July 29, 2010

Pigeon Droppings Halt Kings Of Leon Concert

St. Louis (AP) Heavy storms and scorching temperatures have failed to deter rock bands from performing at an outdoor stadium in St. Louis, but a bombardment of pigeon droppings proved too much for the Kings of Leon.

The band halted the Friday night concert at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre after three songs when the infestation of birds in the arena’s rafters dropped their onslaught of feces.

“I’m surprised they stayed on for as many songs as they did,” Andy Mendelsohn of Vector Management said in the statement. “Jared was hit several times during the first two songs. On the third song, when he was hit in the cheek and some of it landed near his mouth, they couldn’t take it any longer.

“It’s not only disgusting - it’s a toxic health hazard,” Mendelsohn said. “They really tried to hang in there. We want to apologize to our fans in St. Louis and will be back as soon as we can.” The crowd grew restless after the band walked off, then an announcement was made that the show was over for “safety reasons.” The concert promoter, Live Nation, did not respond to interview requests on Monday but said fans will get a full refund.

Mendelsohn said band representatives had been warned of a “significant” pigeon infestation in the rafters, but were told efforts were being made to correct the problem.

“We couldn’t believe what The Postelles and The Stills looked like after their sets,” Followill said in the statement. “We didn’t want to cancel the show, so we went for it. We tried to play. It was ridiculous.”

The venue in Maryland Heights, Mo., had another infamous incident nearly two decades ago. In July 1991, Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose became enraged when a concertgoer was spotted filming the show. Rose jumped into the audience and tackled the fan, then returned to the stage, blamed security and said, “I’m going home!”

The abrupt end to that concert set off a riot that left dozens injured. The concertgoer sued Rose, and a settlement was reached after the trial began.

The Question Is, Why Did

He Just Sit In The Getaway Car?

Swissvale, PA (AP) Authorities say a Pittsburgh-area man robbed a bank wearing a woman’s blond wig, fake breasts under a sweater and clown pants.

Swissvale police say 48-year-old Dennis Hawkins of North Braddock was sitting in a parked car covered in red dye from an exploding packet in a bag of money when he was arrested Saturday.

Police Chief Greg Geppert says Hawkins robbed the bank at gunpoint, using a toy BB gun he had shoplifted from a store.

Geppert says Hawkins then entered a woman’s car. She got out, took her keys and alerted police. Hawkins was found sitting in the car.

He is being held on $230,000 bail. It’s not clear whether he has an attorney.

A New Twist On Mom’s ‘I’ll Wash

Your Mouth Out With Soap’

Bethlehem, Pa. (AP) An eastern Pennsylvania woman has been cited for harassment after her son told police she cleaned the bathroom with his toothbrush, then returned it to its holder. Police in Lower Saucon said 52-year-old Deborah Woist decided on July 18 that a bathroom inside her home needed a good scrubbing because it hadn’t been cleaned in two months.

Her 26-year-old son, Justin Novack, said the scrubbing was done with his toothbrush. He said his mother put it away when she was done.

Novack then called police, claiming his mother applied feces to his toothbrush.

Note For April Fool’s Day 2011:

Start Stocking Up On Foil

St. Peter, MN (AP) A science professor at Gustavus Adolphus College left for a week’s vacation this summer and returned to a shiny office. Very shiny. Professor Scott Bur’s students had covered his office in aluminum foil. Computer screen, chairs, the ceiling, the floor‚ all covered in foil. Books and pens were individually wrapped, so was the phone, a ball cap, a bottle and the coffee maker.

Bur said it’s a sort of tradition among his research group. He goes on vacation and when he comes back there’s something.

That last time it happened, his office was decorated for a fairy princess. Pink fabric and bows covered everything. The pink glow from the office could been across campus. Senior Kristen Jahr said the foil prank required 10, 200-foot rolls of foil.

Man Claims Native Ancestry To Avoid Being Neat

Lima, Ohio (AP) An Ohio man who claimed that his American Indian ancestry makes him exempt from city nuisance laws has been ordered to clean up two homes that have fallen into disrepair.

A judge told William Bowersock on Thursday that he has 30 days to take care of the properties in Lima (LY’-muh).

The judge rejected Bowersock’s argument that he had seceded from the local government and formed his own Indian reservation, thereby making him exempt from the city’s property code.

Bowersock says he thinks the city is singling him out and using selective enforcement of property codes to harass him.

Judge Richard Warren said city officials have given Bowersock years to address the nuisance problem and that the rights of the city and Bowersock’s neighbors must be protected.

Iowa Teen Known As ‘Deer Magnet’ After Hitting 5

Des Moines, IA (AP) A central Iowa teen has earned the nickname “The Deer Magnet” after hitting five deer in the past year. Seventeen-year-old Kacee Larson of Conrad said her string of bad luck began last July when she was driving home from her job at an ice cream shop. She saw the deer an instant before hitting it.

Larson’s second collision happened a few months later, while she was driving to church on a Sunday morning.

The streak continued. After Larson hit her fourth deer, her pastor’s wife advised her to start praying before she got into a vehicle. Larson says was doing just that Friday when she hit her fifth deer. The crash totaled her minivan, and the air bag left bruises on her arms.

Larson said she can’t help asking: “Why me?”

It’s Everywhere! Another Man Finds Pot In An Odd Place

Canton, Ga. (AP) A Cherokee County man found a hidden treasure in a painting he bought at an auction: four pounds of marijuana. Gordon Clement, 80, discovered the pot stashed inside of the painting, which he bought at a post office auction about five years ago. He found the drugs last weekend when he tried to sell the artwork at another auction.

Clement planned to ask $25 for the piece. Police said the marijuana was worth about $4,800. Alarmed, he called his lawyer and turned the painting over to authorities.