Flight delayed 3 hours by fake grenade
Flight delayed 3 hoursby fake grenade
SAN DIEGO -- An American Airlines flight was delayed more than three hours before takeoff Sunday after a fake grenade used to test security screening fell out of a carry-on bag and rolled down the aisle, an airport spokeswoman said.
A woman was in custody and authorities were trying to determine how she ended up with a bag belonging to a security screener that contained the phony grenade, said Rita Vandergaw, spokeswoman for the Unified Port of San Diego.
The woman may have inadvertently picked up the bag at the security checkpoint, Vandergaw said. After boarding the plane, the woman pulled a jacket out of the bag and the fake grenade rolled out.
The pilot of Flight 788 stopped the MD-80, bound for Chicago, on the taxiway and authorities removed the grenade. Before the plane's delayed departure, all passengers were taken off and rescreened.
Further information wasn't immediately available.
Officials suspectstudent has meningitis
ST. LOUIS -- A St. Louis University student has been hospitalized in critical condition with a suspected case of bacterial meningitis.
Brendan Mooney, a 20-year-old junior business major from Austin, Texas, was hospitalized Saturday with symptoms of the disease, school officials said, without providing details.
"It's life-threatening," said Jeff Fowler, a school spokesman. "We're all praying that he makes a recovery, but critical is critical."
Tests to confirm the diagnosis are expected today. A doctor specializing in infectious diseases said his examination of Mooney left him almost certain he had bacterial meningitis, Fowler said, prompting the school to warn others about the disease.
Bacterial meningitis is spread through coughing, kissing and sharing utensils. Its flulike symptoms can include high fever, headache, nausea, vomiting and a stiff neck.
The disease kills in roughly 10 percent of cases and can cause serious harm, including brain damage, in another 10 percent. A viral form of meningitis exists but is generally less serious.
4 die in Paris hotel fire
PARIS -- A fire engulfed a Paris hotel overlooking the Seine River today, spreading from the ground floor to the roof and killing four people, rescue workers said.
About 150 firefighters and 30 fire trucks fought the pre-dawn blaze at the Hotel du Palais, near the Place du Chatelet area that is popular with tourists. A dozen people were injured, two of them seriously.
Authorities did not release the identities of the fire's victims.
Investigators had not determined the cause of the blaze, but they detained a man who reportedly ran from the hotel as it started at about 3 a.m.
Fire Commander Christian Decolloredo said the blaze started on the ground floor of the hotel and quickly climbed to the seventh floor via the stairwell.
One of the injured jumped to safety from a hotel window, Decolloredo said.
Fruitcakes aren't buttof jokes in this town
CLAXTON, Ga. -- While many deride the fruitcake as an inedible doorstop, Claxton has long embraced the holiday treat as its claim to fame. City signs and a 50-foot water tower carry the slogan "Fruitcake Capital of the World."
The dense mixture of poundcake, nuts and candied fruit has enough fans to support two fruitcake bakeries in this south Georgia city of 2,200, located 45 miles west of Savannah.
The Claxton Bakery Inc. ships more than 4 million pounds of fruitcake every year for retailers. The Georgia Fruit Cake Co. makes several hundred-thousand pounds, mostly for sale to military bases.
That makes Claxton a legitimate contender for its self-proclaimed "fruitcake capital" title. Its main rival is Corsicana, Texas, which cranks out about 4.5 million pounds of fruitcake annually.
"It means a lot to us to have something that we can hang our hat on," said Perry DeLoach, Claxton's mayor. "It may have never brought us an industry, but it has brought an awful lot of people to Claxton. They'll always stop in Claxton and buy fruitcake."
Folks here are mindful of fruitcake being the butt of so many holiday jokes, such as Johnny Carson's well-known crack that there's only one fruitcake that gets passed around year after year.
"It's not a joking matter," said Dale Parker, who runs Claxton Bakery. "It's like you're talking about a member of our family."
Associated Press