DOVER — Arie Johnston, the Garrison School student with eyes for spotting money, was just what Parvin Jannati needed, her sister says.

Parvaneh Anderson filled in some of the details behind 10-year-old Arie's discovery Saturday when he was in Alton helping his grandmother with the town cleanup and spotted a fire-damaged bag containing $8,160.

What's more, she said Arie's good deed to return the money may undo a lifetime of tough luck for Jannati, 54, a native of Tehran, Iran, who has experienced "continuous bad luck throughout her life."

Things only got tougher last October when a fire at her 370 Main St. apartment dwelling in Alton left her with nothing.

"She was not in a good condition," Anderson said Thursday night. "She had a breakdown" and, with her belongings gone, she had to leave town because she "couldn't take it anymore."

She did have, however, the money and her passports in a backpack. That is, until the power of a fire hose got hold of it. At least that's the reason Anderson said she got from police when she asked how the bag could have ended up across the street, where it apparently spent the winter.

Wondering why someone was keeping that much cash in a bag?

Well the money came from an insurance claim after Anderson borrowed her sister's car a few months before the fire — just in time for a strong storm to blow through and send a tree crashing down on top of it.

The car was totaled, Anderson said, and "my insurance paid for it because it was my responsibility. Insurance gave her a check and she cashed it."

Jannati was planning to give some of the money to her sons — and she's not one for banks, Anderson said.

"She's from the old country," Anderson said.

Jannati's been in Nevada visiting their mother and brother, but she knows about the discovery. "She couldn't believe it," Anderson said. "If you knew her life this is something good that has happened to her."

There have been car accidents and surgeries, and it's gotten to the point that "anything she touches something bad happens — to the point we want to stay away from her," Anderson said, laughing.

Anderson said the family was grateful for Arie.

"I want to meet with him in person and reward him and give him a thank-you card with money," she said.

As for what Jannati plans to do with her money? "Pay the credit cards," her sister said.

Arie said he never thought of pocketing the money. He let his grandmother, Nancy Merrill, know what he found and the rest is history.

"I hope my kids do the same thing," Anderson said.

FORESTVILLE - Authorities say six people have been seriously injured in a gas explosion at a Maryland strip mall.

Fire department spokesman Mark Brady says crews were called Thursday afternoon to a shopping center in Prince George's County for a report of a natural gas leak.

He says shortly after authorities evacuated the shops, an explosion occurred in one of the stores, causing significant damage to the mall. Five of the injured were firefighters.

Brady says a gas company employee was working on a gas line at the time of the blast. He says debris is scattered across the parking lot.

By Chris Rosa

May 7, 2009

A nutria like this one was seen in Wal-Mart

The last thing one expects to see running down the aisles of Wal-Mart in Abbeville while shopping is a nutria. But according to a lawsuit filed this week, a nutria called “Norman” is what Rebecca White saw in an aisle.

Randal and Rebecca White of Abbeville hired Anthony Fontana to represent them in the lawsuit.

According to the lawsuit, Rebecca was in the grocery aisle shopping on Oct. 11, 2008. Her basket was full of food when suddenly and without warning, a large nutria came from behind the Coke rack and ran straight towards Rebecca, the lawsuit said.

Rebecca, fearing for her safety, pulled the shopping cart towards her to protect her from the nutria andas she did, the cart rolled over her left foot causing her to stumble and causing her to suffer an injury.

Wal-Mart’s employees came to assist her and told Rebecca that, “she had an encounter with Norman” a name the employees had given the nutria, the lawsuit stated.

Rebecca was transported to Abbeville General by Acadian Ambulance for treatment.

The lawsuit state that Wal-Mart and its employees are negligent. The lawsuit said Wal-Mart did not: 
• Warn her of the nutria prior to her entering the store. 
• Did not take steps to protect her from the nutria. 
• Did not warn her that she is shopping at her own risk because there is a     wild animal loose in the store. 
• Did not attempt to capture the nutria.
      As a result of the above, White suffered:
• Pain, suffering and mental anguish.
•Fear of being bitten by a wild animal causing a panic attack.
• Painful disabling injury to her back and foot.
• Interference with her daily activities.

 

http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2009/05/07/2787191-woman-sues-la-wal-mart-over-norman-the-nutria

Woman faces theft charges for returning lost wallet minus cash

May 06, 2009 • 1:25 pm

By Diana Fasanella

An elderly Florida woman is facing theft charges after she found a wallet and mailed it back to its owner, minus the cash. 

What's in your wallet?

A Publix grocery store security video caught the woman, who was not named, pushing her cart over a wallet that had fallen to the floor to hide it until the victim left the area, according to TC Palm.

On Monday, the 76-year-old Jensen Beach woman returned to the store and was recognized by a manager who contacted police. 

When police questioned the woman, she said she mailed the wallet back to the owner but kept the $115 that was inside because she found it and was entitled to it. 

Two New Castle teenagers were arrested Sunday, accused of repeatedly stealing an SUV in the middle of the night, taking it on joyrides and returning it to the owners' home.

Andrew Harrison (left) and Daniel Rojas, both 18, are charged

with felony theft and other offenses

The owners of the 2003 Acura MDX became suspicious when they noticed the smell of tobacco and gasoline and that the gas gauge seemed to fluctuate.

The owners also set a trap inside the vehicle that led to the pair's arrest after a month-long investigation, according to police records.

Andrew Harrison, 18, of the 900 block of Young St., and Daniel Rojas, 18, of the 900 block of Gray St., each was charged with felony theft and four other offenses.

Rojas, the reported driver, also was charged with leaving the scene of a collision and another traffic violation, said New Castle City police Lt. Adam Brams.

It started several months ago when the teens were rattling car doors to find an unlocked vehicle and came upon the unlocked MDX parked on West Third Street, police said.

There also was a spare set of keys inside, Brams said.

Since then, the pair repeatedly took the SUV on joyrides and returned it to its original parking space -- while keeping the spare keys, police said.

In September, they returned the SUV with an estimated $1,750 in damage.

The owners reported the damaged to police. On Dec. 13, they also found a broken passenger side mirror, valued at about $400.

Meanwhile, the owners were growing suspicious about odd odors in the SUV.

At one point, they returned it to a dealer thinking there was a gas leak, only to be told that someone spilled gasoline on the seat and rear carpet.

The victim's husband then decided to "take a motion sensor from the home alarm system and place it in the SUV," police said.

Just after midnight March 31 -- 30 minutes after he installed it -- the alarm activated and the owners reported that the vehicle had been stolen from their Old New Castle home.

Responding Officer Tina Shughart spotted the SUV and tried to stop it in the 1200 block of Delaware St.

The driver and passenger pulled over, bailed out and ran.

Brams said the officer got a good description of the pair and thought she recognized them, which led to their arrest Sunday.

Both suspects were committed to Young Correctional Institution after failing to post $3,000 bail each.

Lady Luck: W.Va. woman wins 5 lottery cash prizes since September, including $100,000

The Top 15 Most Bizarre Sea Animals

May 3, 2009

10:00am

#15. The Colossal Squid

On average, the Colossal squid is only about 3 feet longer than the Giant, but it’s much heavier, and it has light-emitting organs that marine biologists suspect may act as a cloaking device. That’s like a Klingon Bird of Prey that doubles as a Calamari buffet.

via National Geographic

#14. The Leafy Sea Dragon

The Leafy Sea Dragon is a type of seahorse that has evolved leaf-like fins that act as camouflage to give the fish the appearance of a clump of floating seaweed. If I had a salt-water aquarium, it would be filled with these things.

via Wikipedia

#13. The Frilled Shark

The Frilled Shark is one of only 5 species within the order Hexanchiformes; the order of the most primitive types of sharks, most closely resembling fossil specimens from the Jurassic period. The Frilled Shark was thought to be extinct long ago, until the remains of one washed ashore in Japan in the19th Century. Most recently a living specimen was caught in shallow water on January 21, 2007.

 via National Geographic

#12. The Ocean Sunfish

As a kid I spent countless summer days catching all sorts of sunnies, bluegill, and other panfish at the lake. But since a fish’s size is directly proportional to it’s container, and its ecological niche within that container, these fish have their gigantic ocean counterparts as well. Weighing 2,200 lbs, the Ocean Sunfish or Mola Mola is the heaviest bony-fish in the world.

via Wikipedia

#11. Axolotl

Axolotl, or the Mexican neotenic mole salamander is quite unique. While other amphibians are born with gills as larvae and breathe air as adults, Axolotl retains its larval attributes, including its gills through maturity. Also, it looks like a Mudkip.

via The Science Channel

#10. The Angler Fish

Deep Sea Anglerfish has an odd blue bioluminescent “lure” on it’s forehead. But their mating habit is even more strange. The tiny parasitic male bites into the side of the larger female, and attaches like a lamprey. The skin around the male’s mouth eventually fuses to the female, blood vessels join between both creatures, the male’s eyes, stomach, and other unnecessary organs atrophy, and he becomes essentially a sexual organ for the now hermaphroditic female.

via Oddee

#9. Hatchetfish

The Hatchetfish is named for its thin, silvery, hatchet-like appearance, but is on this list for the fact that its eyes are permanently fixed overhead in what looks like an adaptation to the ever-present horror of predators lurking overhead.

via MyInterestingFiles

#8. Deep Sea Tunicates

Deep Sea Tunicates are one of many strange prehistoric marine animals being discovered as the Antarctic ice is disrupted. These meter-long worms are thought to be some of the first lifeforms to colonize the Antarctic ocean floor.

via National Geographic

#7. Trilobitoides

Another species recently discovered in the Antarctic is the Trilobitoide. These creatures closely resemble the extinct Trilobites that died out during the mass extinction at the end of the Permean age 250 million years ago.

via Wikipedia via WeirdSeaMonsters

#6. The Giant Isopod

Another example of gigantism, the Giant Isopod is nearly identical to the tiny pillbugs that you’re likely to find crawling underneath that soggy burlap sack in your garden, except that it’s found in the ocean and is bigger than your cat.

via Oddee via Buzzfeed

#5. Blobfish

The Blobfish, nicknamed the Ziggy fish, lives so deep in the ocean that rather than expending energy on swimming in the immense pressure, its body is made of a gelatinous mass slightly less dense than water, allowing it to simply float slightly above the floor. The fish eats whatever food happens to be in front of it at the moment, proving that a creature with an utter lack of ambition still has a niche somewhere.

via Wikipedia via Greenpeace

#4. Dumbo Octopus

The Dumbo Octopus has fins on the sides of it’s head that resemble the ears of Disney’s Dumbo the Elephant. And yes, it can use them to get around.

via Geekologie

#3. Piglet Squid

This cute little guy swims upside-down, making its tentacles appear to be growing out its head, and making its head look like a chubby, limbless body.

via Seawayblog

#2. Barreleye Fish

You know how most fish can’t move their eyes very far? The Barreleye Fish can move it’s eyes around inside its head in any direction it wants. Since the fish’s head is transparent, it can look straight through it’s own head.

via MentalFloss

#1. The Psychedelic Frogfish

Native to the waters of Indonesia, the Psychedelci Frogfish has forward-facing eyes, a face with fleshy cheeks and chin that can flatten or elongate, pectoral fins adapted for walking along the sea floor, and a jet-propulsion system for swimming forward. It’s a fish, a frog, a zebra, and jet in one. Frogfish pwns platypus any day.

via MentalFloss via Wikipedia

An off-duty correctional officer shot and wounded a 15-year-old who was part of a group of juveniles that tried to rob him with a toy gun, city police said. Shortly after midnight Monday, the correctional officer, who works at the Central Booking and Intake Center, was waiting for a food order at Wo Hing carryout in the 1600 block of W. North Ave. when three juveniles tried to rob him, according to Anthony Guglielmi, a Baltimore police spokesman. The officer pulled out a weapon and fired two shots, striking one of them; the other two juveniles fled, Guglielmi said. The wounded boy was taken to Maryland Shock Trauma Center, where he was in critical condition but stable, Guglielmi said. The Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, which oversees Central Booking, said in a statement that officials did not believe the officer's weapon had been issued by the state agency, but a review was under way. Both DPSCS and the Baltimore Police Department declined to release the officer's name.

Gus G. Sentementes