Hutch's Scrounge Lounge

Skydiving quadriplegic plunges to death in Montana – Yahoo! News.

A quadriplegic skydiver plunged 18,000 feet to his death because he was unable to manually deploy his parachute, and his emergency chute was not set to automatically release, authorities said on Monday.

Jack Fogle, 27, of Kingston, Washington, died Saturday afternoon just minutes after he and seven others launched themselves from a plane during a celebrated skydiving event in northwest Montana that drew scores of parachutists, said Flathead County Undersheriff Jordan White.

Fogle, a veteran of 125 jumps over five years, was hampered by his physical disability from manually activating his primary parachute and was likely counting on his backup chute to deploy. He hit the ground from a fall estimated at 120 miles per hour, White said.

Investigators drew their conclusions from video of Fogle and statements by skydiving partners. An examination of Fogle’s equipment showed no malfunctions, suggesting the skydiver failed to properly set a device that would have caused his reserve parachute to open on its own.

A 31-year-old man dressed as the comic book Caped Crusader was arrested today in Petoskey after he was seen hanging from the top wall of a downtown business.

The Petoskey News-Review reports officers went up on the roof about 12:40 a.m. and pulled the 31-year-old man back onto the building.

Public Safety Director John Calabrese says he believes the man “enjoys doing this.”

Officers confiscated a baton-like weapon, a can of chemical irritant spray and lead-lined gloves.

The Harbor Springs man is awaiting arraignment on charges of trespassing and possession of a dangerous weapon. He’s being held in the Emmet County jail.

Petoskey is in Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula, about 225 miles northwest of Detroit.

via Man dressed as Batman charged with trespassing | Detroit Free Press | freep.com.

The company that owns the Applebee’s restaurant chain said on Monday it was immediately retraining its workers nationwide after a server at a suburban Detroit location accidentally served alcohol to a toddler.

The company, California-based DineEquity Inc, said it would also change the way it serves juice to youngsters to eliminate the chance of any mixups that could result in any more toddlers receiving mixed drinks.

On Friday, Taylor Dill-Reese went to an Applebee’s in Madison Heights, Michigan, where — among other things — she ordered her 15-month-old son Dominick an apple juice.

What the little boy apparently got instead was a margarita. His mom told WDIV-TV that she only realized something was wrong when Dominick “kind of laid his head on the table and dozed off a little bit and woke up and got real happy.”

via Restaurant to retrain staff after mixed-drink mixup – Yahoo! News.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand – Cameras started rolling Monday on director Peter Jackson’s production of “The Hobbit,” following months of delays on the prequel to his Oscar-winning “Lord of the Rings” trilogy.

Hollywood studio funding problems, a threatened actors’ boycott and ulcer surgery for Jackson have plagued pre-production on the $500 million, two-movie project.

The director posted a studio news release on his website Monday saying production has commenced in New Zealand on the much-anticipated project.

British actor Martin Freeman will star as hobbit Bilbo Baggins alongside Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Cate Blanchett and Orlando Bloom in twin movies of J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy novel about a short, hairy-footed hero.

The films are expected to take up to two years to make, with the first timed for release in late 2012.

via Cameras roll on ‘The Hobbit’ films in New Zealand – Yahoo! News.

A 48-year-old drunk Illinois grandmother reportedly called 911 to complain about her family members who would withheld her car keys.

Authorities said Geneva Ward told them she was being held hostage and her family would threaten her with a gun.

As deputies arrived, it turned out that the woman was immensely drunk and had intended to drive her grandchildren somewhere. Therefore, her family did not hand over her car keys. Ward now faces disorderly conduct charges.

ShortNews – the News-Community.

Authorities say a New Jersey woman hit a 9-year-old on the head with a frying pan after he dropped a bagel and her dog ate it.

Police say the boy told them that 45-year-old Donna Ambrosio-Ruglio yelled at him that the cream cheese on the bagel would kill the dog.

The Daily Record of Parsippany reports Ambrosio-Ruglio was caring for the boy at her Randolph home. A criminal complaint says he sustained an abrasion to his head and bruises on his back.

Ambrosio-Ruglio is being held in the Morris County Jail on $75,000 bail, charged with child endangerment. It was not immediately clear whether she has an attorney.

via New Jersey Woman Accused of Hitting Boy Who Dropped Bagel – FoxNews.com.

Not even Big Bird will be safe in this culture war.

The morning after the House voted to repeal the health-care law, Speaker John Boehner walked into a TV studio in the Capitol complex to announce his next act: “a ban on taxpayer funding of abortions across all federal programs.”

It “reflects the will of the people,” Boehner proclaimed. “It’s one of our highest legislative priorities.”

“First repeal health care, now this. . . .What about jobs?” the first questioner asked after Boehner finished his abortion rollout. “I thought that jobs was the highest priority.”

“Our members feel very strongly about the sanctity of human life,” Boehner answered. “We listened to the American people.”

Actually, Mr. Speaker, 63 percent of voters said the economy was the most important issue, according to exit polls during the November election. Voters asked for jobs – and you’re giving them a culture war.

Wildlife authorities in Beebe, Arkansas are trying to find the cause of death for more than 1,000 blackbirds which fell from the sky over a one-mile area over the town late at night. No other dead birds were found nearby.

An ornithologist with the state Game and Fish Commission said the birds showed signs of physical trauma, speculating that high-altitude hail or a lightning strike could have killed the birds. Another theory blames New Year´s Eve fireworks.

The sound of the fireworks could have caused the birds to die from stress, according to the commission. 65 dead birds will be tested at two laboratories. The ornithologist said similar, inexplicable events have happened elsewhere.

Power company makes slight mistake
Thankfully no one was injured during this fiasco.