Hundreds of Live Tarantulas Seized From 'Cookie' Boxes

Wed, 03 Apr 2019 03:42:16 CDT

Philippine customs officials were astonished when they opened nicely gift-wrapped boxes of cookies and oatmeal flown in all the way from Poland and found a hair-raising contraband: hundreds of live tarantulas. Bureau of Customs personnel seized the 757 tarantulas at a mail exchange center near Manila's international airport Monday and...

Chemical Engineer Accused of Poisoning Colleague

Wed, 03 Apr 2019 03:25:10 CDT

A chemical engineer in California spent more than a year trying to kill a colleague by poisoning her food and water with "toxic amounts of cadmium," prosecutors say. David Xu, 32, is being held without bail on charges including premeditated attempted murder resulting in great bodily injury and felony poisoning,...

Ecuador President Says Assange Broke Asylum Deal

Wed, 03 Apr 2019 02:40:48 CDT

There are fresh signs that Julian Assange's extremely long stay in Ecuador's London embassy might be nearing its end. President Lenin Moreno told the Ecuadorean Radio Broadcasters' Association Tuesday that the WikiLeaks founder has "repeatedly violated" the terms of his asylum in the embassy, where he has been holed up...

Michael Brown's Mother Loses Ferguson City Council Race

Wed, 03 Apr 2019 01:47:40 CDT

Michael Brown's mother was defeated Tuesday in her bid for a seat on the City Council in Ferguson, Missouri, where her son died in a police shooting that helped give rise to the national Black Lives Matter movement. Lesley McSpadden finished third in a three-way race in Ferguson's 3rd Ward,...

Arrest of Chinese Woman Raises Security Fears at Mar-a-Lago

Wed, 03 Apr 2019 01:12:59 CDT

Serious questions are being asked about security at President Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort after the arrest of a Chinese woman who was carrying a thumb drive with "malacious malware." According to a court documents, Yujing Zhang told security officials Saturday she was a member who wanted to use the pool at...

Chicago Elects Its First Black Female Mayor

Tue, 02 Apr 2019 20:18:52 CDT

Political newcomer Lori Lightfoot has been elected Chicago mayor, becoming the first black female—and openly gay—leader of the city. Lightfoot on Tuesday defeated Toni Preckwinkle, a former school teacher who served in the City Council for 19 years before becoming Cook County Board president in 2011. The 56-year-old...

A Big North American First for Organ Donation

Tue, 02 Apr 2019 19:13:00 CDT

It's a first in North America: Nova Scotia will switch to a system that presumes consent for organ and tissue donation. That means you can opt out if you don't want to donate your organs, but if you take no action, you are assumed to be a donor. (Those under...

Courtney Stodden: Yeah, That Was 'Crazy'

Tue, 02 Apr 2019 18:48:00 CDT

Courtney Stodden emerged in the public eye in all the wrong ways in 2011, when, as a 16-year-old, she married 51-year-old actor Doug Hutchison. They became tabloid mainstays, especially Stodden , who endured the worst her critics and the internet had to offer at a young age. Now 24, Stodden has...

Only Took 50 Cent 12 Years to Sell His Huge Mansion

Tue, 02 Apr 2019 18:18:43 CDT

Rapper 50 Cent's 50,000-square-foot mansion in Connecticut that first went on the market 12 years ago has finally sold at a fraction of the original asking price, the AP reports. Jennifer Leahy, an agent at Douglas Elliman in Greenwich, tells the Hartford Courant the 21-bedroom, 25-bathroom home in Farmington...