UPI NewsTrack Quirks in the News

Sick woman finds 15 doctors on her flight

LONDON, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Having a heart attack on a trans-Atlantic flight is risky at best, but a British woman had 15 cardiologists rush to her aid, The Sun reported from London.

Dorothy Fletcher, 67, was flying to her daughter's wedding in Florida when she collapsed with chest pains.

A flight attendant put out an urgent appeal over the loudspeaker for a doctor, and 15 men stood up.

They were on their way to a conference in Orlando, Fla.

The Liverpool grandmother said she would like to thank them all, but has no idea who they are.

"The doctors were wonderful," she said. "They saved my life. I was in a very bad way, and they all rushed to help.

Following the heart attack, Fletcher spent two days in intensive care in North Carolina, but was released in time to attend the wedding.

Priest admits to stealing for mistress

ORANGE PARK, Fla., Dec. 31 (UPI) -- A former priest accused of swindling thousands of dollars from a Florida church has pleaded guilty, the Times-Union reported Wednesday.

Moises B. Palaroan, 53, pled guilt Tuesday and agreed to a one-year jail sentence as well as paying back the money he took from St. William Catholic Church in Keystone Heights.

A routine audit this year found more than $400,000 missing. The Diocese of St. Augustine contacted state authorities, who discovered a lump sum had been sent to Palaroan's mistress and children in the Philippines, Assistant State Attorney Steve Siegel said.

The former pastor, who led a double life, agreed to give up his priesthood.

If the case had gone to trial the priest could have faced as much as 30 years in jail. Besides jail time, Palaroan will have 17 years of probation, Siegel said.

Packrat buried two days under books

NEW YORK, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- A New York man is recovering Wednesday from being buried for two days under hundreds of pounds of books and magazines he hoarded in his apartment.

The New York Daily News said 42-year-old Patrice Lamumba Moore screamed for help repeatedly when the ceiling-high wall of books fell on him Saturday, but no one responded to his calls until Monday afternoon.

Neighbors explained the delay by saying Moore was always screaming and talking to himself.

The former book and magazine peddler said he has sworn off collecting.

"It nearly killed me," he said. "But I've retired from the books. I was a rapper once. I'll do that again."

Once fire officials rescued him, they ordered the building vacated, citing numerous safety code violations, in effect evicting Moore. He is upset that when the debris was removed to the dump, all of his clothing and other possessions were thrown out, too.

He is already a recipient of public assistance, and Moore said he hoped the social services department would help him get his books in order.

Trucker balks at theft of chickens

TORONTO, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Toronto police are searching for two armed men who hijacked a tractor-trailer load of frozen chicken from a trucker in Montreal.

The unidentified truck driver received minor injuries when the two men, armed with a shotgun and assault rifle commandeered his truck in Montreal. The men bound the driver with duct tape and tossed him into the cab's sleeping compartment, the Toronto Sun said.

The thieves drove to Toronto and unloaded the cargo of 56,000 pounds of chicken at an unknown location and then abandoned the vehicle on a major highway Tuesday morning.

The driver managed to free himself and drove to the nearest pay phone.

The value of the haul, depending on the cuts, could be as high as $80,000, the newspaper said.