BITE-SIZED NEWS
Zanesville resident releases exotic pets, takes own life
In Zanesville, Ohio, Terry Thompson, 62, freed 56 wild animals on Oct. 18 before taking his own life. Authorities killed 49 of the animals, including 18 rare Bengal tigers and 17 lions, to protect the public. The lone monkey that had not been accounted for was probably eaten by a tiger. Six of the animals were tranquilized and taken to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.
Thompson had been released from prison just three weeks prior to the incident. He was serving time for owning eight illegal weapons (abc6onyourside.com). He owed $68,000 to the I.R.S. and county in back taxes and had two federal liens placed on his property last year, according to the AP (people.com).
Suspected arson in Stibbs St. house fire
On Oct. 8, 2011, a house on Stibbs St. burnt to the ground. The cause of the fire is still unknown.
“Since investigators have not located any possible accidental causes of the fire, it will be investigated as an arson,” reported The Daily Record. Evidence from the scene has been collected for analysis.
The house, valued at $50,000, was completely totaled and was unoccupied at the time.
MC Hammer to launch search engine
Nineties rapper Stanley Kirk Burrell (MC Hammer) announced on Oct. 19 that he is planning to launch a search engine called WireDoo.
WireDoo’s goal is to improve searching by providing “relationship-driven services” and to “go beyond the generalities that give you more relative information in a consistent way in a new environment,” said cbsnews.com.
An example Hammer gave was searching for a zip code. On top of basic search content, WireDoo would also give related information like schools, homes and hospitals.
WireDoo is currently in closed beta and is tentatively planned to launch around Dec. 2011 (cbsnews.com).