Watercooler Stories

Police: Man, 81, used machete to menace

SALEM, Ore., June 30 (UPI) -- Police in Oregon said an 81-year-old man chased a taco stand owner while carrying a machete because he thought the other man had taken his drill.

Salem police spokesman Lt. Dave Okada said Manuel Meza, 81, who owns a business near the taco stand, accused the owner of stealing his drill Sunday and became angry when the other man denied the accusation, The (Salem) Statesman-Journal reported.

Okada said Meza returned a short time later with the machete.

"He ended up chasing him around the taco stand several times," Okada said.

Meza was arrested on suspicion of menacing and attempted assault and taken to the Marion County Jail.

NYC: L train tops for Craigslist ads

NEW YORK, June 30 (UPI) -- New York's L train was determined to be the No. 1 subway line for fleeting romantic moments by an analysis of Craigslist "Missed Connections" postings.

The New York Post said an analysis of the postings determined the Morgan Avenue station on the L line was the most common subway location for the personal ads, which feature the writers attempting to reach someone they met for too brief a moment to exchange information, with four other stops in the "Missed Connections" top 10 also serve the L train.

The Broadway station on the N and Q lines had the second most mentions in the section of the Web site. The Post said there were no postings mentioning the Lexington Avenue/59th Street station despite the large amount of traffic passing through.

"There must be something in the air at Morgan Avenue," Craigslist Chief Executive Officer Jim Buckmaster said.

Bandit's disguises: Cat mask, burqa

NEW YORK, June 30 (UPI) -- New York police said a robber is targeting shoe and beauty stores while wearing disguises including a cat mask and a burqa.

A police source told the New York Post the woman, who was described 5-foot-6, 115 pounds and possibly Middle Eastern, most recently struck Thursday at high-end shoe store Arche and Friday at The Body Shop in the Forest Hills neighborhood.

The source said the woman was wearing a cat mask Thursday when she handed a worker a note demanding money and claiming she was armed with a gun. She fled with $86.

The woman wore a burqa the following day when she walked into The Body Shop and demanded money, the source said. The robber made off with $500 from the store.

Window installers stranded near tower top

ATLANTA, June 30 (UPI) -- A pair of Atlanta window installers said they were trapped for about 2 hours near the top of the city's tallest building when a motor malfunctioned.

Atlanta Contract Glazing workers William Miller and Paul Barker said they finished installing a window on the 23rd floor of the 55-story Bank of America tower Monday and were on their way back to the top when the motor lifting their platform malfunctioned outside the 47th floor, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

The workers said they spent 2 hours in the basket passing time by making phone calls and enjoying the view while 58 rescuers and 13 vehicles from the Atlanta Department of Fire and Rescue gathered to ensure their safety.

The rescuers lowered a firefighter onto the platform and the men were hoisted one at a time, Capt. Jolyon Bundrige said.