UPI NewsTrack Quirks in the News

Alleged curse of cab 666 may soon end

SAN FRANCISCO, July 24 (UPI) -- It may soon be the End of Times for San Francisco taxi cab medallion No. 666, which has been rumored to be a curse for any of its owners.

The San Francisco Chronicle said that San Francisco Taxi Commission officials are discussing the potential retirement of the unusual medallion number after its present owner complained that bad luck apparently follows what is referred to in the Bible as "the Mark of the Beast" and a sign of the Apocalypse.

In an effort to gain a new cab medallion, veteran driver Michael Byrne convinced commission official Jordanna Thigpen of negative ramifications of the notorious number, the Chronicle said.

"Do I believe in the Mark of the Beast myself?" Thigpen said. "No. But there is a lot of negative energy around that cab. If we can help somebody out, why not do it? If something's a nuisance, it's our duty to get rid of it, right?'"

The Chronicle said that seeking the commission's help in the matter wasn't Byrne's first hope to deal with the alleged curse.

The cabdriver reportedly took his vehicle and its troublesome medallion number to a local religious mission to have it blessed but apparently it did little good.

Utility guy wire unseats escaping cowboy

CULPEPER, Va., July 24 (UPI) -- A Virginia man fleeing a police car on his horse has some new scars after riding into a utility pole guy wire and being yanked to the ground.

The incident happened Saturday night in Culpeper, when police were called about a man who had charged them on horseback outside a convenience store after they asked him to stop urinating against the wall.

The man and a female companion, riding another horse then fled and the witnesses pointed police to a nearby subdivision, the Fredericksburg (Va.) Freelance Star reported Tuesday.

Seeing the officer, the male rider galloped off, made a sudden right turn, struck a mailbox and then was snapped out of the saddle when the horse passed under a guy wire, police said.

The woman surrendered and the man was taken to a hospital for stitches, the report said.

Eric Kyff, 39, and Lauren Allen, 27, were charged with riding a horse on a highway after dark without proper reflective material, being drunk in public and obstruction of justice.

The pair had previously been arrested for public drunkenness on horseback on May 24, police said.

Kansas couple defies odds with jury duty

TOPEKA, Kan., July 24 (UPI) -- A Kansas district judge and his wife were recently chosen to report for jury duty on the same day in defiance of mathematical odds.

While the pool of citizens available for jury duty includes thousands of Kansas residents, both Shawnee County District Judge Thomas Conklin and his wife Judy recently were recently tabbed for potential juror duty on the same exact day, the Topeka (Kan.) Capital-Journal said Tuesday.

For her part, Judy Conklin appeared in a district courtroom on Monday as jury selection for a felony assault trial began.

Adding to the unusual circumstances was the fact that the trial was to take place in Judge Conklin's usual courtroom.

Ultimately the female half of the couple was not chosen to serve as part of the jury, narrowly losing out to a retired nurse for the alternate juror position.

Judge Conklin will likely also avoided time in the jury box as well, the newspaper said, as several district cases have begun settling without a prolonged jury trial.

Packers fans locked boy in his room

MILWAUKEE, July 24 (UPI) -- A lawyer for a Milwaukee woman convicted of locking her son in his room with a bucket for a toilet during football games suggested a poetic punishment.

Melanie Hardrath and Scott Scherer were found guilty of repeatedly locking Hardrath's young son in his room with nothing but a bucket for his natural needs while they watched Green Bay Packers games at the Potawatomi Bingo Casino, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Tuesday.

"What do you do?" Hardrath's defense attorney, Richard Johnson, asked Judge Jeffrey Wagner. "Maybe this coming football season, lock them in a room with a bucket and make them watch (Chicago) Bears games."

Instead, the couple faces several months in jail for the offense.

Investigators found the two could easily have afforded a babysitter. Their home was stocked with nearly $1 million worth of Packers memorabilia.