oddly enough

oddly enough

Lawsuit: Banana truck caused Massachusetts restaurant fire

SEEKONK, Mass.

The owners of a Massachusetts restaurant are suing the Chiquita banana company, alleging a truck carrying bananas caused a fire that destroyed their business.

David Salvatore, who represents the owners of the Old Grist Mill Tavern in Seekonk, tells The Sun Chronicle that a truck carrying bananas rolled over in June 2012, and ruptured a natural-gas line that sparked the blaze.

He says there’s a pattern of improperly loaded banana trucks being involved in accidents.

The suit names as defendants Chiquita Fresh North America, based in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., Columbia Gas of Massachusetts, the owner and driver of the truck and a freight company.

Chiquita denies negligence in its response to the suit. Columbia Gas said it could not comment on pending litigation.

The suit filed in Bristol Superior Court seeks unspecified damages.

Man charged with using social media to find burglary victims

FULLERTON, Calif.

A maintenance worker is charged with using social media to track dozens of college women in order to burglarize their Orange County homes and sorority houses.

The Orange County Register says Arturo Galvan of Menifee has pleaded not guilty to burglary and remains jailed.

Galvan is suspected of targeting at least 33 women and stealing more than $250,000 worth of items.

Fullerton police say he would spot women in public places such as coffee shops or malls and then try to track their locations through Instagram. Police say Galvan obtained their home addresses from geotagged photos.

Galvan is accused of stealing laptops, jewelry and underwear from the victims, who were students at Chapman University and California State University, Fullerton.

He was arrested in December.

City councilman removed from office over ’93 drug conviction

MCKEESPORT, Pa.

A newly elected Pennsylvania city councilman has been removed from office because of his 1993 felony drug conviction.

Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala Jr. asked a judge to remove Corey Sanders, who had pleaded no contest to charges he dealt crack cocaine and was sentenced to six to 15 years in prison. Zappala has said voters should choose their representatives, but the law required him to request the removal granted last week.

The 45-year-old Sanders has been seeking a state pardon so he could serve on the council in McKeesport, where he owns a barbershop and has married and raised four children since his release from prison. A backlog of pardon requests means that likely will take years.

Associated Press