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Mad Minute stories from Monday, April 27th
VALLEJO, Calif. (AP) — A planning commissioner of Vallejo, California, has resigned after throwing his pet cat and apparently drinking a beer during a Zoom meeting between city officials that was made public, according to a newspaper report.
During the April 20 teleconference of the city’s Planning Commission, Chris Platzer announced, “I’d like to introduce my cat,” and then picked up his pet before suddenly tossing the animal off-screen.
Platzer was seen sipping from a green bottle during the meeting, the Times-Herald reported. After the conference ended he could be heard making derogatory remarks. “I’m going to call bull— on you little b—s,” according to the original commission meeting video released by the Northern California city.
In an email to the Times-Herald on Saturday, Platzer said he has resigned from the planning commission, effective immediately. The resignation came days before the City Council was set to consider a resolution removing him from the seven-person panel, the newspaper said.
“I did not conduct myself in the Zoom meeting in a manner befitting of a planning commissioner and apologize for any harm I may have inflicted,” Platzer wrote in the email. “I serve at the pleasure of the council and no longer have that trust and backing. I extend my gratitude to those who have supported me during my tenure. I have always felt that serving Vallejo in a voluntary position is honorable because Vallejo is worth serving. We are all living in uncertain times and I certainly, like many of you, am adjusting to a new normalcy.”
Vallejo spokesperson Christina Lee told the Times-Herald the city was still attempting to confirm if Platzer had officially resigned from the commission. Platzer couldn’t be reached for comment via phone on Saturday.
Vallejo Mayor Bob Sampayan said on Friday that decorum needs to be followed for each and every public meeting.
“This hurts the credibility of the city,” Sampayan added. “What happens if a developer is watching the meeting (and sees that)? They would obviously have concerns about the city.”
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LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) — A one-eyed squirrel that gained a social media following is being returned to nature.
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries took Willamina the squirrel from Emily Istre of Lafayette on Thursday, the Acadiana Advocate reported.
Istre created an Instagram account for the squirrel, @one_eyed_willa, and posted images of it eating off a plate, snuggling with her or hanging out in an elaborate indoor treehouse. In videos, she sings a lullaby to it and does yoga while the squirrel scampers underneath.
The account gained more than 1,600 followers, but she found that caring for a baby squirrel is exhausting: "It's like having a toddler on meth," Istre told the newspaper.
Istre said she started caring for the baby squirrel in mid-March, after her mother found it alone in her backyard, dehydrated and with an infected eye. She tried to contact the state wildlife agency and people who rehabilitate squirrels through a list on the Department of Wildlife & Fisheries website, but with coronavirus restrictions shutting things down, she said she got no response.
So she did online research about how to care for the animal, and things took off from there.
Melissa Collins, a wildlife biologist and permits coordinator for Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries, said it is illegal for anybody to rehabilitate wildlife without getting a permit through the agency. Collins said the agency remains in operation during COVID-19 restrictions.
Collins did not comment specifically on Istre's situation but told the newspaper that people with good intentions often "intervene unnecessarily, removing what appears to be injured/orphaned wildlife" from nature.
In comments on her Instagram account, Istra said Willamina has been placed with a wildlife rehab specialist she described as "a WONDERFUL WOMAN who truly adores animals." She said the squirrel will be released on a private property with nesting boxes and trail cameras.
Istre said she does not believe in trying to domesticate wild animals, but she believes this situation was unique. She also said caring for a squirrel is nonstop work.
"It takes a lot of patience. She makes a big mess. I'm constantly cleaning. Constantly. I don't want people to think this is a normal thing or something to aspire to."
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PALM COAST, Fla. (AP) — A welcome mat at the front door of a Florida home read "come back with a warrant" — and that's just what deputies did before finding drugs and drug paraphernalia inside.
The Daytona Beach News-Journal reports the home in Palm Coast was part of an investigation into illegal drugs. After seeing the doormat, authorities say the Flagler County Sheriff's Office got the warrant. Deputies found fentanyl and drug paraphernalia inside during a search late last week.
"This poison peddler had a doormat that said, 'Come back with a warrant,' so we did!" Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said. "Our detectives did a great job in following up on tips received on this residence. We still have some follow-up work to do, but for now the deadly drugs and syringes seized are off the streets."
Investigators say there were four people inside but no arrests were made immediately. The Florida Department of Children and Families were contacted regarding a child at the home.
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HICKSVILLE, N.Y. (AP) — A robber wearing in-line skates skated off into the night after sticking up a Dunkin' Donuts on Long Island, police said.
Nassau County police said the suspect glided into the Hicksville shop around 7:50 p.m. Friday, bought a cup of coffee and then demanded cash while making it seem like he had a gun under his clothing.
The man got away with an undetermined amount of money and was last seen heading in the direction of a Long Island Rail Road station a few blocks away, police said. The Dunkin' Donuts clerk wasn't hurt.
Along with the skates, the suspect was described as wearing a brown Carhartt jacket, blue sweatpants, red beanie cap and — in light of the coronavirus crisis — surgical mask, black rubber gloves, police said.
No arrests have been made.
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(FOX) There's more than one way to get a free nugget.
Wendy's recently announced it would be giving away free chicken nuggets on a certain date to help out communities during the coronavirus pandemic. One man in Oregon apparently heard about the promotion and decided to make the most of it.
Last week, Wendy's announced that participating restaurants across the country would be giving away orders of 4-Piece Chicken Nuggets to anyone visiting the drive-thru this past Friday. The company explained that the promotion, called "GroupNug," was inspired by the chain's team members and restaurant crews who have been "going above and beyond" to help out their communities.
There was a limit of one pack of free nuggets per customer, but that wasn't going to stop a Twitter user going by the name "Skweezy Jibbs."
In order to get past the nugget limit, he drove to 11 different Wendy's in the greater Portland and Vancouver area, KATU reported. In order to make the most of his trip, he reportedly drove the route twice, doubling his score.
On Twitter, he shared a picture of his nuggets, which he captioned, "Times is tough so when I heard Wendys was givin' out free 4 piece nuggs today I knew I had to hustle. I hit every damn Wendy's twice within 17 miles across 2 states, it took 5 hours but now we eatin' free 4 a week."
Wendy's also has been sharing news of its exceptional team members to its Square Deal Blog, which has been documenting instances of Wendy's franchisees providing free meals to front-line workers, first responders and people in need.
"We're extremely proud of all the efforts we've seen and we know there are more out there," the blog read.
"It's people like those above who shine bright and keep us going at times like these."
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April 27 (UPI) -- A dog spotted on the loose in Maine was captured and identified as a family pet that went missing six months earlier from a home 50 miles away.
Dave Townsend, an animal control officer in Calais, said volunteers with Maine Lost Dog Recovery helped him set traps and track the movements of the loose dog spotted wandering in the woods recently in the Calais area.
The canine was successfully caught in a trap late last week and the 90-pound Great Pyrenees was identified as Nellie, a dog reported missing six months earlier in Addison, about 50 miles from where the dog was captured.
Townsend said he believes Nellie had wandered 50 miles through the woods on her own with scant food sources for months.
Maine Lost Dog Recovery said Nellie was reunited with her owners.
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WELLINGTON, Fla. (AP) — A Florida construction worker called in a bomb threat to a water treatment facility to get a day off work, authorities said.
Richard Hamilton, 36, was arrested Thursday and charged with making a bomb threat, the Palm Beach Post reported.
More than 20 people evacuated Wellington's water treatment plant shortly after the threatening 911 call around 7 a.m. Thursday, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office. Hamilton had been working with a construction crew at the facility and later told deputies that he made the threat because he was having a bad day and didn't want to work.
The sheriff's bomb squad, a bomb dog and drones searched Hamilton's vehicle and the surrounding area and found no evidence of a bomb, the sheriff's office said. Wellington's water service was not affected, village officials said.
Hamilton was being held on $10,000 bond. Jail records didn't list an attorney.
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April 27 (UPI) -- Firefighters in Britain came to the rescue of an unlucky donkey that stepped into a kettle and ended up with the object stuck on its hoof.
North Yorkshire Fire Services said a crew stationed in Whitby responded to help Daniel the donkey free his hoof from the kettle.
"Our crew from Whitby rescued a donkey called Daniel who had got his hoof stuck in a kettle. Crews used pliers to release Daniel's hoof and left him with his owner," fire services tweeted.
A fire services representative said Daniel was not injured and was able to trot over to rejoin his fellow donkeys.
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Milan (AFP) - While most nine-year-olds have been battling during lockdown with the vagaries of home schooling, Lupo Daturi has been waging war on COVID-19 itself. Virtually.
The fourth-grade pupil from the outskirts of Milan, where inhabitants have been living in lockdown since March 8, has used his time to create a video game to play with his friends.
"I had to stop all the sports I did because of COVID-19," he says.
"I can't even go to the pond with my dog. Instead of playing sports -- skiing, swimming and karate -- I have to make do with an exercise bike."
That led Lupo to turn his attention to progamming, a passion that he shares with his father Marco, a business manager.
He took some online tutorials and set to work on building his game -- Cerba-20.
The aim of the game is a fairly typical 'seek and destroy' with lasers, except in this case, the player is in the captain's chair of the Cerba-20 spacecraft and the enemy is, that's right, COVID-19.
Lupo explains that he plays with his friends and that he now intends to set up a project to teach them how to programme.
"He also receives requests from his teachers to programme something useful, not just games," says his father.
Many parents with children who have been gorging themselves on video games during lockdown might be concerned by Lupo's new interest..But his mother, a lawyer, dismisses such anxieties.
"I'm not worried because my son is not a 'nerd'," says 44-year-old Francesca Zambonin, who is just "happy because he is passionate about something that can help him."
"The fact that he invented a game that has gone viral makes me happy because it motivates him to do even more."
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(BBC) Unable to compete due to coronavirus, Mexico's Lucha Libre wrestlers have taken up sewing face masks.
Social distancing means the iconic sport is on hold for now, so fighters need to find other ways to make money.
The tradition of wearing elaborate wrestling costumes and masks means they are well-placed to use their skills and materials to make protective masks.
It is feared coronavirus is spreading quickly in Mexico, with more than 9,500 confirmed cases.
In many parts of the country, including Mexico City, it is now compulsory to wear a mask when outdoors.
Lucha Libre is a unique form of professional wrestling in Mexico dating back over a century, and competitors wear colourful masks and spandex costumes.
Fighters cultivate big personas but hide their true identities behind their masks, so they become identified by only their mask design.
One of the greatest wrestlers in history, El Santo, is even said to have been buried in his mask when he died in 1984.
Now as social distancing measures have largely put an end to spectator sport for the time-being, fighters like El Hjio de Soberano find themselves unable to work.
"Last week we had a very difficult time and my wife says to me: 'Why don't we make face masks?'
"So we made some, but using the material we had for the costumes. We use the lycra and the fabrics that are used in the wrestling suit makings. They have double stitching, fabric reinforcement," the fighter, who is part of a wrestling dynasty, told sports website ESPN.
His masks use famous designs associated with legendary Lucha Libre stars, including El Santo and Blue Demon, and sell for 150 Mexican pesos (£5) each.
They are receiving orders from all over Mexico, El Hijo de Sobrerano says. In more normal times he and his family ship wrestling costumes across Central America and the US.
In Puebla, retired wrestler Isaías Huerta had to shut his wrestler costume workshop when the government declared all non-essential businesses must close to control the coronavirus outbreak on 30 March.
Also known as El Gato Gris (Grey Cat), at first he made protective masks just for his family, but later decided to scale-up and make masks with the designs of legendary wrestlers including Dr Wagner, La Parka, and Black Taurus.
He sells them for around 50 Mexican pesos (£1.50) each, and also takes special commissions from Lucha Libre superfans.
"I've always loved talking about wrestling, so much so that I started sewing costumes for my teammates, and now it led me to come up with the idea of wrestler masks," he told news agency EFE.
