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January 16, 2011
3:29 pm

Funeral home bloom as wedding chapels

http://photos.indystar.com/galleries/11644-funeral-home-bloom-as-wedding-chapels

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Entry #3,765

January 16, 2011
6:32 am

Widow, 85, missed last $432 house payment fights $5,797 in fees

Fri, Jan. 14, 2011

Widow, 85, missed last house payment; fights fees

MARYCLAIRE DALE

The Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA - An elderly New Jersey widow billed $5,800 after missing the final payment on her 30-year mortgage can pursue her lawsuit against the debt collectors, a U.S. appeals court ruled.

Lawyers for Dorothy Rhue Allen call the fees charged by two banks and a law firm "unfair or unconscionable" and say they violate state and federal consumer-protection laws.

Allen, now 85, had borrowed $40,000 to buy the Deptford, N.J., home in 1976. She failed to make the final $432 payment in 2006 because she was in the hospital, her lawyer said.

"She's just a wonderful little old lady that got sick," lawyer Lewis Adler told The Associated Press on Friday.

Lenders are under scrutiny in New Jersey and across the country for the way they handled foreclosures during the recent real-estate bust. Six lenders , none involved in Allen's case , have been summoned before the New Jersey Supreme Court to fight for the right to stay in the foreclosure business.

The alleged systemic abuses include so-called "robo-signing," in which employees signed hundreds of documents without checking them for accuracy.

In Allen's case, LaSalle Bank and Cenlar Federal Savings Bank, both of Trenton, N.J., filed court foreclosure papers in 2007. Adler's firm asked how much it would take to resolve the problem. The banks, along with a law firm, outlined $5,797 in charges, including nearly $2,400 in legal fees.

According to Allen's lawsuit, those charges are far higher than allowed under federal and state laws, including the Federal Debt Collection Practices Act. For example, court rules limit attorney fees to $15, not the $910 charged; searches to $75, not $335; and process serving to $175, not $475, the suit said.

"The lenders are sloppy and aggressive, trying to collect every penny," Adler said.

Chad A. Schiefelbein, a lawyer for the defendant banks, declined to comment. LaSalle Bank is now part of Bank of America.

A lawyer representing Fein, Such, Kahn and Shepard, the New Jersey law firm named in the suit, did not immediately return a call for comment.

Allen is now in a nursing home, while a nephew serves as her advocate. The banks stopped foreclosure proceedings after she countersued, and she was able to sell the home for $112,000, according to online records.

But that is not the typical outcome.

More than 65,000 foreclosure cases were filed in New Jersey last year, triple the number in 2006. And 94 percent of them were uncontested, often because homeowners could not afford to get legal counsel, state Supreme Court Chief Justice Stuart Rabner said last month.

Few consumers are even aware of the rules surrounding debt collection, Adler said.

"Most of the time, they don't have a lawyer. They don't know what rights they have to fix this," Adler said.

He is seeking class-action stutus for Allen's suit.

A district judge in New Jersey had dismissed the lawsuit on grounds the fee notice was never sent to Allen, but only to her lawyers, and therefore was not covered under consumer-protection laws.

However, a U.S. appeals court in Philadelphia ruled this week that the notice amounted to an indirect communication with Allen, and ordered the district judge to revisit the case. Allen is seeking class-action status.

Federal appeals courts around the country have split on that legal question, setting up the possibility it may someday reach the U.S. Supreme Court.

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Entry #3,764

January 15, 2011
8:00 pm

Woman finds $280K worth of drugs inside her vacuum

Green Bay woman finds crystal meth, cocaine valued at $280K inside her vacuum

Doug Schneider

Green Bay Press Gazette

January 15, 2011

On the first day of Christmas, my children gave to me … a vacuum cleaner packaged with $280,000 worth of drugs.

Investigators say a Green Bay woman got quite a surprise Dec. 25 when she opened the refurbished vacuum cleaner she'd been given, and discovered two pounds of crystal methamphetamine and 2.2 pounds of cocaine packaged inside the box.

"This was an 'are you kidding me' incident," said Lt. David Poteat, who heads the Brown County Drug Task Force.

It's likely that a smuggler inserted the drugs into the vacuum cleaner box before the unit was shipped from the Juarez, Mexico, area, where it had been reconditioned, Poteat said. No one, including the Green Bay retailer who sold the vacuum, noticed anything amiss, he said, until the woman opened the package and called police.

Authorities say they're convinced the woman played no part in the drug shipment, and don't plan to charge her. They aren't identifying the woman, or the store where the vacuum was purchased, while the case is under investigation.

Poteat said criminals use a variety of ways to get drugs into the Green Bay market, including sneaking them into packages containing other items.

"Meth, in general, has not been a significant issue for us," he added. "But cocaine has remained strong in this area" of Wisconsin.

Last year, the task force, which operates primarily in Brown County, seized drugs with an estimated street value of $2.65 million — up significantly compared with 2009 figures. Cocaine seizures totaled 8.7 pounds. Meth seizures totaled 1.9 pounds.

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Entry #3,763

January 15, 2011
7:17 pm

6-foot-11 girl basketball player takes Philly by storm

A 6-foot-11 girl basketball player takes Philly by storm

Rutgers Prep's Marvadene Anderson will showcase her skills in two area high school basketball tournaments this weekend.

Sat, Jan. 15, 2011

A 6-foot-11 girl basketball player takes Philly by storm

Steven Miller

The Inquirer

SOMERSET, N.J. - Marvadene Anderson has received the same looks her entire life - stares and double takes whenever she takes the basketball court, just like when she used to walk the streets of her native Jamaica.

So when the 6-foot-11 high school junior plays Saturday at Philadelphia University and Sunday at Upper Dublin High, she expects the same reactions from her opponents that she had from her teammates when she enrolled at Rutgers Prep less than two years ago.

"They were like 'wow,' because they had never seen a girl my height," Anderson said after scoring 18 points in a 58-33 win over Franklin on Thursday. "They were all like, 'Oh my God,' but I was used to it, anyway. Even now, people I am acquainted with, they still stare like they've never seen somebody my height before."

Rutgers Prep is entered in both the Philly.com/Rally Scholastic Play by Play showcase at Philadelphia University and the Blue Star Tournament at Upper Dublin.

The Argonauts will face Archbishop Wood in Saturday's featured game, at 7:30 p.m. On Sunday, they will play University High, from Newark, N.J., at 6 p.m.

In July 2009, Anderson left her family in Clarendon, Jamaica, to take up a sport she had never played before at the Somerset school.

Enid Angus orchestrated the move when she saw a story about Anderson in a Jamaican newspaper. Angus is vice president of overseas operations for the Jamaica Basketball Association, and now she is also Anderson's guardian. Anderson lives with Angus and her three children and two grandchildren.

Angus is one of many helping Anderson - whose parents are 6-foot-3 and sister is 6-foot-4 - begin a basketball career.

The bulk of the responsibility lies with head coach Mary Klinger, who is teaching Anderson a game she traveled to America to learn and turn into a college education.

Anderson estimated that her basketball career spans a year and two months, but after accounting for a broken tibia that sidelined her for most of last season, Klinger set it at less than a year.

College coaches, though, have taken notice.

The 17-year-old receives mail mostly from Big East schools, but also has received interest from Memphis, Florida, Florida State, and North Carolina State.

After a media-frenzied debut season, Anderson took a step back from the spotlight this year to focus on her education and basketball. She is averaging 11.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.1 blocks in the Argonauts' first nine games.

"I'm doing some things that I didn't know I could do as a player this early," Anderson said. "I thought it would take a few years to start doing things in a game this well, but I've been working in practices and my extra time to get better."

Klinger was surprised Thursday, when Anderson tipped in a missed shot for the first time, rather than just grabbing a rebound. And although her pupil still struggles with establishing post position and with her stamina, the upside is undeniable.

"The one thing I think you'll notice is she has great hands, and that's something she's always had," Klinger said. "And she doesn't have any bad habits, because what she's learned, she's learned fundamentally. If she continues to improve, then the sky's the limit for her."

Anderson is interested in improving so that her journey to a new country is not for naught.

"In Jamaica, you don't really find people your age, your height," Anderson said. "When I came here, I see people my height - mostly guys - but I don't feel lonely anymore. When I was in Jamaica, I never thought I'd find anything this useful with my height. I'm just grateful for the opportunity."

And chances are most of her high school opponents never thought they would have to box out or defend against a 6-11 center, so they cannot help but stare.

Anderson, though, is used to that by now.

"For her to be where she is and her size and her life experiences, she's going to be very successful," Klinger said. "She handles things, and even with some of the comments, she's proud. She sticks those shoulders out and she's proud."

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Entry #3,762

January 15, 2011
7:00 pm

Oldest living African-American dies at 113

Group: Oldest living African-American dies at 113

Mississippi Winn poses for a photo for archival purposes by Robert Young of the Gerontology Research Group Monday July 19, 2010 in Shreveport, Louisiana. The Caddo Parish Coroner's Office confirms that Mississippi Winn died Friday afternoon Jan. 14, 2011 at age 113 at a nursing home in Shreveport. Winn is believed to have been the oldest living African-American in the U.S. and the seventh oldest living person. Young says Winn was one of two known people in the U.S. whose parents were almost certainly born into slavery because documents show they were born before the end of the Civil War, though her great-niece Mary C. Hollins says Winn never acknowledged that. (AP Photo/Robert Young)

The Associated Press

7:16 a.m. Saturday, January 15, 2011

SHREVEPORT, La. — When she turned 113, Mississippi Winn could still stand up on her own and never thought her age was a detriment to her life.

The upbeat former domestic worker from Shreveport, known in the city as "Sweetie," died Friday afternoon at Magnolia Manor Nursing Home, said Milton Carroll, an investigator with the Caddo Parish Coroner's Office. He said he could not release her cause of death.

Winn was believed to be the oldest living African-American in the U.S. and the seventh-oldest living person in the world, said Robert Young of the Gerontology Research Group, which verifies information for Guinness World Records.

Young said Winn was one of two known people left in the United States whose parents both were almost certainly born into slavery because documents show they were born before the end of the Civil War, though her great-niece Mary C. Hollins says Winn never acknowledged that.

"I don't know much about that," Hollins recalled Winn saying when asked about her parents' early years.

Young visited Winn in July 2010 and remembered her being much more fit than others her age.

"When I asked her how old she was, she knew she was 113 but she thought she was young," he said. "She always thought there would be a next year. Unfortunately that didn't happen. That was just the thing — she had a very positive attitude."

With Winn's death, Young's Los Angeles-based gerontology group has verified Mamie Rearden, 112, of Edgefield, S.C., as the current oldest known living African-American in the U.S. He said Eunice Sanborn, 114, of Jacksonville, Texas, is the world's oldest known living person.

Hollins said Friday evening that Winn was in good health and mentally sharp until recently.

She described her great-aunt as "a strong-willed person, a disciplinarian" who believed that elders should be respected.

"She was living on her own until she was 103," Hollins said, cooking for herself and taking walks. "She just believed she could handle anything."

Winn, who never married, was a caretaker of children and a cook. She lived nearly her entire life in Louisiana, though she resided in Seattle, Wash. from 1957 to 1975, Hollins said. She had been a member of Shreveport's Avenue Baptist Church since 1927 and used to say, "I am gonna stay here as long as he wants me to stay here."

"One of the reasons for her longevity was that she just kind of took things as they'd come, everyday life and living. She didn't let nothing upset her and get all hyped up by some of the things as we do," Hollins said.

Carroll said Winn was well-known in Shreveport. Last spring, the mayor declared "Miss Mississippi Winn Day" on March 31 when she turned 113.

"She was just a vibrant lady," he said. "Once you came in contact with her, you were impacted."

According to a biography released by the city, Winn was one of eight children, including a sister who died in 2000 at age 100.

"Her father named her Mississippi but her mother always called her Sweetie," the bio said. "Her favorite hobby is sewing and favorite book is the Bible."

Her favorite quote from the Bible: "Be ye kind one to another."

___

January 15, 2011 07:16 AM EST

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Entry #3,761

January 15, 2011
6:37 pm

American debt reaches $14 trillion

American debt reaches $14 trillion; Congressional leaders set for fight over raising debt ceiling

Nina Mandell
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Originally Published:Sunday, January 16th 2011, 4:00 AM
Updated: Saturday, January 15th 2011, 5:38 PM

U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner urged Congressional leaders to raise the debt ceiling.

Wong/GettyU.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner urged Congressional leaders to raise the debt ceiling.

The government debt has ballooned to an all-time, eye-popping high: $14 trillion.

And what does the frightful milestone mean for the average American? A whopping historical record $45,300.

While the government spending debate has been going on for decades, the upcoming one will center around whether or not Congress will lift the legal debt limit or rework the budget to cut spending in order to stay under the current cap.

The Obama Administration (and most Democrats) are encouraging Congress to pass the bill allowing the increase. They argue it will help protect the American economy from potential disaster.

On Jan. 6, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner sent a letter to Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), encouraging him to lift the ceiling.

"Never in our history has Congress failed to increase the debt limit when necessary. Failure to raise the limit would precipitate a default by the United States," he wrote. "Default would effectively impose a significant and long-lasting tax on all Americans and all American businesses and could lead to the loss of millions of American jobs. Even a very short-term or limited default would have catastrophic economic consequences that would last for decades."

While the issue of raising the debt ceiling is under the political spotlight now, it's not anything new.

The current debt ceiling was raised to $14.3 trillion last year, but under a heavily-Democratic Congress, did not spark nearly the same debate. But in 2006, Democrats - including President Obama - fought against raising the debt ceiling to protest the trillions being spent on the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"The fact that we are here today to debate raising America's debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the U.S. government can't pay its own bills," he said. "It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance the government's reckless fiscal policies."

Now that Republicans --who have promised fiscal responsibility -- have a majority in the House, the Democrats are bracing for a tough fight.

Newly-elected Republicans are especially nervous about the vote, GOP leaders told the Wall Street Journal on Friday.

They added while they expected the vote to raise the debt ceiling to pass, the bill would come with significant cuts. What exactly those cuts would be is unclear.

"Do I want to see this nation default? No," said Rep. Paul Ryan, (R-Wis.), chairman of the House Budget Committee. "But I want to make sure we get substantial spending cuts and controls in exchange for raising the debt ceiling."

With News Wire Services

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Entry #3,760

January 15, 2011
4:45 pm

Principal arrested on pot charge

Posted on Friday, 01.14.11

Coral Springs principal arrested on pot charge

AMANDA MILES

KATHLEEN McGRORY

Miami Herald

A Broward County principal was arrested Friday after police found marijuana and drug paraphernalia in her Coral Springs home.

Amanda Miles, 60, is the principal of Coral Park Elementary in Coral Springs.

She was charged with felony drug possession and taken to Broward County's main jail in Fort Lauderdale.

Her son Michael, 18, was also arrested Friday. He was found with 126 grams of pot and charged with intent to deliver, Coral Springs Police spokesman Lt. Joe McHugh said.

Police came to Miles' home Friday as part of an ongoing drug investigation.

``The officers were able to get a warrant signed by the judge,'' McHugh said.

Police found more than 20 grams of pot, two pipes and two packs of rolling papers in Amanda Miles' bedroom, according to the arrest affidavit.

Because Amanda Miles is the only person who sleeps in that bedroom, police consider her to be in ``direct possession'' of the drugs and paraphernalia.

A Broward County schools spokeswoman said district administrators were searching for an interim principal.

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Entry #3,759

January 15, 2011
7:30 am

McDonalds Worker Fired then rehired for Helping Adrian Peterson

http://kstp.com/news/stories/s1924736.shtml?cat=1

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Entry #3,758

January 14, 2011
10:13 pm

What's your sign,? Astronomer says the zodiac is completely inaccurate

Friday, 01.14.11

What's your sign, baby? Astronomer says the zodiac is completely inaccurate

NASA

Astrologer Walter Mercado disagrees with astronomer's zodiac change

These dates reflect stars alignment according to astronomer:

Capricorn: Jan. 20 - Feb. 16

Aquarius: Feb. 16 - March 11

Pisces: March 11 - April 18

Aries: April 18 - May 13

Taurus: May 13 - June 21

Gemini: June 21 - July 20

Cancer: July 20 - Aug. 10

Leo: Aug. 10 - Sept. 16

Virgo: Sept. 16 - Oct. 30

Libra: Oct. 30 - Nov. 23

Scorpio: Nov. 23 - Nov. 29

Ophiuchus: Nov. 29- Dec. 17

Sagittarius: Dec. 17 - Jan. 20

SOURCE: Minnesota Planetarium Society

MICHAEL VASQUEZ

Miami Herald

When astronomers in 2006 declared that Pluto was no longer a planet, the world gasped -- and then obeyed. School textbooks were re-written, and scientific discovery ruled the day.

Then this week, a Minnesota astronomy professor took on something even more sacred -- our horoscopes.

The astrological calendar was all wrong, he said in public comments that set the Internet aflame.

People might think they're a Pisces (compassionate, imaginative), but often they're really an Aquarius (witty, clever) -- at least based on an exact reading of the earth's orbit.

Or maybe, if you were born between Nov. 29 and Dec. 17, you're actually a strange new zodiac sign: Ophiuchus, the serpent holder.

But who wants to admit to being that snake-guy sign on a first date?

``I defined the zodiac by the constellations that are in the background when you look at where the sun, moon, and stars are,'' said Minneapolis Community and Technical College instructor Parke Kunkle, the man responsible for momentarily turning the astrology world upside down. ``Ophiuchus has been around a long time, and the sun has been going through Ophiuchus for thousands of years.''

In Kunkle's 13-member zodiac, the signs occupy more or less space on the calendar depending upon how long they are in the sun's path.

Though Ophiuchus (seeker of wisdom, lucky) has only what amounts to a celestial toe in the sun's path, Kunkle defended its inclusion by noting it hosts the sun for more than twice as long as Scorpio (independent, passionate).

Leading astrologers, after getting their collective bearings, were unified and defiant in their response: Not this time, Science.

``It holds no water,'' said South Florida's self described ``master astrologer'' Jeffrey Brock. Brock said it was a ``completely unfounded'' attempt by scientists to discredit astrology, which they'd never been fond of to begin with.

Proclaimed Miami astrologer Ron Archer: ``Mythology is always true.''

Even über-astrologer Walter Mercado weighed in, telling El Nuevo Herald that there would be no need to change its horoscopes.

Kunkle's re-examining of astrology is rooted in the earth's ``precession'' -- put simply, the gravity-fueled change in orientation of the Earth's rotational axis.

``The earth sort of spins like a top,'' explained Florida International University physics professor James Webb. ``It usually doesn't just stand up straight and spin, it usually wobbles.''

``Astrologers for years have not taken that into account,'' Webb continued. ``So now people are starting to call them on it.''

Hogwash, responded Brock, director of the Astrological and Metaphysical Research Center. Brock said the brand of astrology practiced by the vast majority of the Western world focuses on the first day of spring -- an ever-shifting date that compensates for the planet's rotational habits.

As for the inclusion of Ophiuchus, Brock said ``we've always known about Ophiuchus'' but that because the constellation only barely touches the sun's path, it is not truly a zodiac sign.

Up in Minnesota, Kunkle said the publicity frenzy surrounding his remarks has prompted media calls from as far away as France. Kunkle noted that he's by no means the first member of the scientific community to raise this issue (it's been debated for thousands of years). But thanks to the Twittering, Facebooking age we live in, he might just be the most famous.

Kunkle has never been a horoscope reader. When people ask his sign, he usually tells them ``vegetarian.''

Recalling all the paintings and poems inspired by the stars, Kunkle argued that there's plenty of reasons for people to look skyward without believing in astrology:

``What they get then is the beauty of the universe, the beauty of the cosmos out there.''

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Entry #3,757

January 14, 2011
4:45 pm

GOP chief Michael Steele drops re-election bid

http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/gop-chief-michael-steele-803697.html

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Entry #3,756

January 14, 2011
4:42 pm

Civil rights groups upset MLK holdiay used to make-up snow day

MLK snow make-up days upset civil rights groups

Associated Press

For the AJC

January 13, 2011

ATLANTA — A decision by two Georgia counties to use the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday to make up a snow day has infuriated civil rights leaders, who say the districts are insulting the civil rights icon in his home state.

Fannin and Gilmer counties in north Georgia are calling students to class on the federal holiday after school was wiped out for the week because of the epic snowstorm that paralyzed the state.

The superintendents from the districts said they had little choice to start making up for nine days missed because of the foul winter weather this school year. But civil rights leaders said the decision was an insult to King and shows disrespect for the holiday in his name.

"It's an opportunity for people, black and white, to reflect on what King's dream meant for blacks and whites," said Georgia State Conference NAACP President Edward DuBose. "And it's humiliating to hear that school districts want to take a snow day rather than to honor Dr. King's legacy."

The snowstorm forced school officials throughout the state to make tough decisions. Ice as thick as an inch-and-a-half that coated north Georgia roads forced many school administrators to cancel classes for the entire week, as they worried buses would slide on hilly roads.

Gilmer County schools superintendent Bryan Dorsey said his administrative team will "be sensitive" to the fact that his district's 4,000 students will be returning to class on Monday, though he said he wasn't sure yet whether teachers would give lessons on King.

"It's not our intention to try to remove holidays, but unfortunately, in these circumstances, we have very limited options," said Dorsey, who added that the district hasn't received any complaints about the move.

"Mostly what we have gotten is ‘Thank goodness you're taking our children back.' Cabin fever has set in," Dorsey said.

Fannin County schools superintendent Mark Henson said the wintry weather has wreaked havoc on the district's calendar.

"Changing our school calendar is never easy for us, and we regret that we have had to make this decision," he said in an e-mail. "But we believe that it is in the best interest of our students to be in school as much as possible so that they can be successful in life."

The two counties are both in extreme north Georgia and both have populations that are more than 90 percent white.

And while the vast majority of Georgia school districts are not holding classes on Monday, the issue has cropped up in other states as well. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools decided to also hold classes on Monday, prompting criticism from the local NAACP chapter and a city councilman.

But the counties' decision struck a particular nerve in Georgia, the state where King was born and later the launching pad for the civil rights movement.

"Am I surprised? Probably not. But I'm disappointed," said state Sen. Vincent Fort, an Atlanta Democrat and a leader of the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus. "It's supposed to be a day of service, a day of reflection. And this sends a message that the home state of Dr. King may not fully value him."

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Entry #3,755

January 14, 2011
3:03 pm

Woman steals furs by putting them under her clothes

Woman who 'steals' furs by putting them under her clothes busted again

JAMIE SCHRAM, AMBER SUTHERLAND and JENNIFER FERMINO

Last Updated: 7:12 AM, January 14, 2011

Posted: 1:04 AM, January 14, 2011

EXCLUSIVE

She may waddle like a duck, but it's mink or better for this lifelong fur thief.

A stocky Brooklyn klepto who has been preying on high-end Manhattan boutiques since the 1980s -- stuffing the loot under her clothes or a girdle -- has been caged again, authorities said yesterday.

Johnnie Taylor, 50 -- who prison records list as 5-foot-2, 218 pounds -- was caught red-handed last Friday trying to make off with an $8,000 mink coat from a store she previously robbed in September, authorities said.

"She walked like a duck," said Northern Furs Fashion owner Naoum Vantas, who recognized her from the earlier theft, when she took more than $25,000 in furs.

STOCKY-ING UP: Hefty Johnnie Taylor stuffs furs into her girdle, police say.

Vantas said she came into his Garment District shop on Jan. 7 with a bag strapped to her belt and hidden under her skirt so she could hide her loot.

He said he watched her stuff an $8,000 mink coat into the bag but was determined not to let her get away this time.

Vantas confronted Taylor, who tried to escape after a profanity-laced tirade, he added.

"She was nervous. She knew she would be in trouble," Vantas said.

Cops arrested Taylor and charged her with robbery in the third degree and criminal possession of stolen property in the third degree.

The charges also cover the Sept. 14 heist -- a little over a month after Taylor got out of jail for another fur theft -- when she made off with a sable and a mink jacket, a mink coat, and two mink stoles, authorities said.

Taylor has served four separate stints in state prison dating back to 1987, each time for stealing expensive fur coats and high-priced duds from an assortment of the city's poshest retailers.

In 2008, she was convicted of grand larceny for ripping off three different retailers. She made off with a $50,000 Russian sable coat in one heist, two sweaters from Saks Fifth Avenue worth $2,840, and a $1,680 dress from Barneys.

She tried to hide the Saks sweaters by shoving them in her girdle, officials said.

She served a year and a half for those crimes and was released on parole in August.

Taylor has also been arrested for retail theft in Maryland.

Additional reporting by Laura Italiano

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Entry #3,754

January 14, 2011
10:52 am