New York woman crashes into firehouse with python wrapped around her neck

NEW YORK - A New York woman was arrested after she crashed into a fire station and slammed into two fire trucks allegedly with a stolen python wrapped around her neck.

Sarah Espinosa, 22, allegedly stolen a small ball python from a nearby pet store in Long Island when she lost control of her 2010 Toyota Prius Monday night officials said, according to ABC News .

Espinosa crashed her Prius through the front garage door of a fire house and collided with, and damaged, two parked fire trucks, according to the police report.

When fire personnel rushed to Espinosa's side they discovered the snake wrapped around her neck. The snake was removed and through the investigation detectives learned it had been stolen from a nearby pet store. The snake reportedly costs $89.

http://www.abc15.com/news/local-news/water-cooler/new-york-woman-crashes-into-firehouse-with-python-wrapped-around-her-neck

Colorado Governor Strikes Key Deal Over Fracking

Colorado's Democratic governor forged a deal to stop dueling proposals on oil and gas drilling Monday, avoiding a messy ballot fight that had his party concerned about political consequences in November.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Polis joined Gov. John Hickenlooper at the state Capitol to detail an agreement that calls for a task force to deal with concerns about energy development. In exchange, groups agreed to drop four initiatives that support or oppose hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, a technique that blasts a mix of water, sand or gravel, and chemicals into underground rock formations to release trapped oil and gas.

Polis has financially backed two of the measures that sought limits on drilling, including increasing the distance between homes and rigs from 500 feet to 2,000 feet. The governor and energy industry warned that the drilling restrictions would seriously hurt Colorado's economy.

Polis' involvement in the initiatives also raised concern in his party that taking the issue to voters would negatively impact Democrats in November by increasing fundraising for Republicans who generally support oil and gas development and possibly boosting GOP turnout.


Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/colorado-governor-aims-strike-deal-fracking-24837457

Not to mention "The Untouchables!" :)

2 dead in Saratoga County plane crash

NORTHUMBERLAND — Two people were killed after their small plane overturned and crashed just a few feet from a town of Northumberland home late Saturday afternoon.

The names of the victims, both men, were unavailable later Saturday, police said. They were pronounced dead shortly after the crash, which was called in to 911 by the Brownville Road homeowner at about 5:41 p.m.

The plane, a four-seat Cessna 180, had just taken off from the nearby Heber Airfield. Sheriff's officials said the plane was flying with a banner that said "Saratoga Skydiving" and ended up upside down.

The homeowner, Nancy Rouse, said she was in her back yard walking across a field when she looked up and saw the plane clip some trees, causing it to flip over. Her son, Rodney Rouse, said the plane took down several limbs.

http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Saratoga-County-plane-crash-reported-5664842.php



Scene of a small plane crash on Brownville Road that killed two men Saturday August 2, 2014, in Northumberland, NY. (Leigh Hornbeck / Times Union)

I've seen it twice and I thought it was excellent

The characters melted into their roles so well that it had the feeling of a documentary. And I learned a lot, knew that Oswald's mother was crazy, but I never knew about his brother, poor guy. I thought the actors who played the medical staff were completely believable and that Paul Giamatti ("John Adams&quot as Abraham Zapruder was amazing.


I was in elementary school when the president was assassinated. My "reading group" was allowed to go to the library and that's where we heard. "Coach," the gym teacher, had a free period and heard the news on the radio. He ran and told the sixth grade teacher who was in the closest classroom. That teacher came running into the library and told the librarian.

That's when we heard and ran like hell back to our classroom which was at the very end of the hall. We totally forgot about our promise not to run and to be quiet. We ran in and told our teacher, who ran out of the classroom to find out more. What I remember was that school was chaos that day. We were sent home early and spent what seemed like ages in the gym waiting for our buses. Everybody was scared.

When I got home, my mother already knew. Her neighbor had come over, sobbing, for "her president." They were very staunch Catholics. I knew that my parents voted for Nixon, but that didn't matter, he was our president. My mother was particularly shook up, remember going into the kitchen to tell her that I'd just seen Oswald shot, live on television, and that's when she really fell apart. It's still tough for me to accept that something like this happened in this country.

AX NEARLY IMPALES WOMAN IN CAR ON HIGHWAY

TOPSFIELD, Mass. (KFSN) -- It was a scary moment on a highway north of Boston when an ax smashed through the windshield of a car.

Massachusetts State Police say the ax bounced out of a landscaper's dump truck at about 11 a.m. Wednesday on southbound Interstate 95 in Topsfield. They released a photo showing the ax with a corner of its blade stuck in the passenger side of the car's dashboard. The handle was sticking through the windshield.

Police say the car's passenger was "shaken up" but not hurt.

The truck driver, from Peabody, Massachusetts, was cited for failing to secure the ax, which carries a $200 fine.

Police say it could have been worse if the car's driver hadn't been obeying the 65 mph speed limit.

http://abc30.com/news/ax-nearly-impales-woman-in-car-on-highway/228840/



This picture comes courtesy of the Massachusetts State Police

Russia threatens to hit British companies in 'retaliation' for sanctions

Source: The Telegraph

Putin could seize assets of British oil companies, Russian diplomat warns, as war of words over sanctions intensifies

Russia has issued a threat to seize the assets of British companies including BP and Shell as a retaliation against David Cameron’s demand for tough sanctions.

In a mounting war of words, a senior diplomatic source claimed Moscow would “fight back” against any industry-wide EU sanctions by putting British companies working in Russia oil on the frontline.

“We want friendly relations. We will go along as far as we can. Then we will retaliate,” the figure said.

The official measures will include seizing the assets of British firms, adding: “BP and Shell have a lot of assets in Russia.”

Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/10989627/Russia-threatens-to-hit-British-companies-in-retaliation-for-sanctions.html

Report: Industry proposes to phase out older tank cars

The oil industry and the railroad companies responsible for transporting crude oil, have offered U.S. regulators a plan that would phase out the type of older tanks cars connected to recent fiery derailments.

The proposal comes after pressure on Capitol Hill and in states impacted by crude-by-rail crashes has increased, raising expectations that regulators will update standards for the oil tankers transporting the product.

The plan also requires slightly thicker walls for new cars to protect them from punctures, according to people close to the proposal, Bloomberg reports.

All parties agreed to trash thousands of DOT-111s tank cars within three years if manufacturers say they can replace or retrofit the cars in that timeframe.

More: http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/212249-report-industry-proposes-to-phase-out-older-tank-cars

Brave duo attempts to schlep across Eurasia in solar-powered tuk-tuk

If you were going on a 6,200-mile road trip with a friend, you probably wouldn’t select a vehicle with a top speed of 25 mph. And you’d probably search for something with a lot of elbow and leg room. But Naveen Rabelli isn’t your average road tripper.

He’s devoted to sustainable living and wants to raise awareness for the potential of solar-powered vehicles. Rabelli plans to drive his tuk-tuk, a motorized rickshaw, to London. For an estimated 100 days, Rabelli and a companion will be locked in a very cozy passenger cabin.

“It will be quite challenging for both of us to fit in this tuk-tuk and to travel 10,000 kilometers, but I think that’s a whole part of the journey to understand the problems and make flexible solutions,” Rabelli explained in a video promoting his trip.

Raoul Kopacka was selected as his partner in part because his short stature makes it possible to sleep in the rear of the tuk-tuk.

More: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/innovations/wp/2014/07/15/brave-duo-attempts-to-schlep-across-eurasia-in-solar-powered-tuk-tuk/

Texas judge upholds $3 million fracking verdict

A Texas judge upheld a $3 million jury verdict by ruling in favor of a family who claimed that oil and gas drilling near their land made them sick, in a landmark case hailed as a victory by anti-fracking activists.

Last week's ruling, confirmed by lawyers on Tuesday, is the latest step in a three-year case that began when Bob and Lisa Parr filed suit against a handful of oil companies claiming that fumes from drilling around their 40-acre (16-hectare) ranch exposed them and their livestock to hazardous gases and industrial chemicals.

Some of the initial claims related to hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, operations were settled out of court or dismissed, leaving the couple, who have a young daughter, to face Aruba Petroleum in a jury trial in Dallas County Court.

<snip>

The Parrs' case is one of the first complaints of its kind to make it in front of a jury. The family was featured in the anti-fracking documentary "Gasland Part II" by filmmaker Josh Fox

http://www.cnbc.com/id/101839316



Getty Images
Pump jacks and wells are seen in an oil field on the Monterey Shale formation where gas and oil extraction using hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is on the verge of a boom on March 23, 2014 near McKittrick, Calif.