Box of horse manure addressed
to US treasury secretary
Los Angeles (AP) – Authorities say a gift-wrapped box of horse manure addressed to U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin (mih-NOO’-shin) was found near his home in Los Angeles. The package was found Saturday night in the tiny Bel Air neighborhood after it was dropped off at a neighbor’s house. The Los Angeles Police Department’s bomb squad was called to the home and officers opened the box, finding a pile of horse manure inside. Police said the package had been gift-wrapped and was marked as being from “the American people.” Police said the Secret Service was taking over the investigation. A Secret Service spokesman said the agency was aware of the incident but declined to comment further. A spokesman for the Treasury Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday.
Retired justice ‘so disappointed’
to be kept off jury
Boston (AP) – She was impartial enough to serve as a justice on the highest court in Massachusetts, but apparently that wasn’t enough for Geraldine Hines to be named a juror in a murder trial. The 70-year-old Hines, who retired from the Supreme Judicial Court in August, said she was “so disappointed” when the prosecutor rejected her as a juror Wednesday. Hines tells The Boston Globe, “I’ve been waiting my whole life to be a juror in a criminal case.” After questioning from defense attorneys and Suffolk Assistant District Attorney Mark Lee, Lee used one of his challenges to keep Hines off the jury. He apologized outside of court. The case involves two gang members involved in a gunfight at a festival in Boston in 2014 that took the life of an innocent bystander.
Fed-up passenger sought fast
track on Ryanair wing
Madrid (AP) – A Ryanair passenger who apparently got fed up waiting to get off a plane surprised fellow passengers by using the emergency exit to jump onto a wing. The incident on New Year’s Day took place 30 minutes after the flight landed in the southern Spanish city of Malaga from London’s Stansted Airport, where it had also been delayed. The man was coaxed back into the plane while police were called. Fellow passenger Fernando del Valle Villalobos, who videoed the incident, said he heard the man say he got fed up waiting. Police said Wednesday that they have opened a complaint against the man for breaching security. They confirmed he is a non-Spanish citizen. Ryanair said the incident was now in the hands of Spanish authorities.
Woman claims surgeon talked
on cellphone during operation
White Plains, N.Y. (AP) – A suburban New York City woman has sued a doctor, claiming he used his cellphone to take a language test while operating on her. The Journal News reports 70-year-old Mary Edwards, of Port Chester, filed a lawsuit Monday in state Supreme Court against Dr. Eric Fishman and his employer, Westmed Medical Group. The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary damages. Fishman performed surgery on Edwards to fix varicose veins twice in 2017. According to the lawsuit, Edwards claims Fishman had a conversation in Spanish on his cellphone during the second outpatient procedure. Edwards’ attorney says his client was terrified for the rest of the operation. Edwards claims Fishman later explained he was taking a Spanish proficiency test during the surgery. A Westmed spokeswoman said the company doesn’t comment on pending litigation.
Gaza eatery offers discounts
to North Koreans but no takers
Gaza City, Gaza Strip (AP) – A Gaza eatery is offering massive discounts to North Korean diners but there is just one problem – there are no North Koreans in Gaza. Ibrahim Raba, manager of a shawarma restaurant in Gaza’s Jabaliya refugee camp, says he is offering the 80 percent discounts to show his appreciation for North Korea’s rejection of President Donald Trump’s recent recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. He has also placed a large photo of reclusive North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on the glass door entrance to his restaurant. A new Kim fan, Raba likes to quote the North Korean leader, saying: “Trump proved he is mentally deranged.” And though Raba knows there are no North Koreans in Gaza, he hopes they will come someday, perhaps after joining other foreign aid workers.
