Sibling Rivalry in the Making 

Curses, Foiled Again
When a woman demanded money at a credit union in South Hutchinson, Kan., the teller asked if she had an active account. The Hutchinson News reported the woman, described as in her mid-40s and wearing a medical uniform decorated with cartoon characters, replied that she had no account. “The bank employee made it clear to the subject that the business could not help her with her wishes,” police Chief Scott Jones said, adding that the frustrated suspect threatened to “contact her boyfriend and have him come back with a weapon.” Then she left.

• Authorities investigating a home invasion in Riverview, Fla., had no trouble identifying one of the suspects after the victims told them he had an outline of the state of Florida tattooed on his face and the words “Crazy Cracker” either tattooed or written on his head. The Tampa Tribune said Hillsborough County sheriff’s deputies quickly arrested Sean Roberts, 19, whose alias is “Crazy Cracker.”

Mensa Reject of the Week
Michael R. Brandt, 41, suffered burns and totaled his car in a parking lot in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, after lighting a cigarette while sitting next to a full propane tank. Litigation Nation Members of Alpha Kappa Alpha are suing the sorority’s international president, Barbara McKinzie, whom the suit accuses of spending hundreds of thousands of dollars of the group’s money to buy herself designer clothing, lingerie and jewelry. McKinzie called the lawsuit “malicious” and “not befitting our ideals of sisterhood, ethics and service.” The Associated Press reported she was particularly offended at the accusation that she spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on a life-size wax figure of herself. In fact, she said, the statue cost only $45,000.

• The family of Alexa Longueira announced plans to file a lawsuit after the New York City teenager fell into an open sewer manhole while walking down a Staten Island street text messaging. Fox News reported Longueira suffered mild cuts and bruises. Her mother said it doesn’t matter that her daughter was text messaging and not paying attention to where she was walking; the manhole should not have been left uncovered.

• Nick DeBenedetto, 48, filed a class-action lawsuit against Denny’s, alleging the restaurant chain puts unsafe levels of salt in its meals. The resident of Tinton Falls, N.J., insisted he doesn’t cook with salt or add salt to food at home but that he has eaten at Denny’s for many years. He is being treated for high blood pressure. “I was astonished to find that these simple sandwiches have more salt than someone in my condition should have in a whole day,” he said.

Economic Stimulus
A Berlin brothel began offering discounts to customers who arrive on bicycles. “The recession has hit our industry hard,” Thomas Goetz, owner of La Maison d’Envie, told Reuters. “Obviously, we hope that the discount will attract more people. It’s good for business, it’s good for the environment, and it’s good for the girls.”

Sibling Rivalry in the Making
Chinese family planning officials are going door-to-door in Shanghai to encourage certain residents to have a second child. The campaign aims to ease the burden of providing for the city’s growing senior population, which now stands at 21 percent of Shanghai’s 13.7 million residents. The Shanghai Population and Family Planning Commission noted that the campaign doesn’t signal a change in China’s one-child rule but is an attempt to let people know about the policy’s many exceptions. In this case, commission director Xie Lingli explained that only couples who both grew up as only children are being targeted to have a second child.

Compiled from the nation’s press by Roland Sweet. Authentication on demand. Submit items, citing date and source, to P.O. Box 8130, Alexandria VA 22306.