Weird News

Here are some weird news headlines I ran across today.

SATANIST:

An 18-year-old self-described Satanist kidnapped two children on the South Side and planned to carve a pentagram into the chest of a 6-year-old girl to win back his ex-girlfriend, prosecutors said Saturday.

OLD LADY MAULED TO DEATH:

THORNDALE, Texas -- A pack of six dogs mauled a 76-year-old woman to death as she worked in her yard, authorities said. Lillian Loraine Stiles was riding on a lawn mower in her front yard Saturday when she was confronted by the dogs, described as pit bull-rottweiler mixed breeds, said Milam County Sheriff Charlie West. Investigators think Stiles was attacked when she got off the mower and headed into her house. Stiles had severe bites over her entire body, and a man who tried to help her was bitten on one leg, authorities said.

DRUNKEN MAN HOPPED INTO POLICE CAR INSTEAD OF TAXI:

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. -- The man got a ride all right -- just not the one he was expecting.
Police say a 20-year-old man was so disoriented after a night of drinking that he hopped into a police patrol car thinking it was a taxi.
Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Deputy Esther Beckman was questioning a bicyclist on the street when the suspect, whose name was not released, hopped into her cruiser.
Officers let the bicyclist go. But the man looking to hail a cab was taken to jail on suspicion of being under the influence of alcohol and cocaine.

SHOPPERS TRAMPLED IN XBOX SNAFU:

It can be dangerous these days to get between a shopper and an Xbox 360.
It took more than 10 police officers to restore order at a Maryland Wal-Mart when a scuffle broke out as the devices went on sale Monday night.

About 300 people had been waiting -- some as long as 12 hours. And they'd devised their own system, using numbers, to determine who'd get first shot at the new video game players.
The trouble began when a store manager announced they'd be sold on a first-come, first-served basis -- instead of using the numbers.

One customer said the scene that developed "was like a mosh pit." Some people were knocked down and trampled, but nobody was seriously hurt and there were no arrests.
Wal-Mart then decided to cancel the sale, and police told everyone to leave. But a store employee told the Cecil Whig newspaper that some Xboxes were sold later that night.

GIANTS STADIUM OFFERS PRAYER AREA MUSLIM OUTCRY

NEWARK, N.J. -- The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority says it will provide a special area for anyone who wants a place to pray while at Giants Stadium or the Continental Airlines Arena -- a reaction to Muslim groups' outcries after several fans who prayed at a New York Giants game were detained and questioned by the FBI in September.

Sohail Mohammed, the lawyer for the Totowa-based American Muslim Union, met Sunday with officials from the sports authority, the FBI and private companies that work at the Meadowlands to educate them about Islam and the cultural and religious practices of Muslims.
Five Muslim men attending the Sept. 19 Giants game against the New Orleans Saints were detained and questioned for about a half hour by the FBI after they were observed praying at the stadium. The men claimed they were singled out because of their faith, but the FBI said the men were flagged by stadium security because they were in a sensitive area near the stadium's main air intake duct.

Former President George H.W. Bush was on hand that night as part of a fundraising campaign he and former President Bill Clinton were leading for victims of Hurricane Katrina.
The men were allowed to return to the stadium, but in different seats, and were escorted to their cars when they left.

George Zoffinger, the sports authority president, said space will be set aside at the stadium and the arena for anyone of any faith who wishes to pray. The exact spots have not yet been designated, he said.

"I think we did this thing exactly right," Zoffinger said. "We took it seriously. We did not like the connotation that we were profiling. We weren't.
"With this agreement, we hope we've created an atmosphere where anyone can come to our facilities and feel comfortable," he said.

Mohammed said anyone who wants to use the prayer areas should approach stadium security, who usually wear yellow jackets emblazoned with the words "Event Staff," who will then direct them to the appropriate areas.

Word of the agreement is to be circulated to mosques and Islamic centers throughout the state this week, he said.
Mohammed said sports authority staff said they also may extend prayer areas to the Meadowlands Racetrack.

"I told them you won't get many Muslims using that area because gambling is forbidden in Islam, but I understand there is quite a bit of praying going on among the track patrons while the horses are running," he joked.