Posted: 10:25 a.m. Thursday, July 8, 2010
Man Holds Mom Hostage Over Ironing; Wine Vending Machines; Man Robbed By Bad-Toothed Hooker; Woman Posed As Boy To Date Girl; 'Grim Sleeper' Caught (VIDEO)
By Veronica Waters
- A fourth-day of record-breaking heat is broiling areas along the Eastern Seaboard. Triple digits made their presence felt Wednesday from New York to the Carolinas; temperatures could break records in Georgia today.
- A Villa Rica man is in hot water over a laundry dispute with his mom. The 29-year-old Robert Tyrell still lives at home with his parents; he pulled a gun on his mother when she refused to do his ironing. He took her keys and cell phone and held her hostage for hours, insisting that ironing is "woman's work." She finally got away and went to the cops. Tyrell is now jailed without bond, and likely wearing a wash-and-wear orange jumpsuit.
- Police in Los Angeles believe they've caught the "Grim Sleeper," a serial killer who got his nickname because of a 14-year hiatus between murders. Lonnie Franklin, Jr., a former LAPD mechanic, is accused of killing 11 black women between 1985 and 2007; the victims were shot and strangled after sex. Police say DNA ties the 57-year-old Franklin to the victims. Authorities were trolling a DNA database and found a partial match to a felon already in the system. It was Franklin's son, who is too young to have been the killer, but their interviews led them to his father. Then, cops used a trashed piece of pizza to link Franklin's own DNA to the killings. He is eligible for the death penalty.
- About 80 educators from 14 districts are being investigated by the state for possible cheating on standardized tests last year, to improve elementary and middle school scores. The list could grow as 18 more districts complete their own probes. Those found guilty of cheating could lose their teaching licenses.
- Georgia schools may have to scratch solitary confinement for unruly students. This morning, the state school board votes on banning the practice after reports of injuries to students and teachers.
- Bad teeth? No sex. A Florida man tells police he was robbed by a woman with a bad set of choppers. Dan Alford said he was negotiating a price for sex, then noticed Jennifer Elder's dental problems and changed his mind. But he says that's when she snatched his checkbook from his shirt and took off. Elder claims she only ran because she got scared and didn't realize he'd stuck a wad of cash in her bra. She's charged with robbery by sudden snatching, but cops say Alford probably won't be charged with solicitation, since he was the victim of a felony.
- President Obama wants him in a Bulls jersey; stocks in the New York Knicks owners' company went up over 6% yesterday just on hopes that LeBron James will come to the Big Apple. But how can he say no to Betty White? The star of "Hot in Cleveland" is urging Bron-Bron to stay with the Cavaliers, saying, "I'll make it worth your while." Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh say they'll sign with Miami; that could pull James to the Heat. He's got an hour-long special tonight on ESPN to announce his decision. (L-R: Bosh, Wade, and James)
- Final legal briefs are filed in the Troy Davis case, as lawyers make arguments to a federal judge about how high the bar should be for the Georgia death row inmate to prove his innocence. The judge promises to rule quickly.
- Workers are making healthier choices to save money in the rebounding economy. CareerBuilder.com says 44% of employees surveyed are trying to quit or cut back on smoking; 47% are packing their lunches and not eating out as much. In addition, 13% say they take a walk or workout during lunchtime.
- Texting while carting is also banned, people. Peachtree City police are cracking down on golf cart drivers who text behind the wheel... as a new state law prohibits texting while driving a motor vehicle. Police say they have 60-70 golf cart accidents a year, and one a few years ago included a fatality.
- Paula Abdul is making another visit to Peachtree City, to shoot another guest-starring role on the Lifetime show "Drop Dead Diva." It's her fourth appearance on the series; this time, she plays a wedding planner in a dream sequence. The episode is slated to air the last week of August.
- A Grady Hospital ambulance is stolen from right under the noses of EMTs in southeast Atlanta. It happened last night as paramedics responded to an apartment on New Town Circle. The driver left the engine running and when the crew returned, the ambulance was gone. It was ditched in a ditch two blocks away; nothing was stolen but the vehicle did have some minor front end damage. The thief is at large.
- Snacks, soda, coffee, iPods, Proactiv...why shouldn't you be able to get booze from a vending machine? Pennsylvania has introduced the nation's first vending machines for wine--the only way to sell wine in supermarkets because of the state's complex liquor laws. To buy, all you have to do is swipe your driver's license, look into a surveillance camera and blow into a breath sensor.
- An Ohio woman is jailed in a gender-bending case. Police say Patricia Dye (right), who is 31 years old, impersonated a 14-year-old boy named "Matt Abrams" to solicit sex from a 16-year-old girl. Cops were tipped off when the girl ran away from a hotel where the two had been staying for three days. Before that, she never knew she was with a woman. Dye is 4'11", and her victim stands 5'5". A police sergeant says the two "were boyfriend and girlfriend."
- Another blow lands in the battle of the e-book readers, and the victors will be the buyers. Sony has dropped its Edition prices as low as $150. Last month, Amazon cut the Kindle to $189, just hours after Barnes & Noble reduced its Nook to $199.
- The KISS 104.1 weather forecast: hazy, sunny highs in the upper 90s. The heat index could get near 101. Tonight, lows in the mid-70s.
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