Watercooler Stories

Woman sues hospital that declared her dead

VALPARAISO, Ind., Aug. 6 (UPI) -- An Indiana woman suing a hospital says she is owed damages for the trouble she was caused when doctors pronounced a woman with the same name dead last winter.

Diane Wright, 67, Jackson Township, contends Porter Hospital caused her to lose her Social Security and health insurance after they allegedly notified various agencies that she had died, the Post-Tribune of Northwest Indiana reported Tuesday.

In addition, the federal government sent a claim to Wright's husband demanding repayment of nearly $3,000 in Social Security benefits paid to his "late" wife.

The departed was actually another Diane Wright, who died in January at Porter.

The attorney representing the still-living Diane Wright told the Post-Tribune of Northwest Indiana that the hospital failed to correct the error for months.

"This is not one of those 'I spilled coffee in my lap at McDonald's (lawsuits),'" said lawyer Thomas Hillers, who added "They just want it to be made right."

Cops flush out port-a-potty fraud

NEW YORK, Aug. 6 (UPI) -- New York prosecutors say a scam by a Queens man to embezzle $2.8 million in payments meant to go to a port-a-potty company smelled bad from the beginning.

John Hoeffner pleaded guilty to grand larceny in Manhattan Supreme Court Monday to charges that he diverted into his own pocket payments from his employer, Tishman Construction, to Mr. John, a supplier of portable toilets, the New York Post reported.

He accomplished the crime by changing the payable lines on the checks from "Mr. John" to "Mr. John Hoeffner," prosecutors said.

They first got a whiff of the malfeasance when Hoeffner, 47, spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on a girlfriend in Cali, Colombia. An investigation revealed Hoeffner created fake checks made out to Mr. John, got his bosses to sign them, added his last name and then cashed them himself, the Post said.

Two arrested for misusing 911 system

TAMPA, Fla., Aug. 6 (UPI) -- Two Tampa, Fla.-area men were arrested within 24 hours after separate instances of alleged 911 emergency system abuse, authorities said.

Police said the men had been warned to quit making frivolous calls to 911 dispatchers, and in both cases, they were arrested when they failed to do so, the Tampa Tribune reported Tuesday.

In the first case, police say Carlos Jose Gutierrez, 47, called 911 early Monday to report a casino slot machine had stolen his money. When told to stay off the 911 system, Gutierrez allegedly apologized but called back a few minutes later to again accuse the slot machine of stealing. He was arrested and charged with making a false 911 call, a misdemeanor, the newspaper said.

In the second case, Randall Barry Wasden, 43, was charged with misuse of the wireless 911 system for allegedly calling emergency dispatchers five times to complain about how Hillsborough County deputies had handled a dispute with his brother.

Wasden was described by deputies as intoxicated at the time of the repeated calls, the Tribune reported.

Obama celebrates birthday, raises funds

BOSTON, Aug. 6 (UPI) -- Sen. Barack Obama blew out 47 candles as $5 million was expected to blow into his and Democratic Party coffers from a birthday-fundraiser in Boston.

The private event was expected to be the biggest political fundraiser ever in Boston, the Boston Globe reported Tuesday. It also was designed to help unify supporters of Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee, and backers of primary rival Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y.

The Bay State overwhelmingly supported Clinton during its primary, despite Sen. Edward M. Kennedy's endorsement of Obama.

"We all wanted to make a dramatic statement that we're with him every step of the way," said Steven Grossman, a Clinton fundraiser and former Democratic National Committee chairman.

About 850 participants, lead by jazzman Harry Connick Jr. and his daughter, sang "Happy Birthday" to Obama, Illinois' junior senator. He also received a Boston Red Sox-themed Hawaiian shirt.

"I gotta say that, as a White Sox fan, this hurts a little bit, particularly because we've been losing lately," Obama said. "But it is a very attractive shirt, I must say."