Odds and Ends – March 2, 2018 – March 8, 2018

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Police pursuit of stolen
Ohio school bus hits 100 mph

Dayton, Ohio (AP) – Authorities say speeds reached 100 mph during a police pursuit of a stolen school bus in southwest Ohio. The Dayton Daily News reports a chase began shortly before 3 a.m. Wednesday. The bus had been stolen from the Twin Valley schools in West Alexandria, about 19 miles (31 kilometers) west of Dayton. The chase began in Brookville, northwest of Dayton. The bus struck a parked car during the chase, which ended in the Dayton suburb of Trotwood. A suspect was arrested.

German police rescue men tangled
up with mannequin, toy car

Berlin (AP) – Police in western Germany have freed two men who became entangled with a mannequin and a large, remote controlled car. Officers were called after cries were heard from an apartment in the city of Mainz in the early hours of Saturday. Police found the 58-year-old tenant and a 61-year-old visitor “hopelessly locked together” with the toy car and the mannequin – which was dressed in a knight’s costume. Officers were able to free the men, who were too drunk to explain how their unfortunate predicament had come about. According to a police statement, “the whole thing would have remained a funny episode” but the younger man was “more than impolite” and now faces a charge of insulting officers.

Wisconsin GOP Senate candidate’s
parents donate to his rival

Madison, Wis. (AP) – The parents of Republican U.S. Senate candidate Kevin Nicholson have donated the maximum amount to the campaign of their son’s Democratic rival, Sen. Tammy Baldwin. Nicholson is in a primary battle against Republican state Sen. Leah Vukmir, with the winner advancing to take on Baldwin in the fall. Federal records show that Nicholson’s parents, Michael and Donna Nicholson, both gave $2,700 in December to Baldwin. Nicholson is a former Democrat, but his parents have a long history of donating to Democratic candidates. CNN first reported the donations to Baldwin. Nicholson says in a statement that “My parents have a different worldview than I do, and it is not surprising that they would support a candidate like Tammy Baldwin who shares their perspective.” Nicholson says he is a conservative by choice “not because I was born one.”

100 pizzas and counting:
German police probe pizza stalker

Berlin (AP) – German police are investigating a case of severe pizza stalking in the western town of Dortmund. Police are looking for someone who’s bombarded a lawyer by sending scores of pizzas to his office. They said Wednesday the annoyed lawyer pressed charges in January but told them he had no idea who was behind the unwanted food deliveries. Local newspaper Ruhr Nachrichten named the lawyer as Guido Grolle, who told them he had already received over 100 pizzas. Grolle says “it’s so irritating, I don’t even get my work done anymore.” He says sometimes notices about the first deliveries of the day pop up on his phone during his morning shower. Lately, however, the anonymous buyer’s tastes have changed: there have also been deliveries for sushi, sausage and Greek food.

New Jersey capital to use lasers,
audio to get rid of crows

Trenton, N.J. (AP) – New Jersey’s capital city is taking a high-tech approach to rid the city of an estimated 30,000 crows that are waking up residents and leaving droppings behind. The U.S. Agriculture Department on Tuesday will begin using pyrotechnics, lasers, spotlights, amplified recordings of crow distress calls and crow effigies to try to scare the birds away from Trenton. USDA district supervisor and biologist Kimberly Clapper tells NJ.com crows and other birds in the winter form large roosts. Clapper says the crows look for areas where there is less light and few people, such as parking lots. Clapper says the methods have worked to clear crows from other urban areas. USDA wildlife officials spent four consecutive nights in Trenton.

NYC woman stood up by mystery
man described in huge mural

New York (AP) – It wasn’t meant to be for a New York City woman seeking a mystery missed connection via a 20-foot mural asking him to meet her on Valentine’s Day. Twenty-five-year-old Devin Custalow waited for nearly 30 minutes at the billboard that asked the mystery man with yellow shoes she met on a subway train in October to meet with her at 1 p.m. Wednesday. She was surrounded by friends, family and plenty of cameras for the meeting that never came to pass – but her loved ones were on hand with a bouquet of flowers. Custalow says despite the outcome, the search for her mystery Valentine was a really great experience and she hopes she’s encouraged others to look for love.