at the Cal Fire Academy near Sacramento. Fleming is in jail, charged with murdering his girlfriend. read more
Dutch Scientists Chart a Course for Mysterious 1962 Escape from Alcatraz
“The simulations show that if the prisoners had left before 23.00, they would have had absolutely no chance of surviving. The strong currents would have taken them out to sea. However, if they left between 23.00 and midnight, there is a good chance they reached Horseshoe Bay north of the Golden Gate Bridge.” The model predicted that if they landed at the bridge, their debris would have floated to Angel Island, which is where a paddle and some of their stuff was later found. read more
Twitter Suspends Bay Area Journalist for Posting Public Documents
In an exchange of tweets, PredPol’s Claire Lovell asked him to remove the information, claiming the document contained her home phone number. That wasn’t true. It was her very public office phone number that she set up to ring at home. BondGraham refused to take down the posting and she complained to Twitter. Twitter wouldn’t talk to BondGraham and temporarily suspended the account, with a warning last Thursday that it would be permanently eviscerated if he didn’t take the post down. read more
Researchers Sue for Release of 60-Year-Old Documents on Organized Crime
When researchers recently sought access to the material, they were told the documents were sealed and unavailable until 2028 because of confidentiality concerns. The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press filed a Public Records Act request with the university but LeVale Simpson, the university's public records coordinator, said the documents were not “public records” as defined by the act. read more