Church burglar leaves apology note
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A church burglar in South Texas who stole about $20 has left a note saying: "Forgive me. I need the money."
No arrests have been made in the break-in discovered Thursday at South Shore Christian Church in Corpus Christi.
Church secretary Iris Cantu said Friday that cleanup of a broken door has been completed and weekend services will go on as scheduled. She had no damage estimate.
Cantu also says whoever stole the cash and left the apology note on a desk "had very good manners, I'll give him that."
Corpus Christi police spokesman Kirk Stowers said the investigation is in its early stages.
Daredevil completes high-wire walk on Mississippi coast
BILOXI, Miss. — It took aerialist Bello Nock about 13 minutes to walk a high wire Thursday on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
The wire was 32 stories high, or about 360 feet off the ground, at the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino.
Nock did the walk with no net or padding below.
He told The Sun Herald afterward that it was windy for about the first 30 seconds of the walk, then the breeze calmed down.
An estimated 10,000 people gathered to watch the daredevil, who wore a microphone during his performance.
Man breaks into home, cut self on window, dies
BURKE, Vt. — Vermont State Police say a man died after he broke into a home by smashing a glass window and was severely cut as he climbed through it.
Police responded to a report on Wednesday of a dead man on the kitchen floor of the unoccupied home in Burke.
They identified the man as 73-year-old Duwayne Masure, of Sutton.
4 teens charged in drive-by squirting
NEW CASTLE, Pa. — Four western Pennsylvania teens have been charged in a drive-by squirt gun attack, and police say the parents of one teen will also be charged with disorderly conduct for yelling at officers who were investigating the incident.
The New Castle News reports Friday that the incident happened just after midnight early Wednesday.
Police say a woman and her brother were squirted with chlorinated water and called police who traced the license plate to one of the suspects.
Police say the four teens in the car acknowledged wetting the others with squirt guns and were charged with harassment and disorderly conduct.
The parents of one of the teens cited will also be charged for allegedly yelling at and insulting officers who were questioning the teens.
16-foot cactus severely injures Arizona city worker
YUMA, Ariz. — A Yuma, Ariz., city worker is in intensive care after a 16-foot-tall saguaro cactus fell on him and pinned him to the ground.
City officials say William Mason was responding to an emergency water leak Tuesday in a Yuma subdivision.
While he was working, the cactus fell on him.
Other members in his work crew were able to free him and call 911.
The city says Mason suffered multiple injuries to his back and legs and remains hospitalized at Yuma Regional Medical Center.
Saguaro cactuses can weigh anywhere from hundreds of pounds to more than several thousand pounds, depending on how much water they're holding.
Nude paint model sues NY over Times Square arrest
NEW YORK — A woman arrested by New York police in August as her nude body was being painted by an artist in Times Square has filed a civil rights lawsuit against the city.
The lawsuit was filed by Zoe West on Tuesday in federal court in Manhattan. It seeks unspecified damages. West alleges she was arrested in violation of her rights while being painted by Andy Golub.
The 22-year-old model says police didn't give her clothes to put on until about 20 minutes after her arrest. Her attorney, Ron Kuby, says the point of the lawsuit is to maintain and preserve artist creativity in the city.
A spokeswoman for the city's Law Department says the city hasn't seen the lawsuit and can't comment.
Woman finds $5,000 ring in secondhand pants
HAM LAKE, Minn. — A Minnesota woman has found a diamond ring worth at least $5,000 in a pair of secondhand pants, but says she can't bring herself to keep it.
Deb Thompson of Ham Lake, Minn., is working with Goodwill to try to find the ring's original owner.
The 53-year-old bought the pants for $3.99 Monday at a Goodwill store in Coon Rapids. She says when she found the ring in the pocket, all she could think was, "Wow."
A jeweler estimates the ring is worth between $5,000 and $6,500.
Thompson says she can't keep the ring. She tells KSTP-TV she wants to find the owner so she can hear the story of how the ring got there.
Goodwill spokeswoman Lisa Ritter says the owner still hadn't been identified as of Thursday.
Inmates to test new locks at Atlanta jail
ATLANTA (AP) — Jailers in Atlanta have a challenge for inmates: Get past the new locks being tested on cell doors and win free food.
Officials have been trying to figure out what to do about hundreds of locks which can be jammed at the Fulton County Jail, allowing inmates to get to each other.
Fulton County's chief jailer, Col. Mark Adger, tells WSB-TV he's offering free food for any inmate who can defeat the new locks being tested in one cell block.
Adger says jailers are choosing experienced lock beaters, to try to beat the new locks.
County Commissioner Tom Lowe has said the lock issue has been blown out of proportion, but others say it puts inmates at risk of being attacked by other prisoners.
Utah officer fired for wearing Speedo reinstated
PROVO, Utah — A Utah police officer fired for dropping his pants and flaunting a green Speedo during a "Princess and the Frog" skit at a school is getting his job back.
Cody Harris filed an appeal after he was dismissed from his position as a Provo school resource officer in May. The Provo Civil Service Commission decided Wednesday that Harris should be reinstated.
Provo police said in an email that the department still backs its initial decision to fire Harris, but it will honor the commission's decision.
Harris was dismissed after Provo police said he removed his pants to show off the Speedo-style suit and made inappropriate gestures and comments while a group of female students were nearby.
Harris will receive training to work in the patrol division.
3 sisters give birth in 10 days; 2 on same day
PITTSBURGH — Lauren Kosalec just gave birth four weeks early, but circumstances suggest the western Pennsylvania woman's delivery was right on time.
That's because the 26-year-old West Deer Township woman gave birth to a son on Monday, just a few hours after her sister, 30-year-old Kristi Mellinger, gave birth to a daughter during a scheduled C-section. Both gave birth at Magee-Women's Hospital in Pittsburgh.
The births came 10 days after a third sister, 28-year-old Becky Kosalec, gave birth to a girl on June 8. Becky Kosalec lives in Shaler Township, another Pittsburgh suburb a few miles from West Deer, where both of her sisters live.
Kristi sums it up by saying, "Everyone's here, and everyone's healthy. It's a blessing."
Hacked road sign in Louisville warns of zombies
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A hacked road sign in Louisville instructed motorists to "honk if you're horny" and "beware of zombies," prompting the city's public works department to investigate who was changing the messages on the electronic message board.
Lindsay English, a spokeswoman for the Metro Public Works and Assets, told The Courier-Journal that the sign on Brownsboro Road was hacked twice on Tuesday and Wednesday.
She said the signs are operated through a subcontractor, SafetyCo., which was investigating how the electronic signs were reprogrammed. The signs are password-protected and were changed as soon as the city was notified.
Ohio candy thief targets mostly peanut butter cups
LORAIN, Ohio — Police in northern Ohio are trying to identify a candy thief who has stolen hundreds of dollars in peanut butter cups from a gas station store.
Employees reported that a young man usually comes in after midnight, snatches Reese's peanut butter cups and exits the store before they can call police. The workers say the candy stolen over the past few months was worth $400 to $600.
The Morning Journal reports the latest theft happened early Tuesday morning. A police report indicates the man stole peanut butter cups and went for a saltier snack, grabbing a bag of chips. He was dressed in black clothing, with a hooded sweatshirt over his head.
A clerk says he tried to stop the thief, who spun him around and fled on foot.
