Reno man castrates self; learned procedure on Internet
By: Associated Press | ∞
RENO, Nev. -- A 50-year-old Reno man who was hospitalized after he castrated himself told police he learned of the procedure on the Internet and did so to lower his libido. The man, whose name was not released, called 911 at about 1:30 a.m. Monday and asked for help because he could not stop the bleeding from a self-castration operation, police said.
Reno police and medics responded to the man's home and he was taken by ambulance to the hospital.
Washoe Medical Center officials cited privacy issues on why they could not release any information on the man, including his condition. But police said hospital officials confirmed Wednesday the man successfully castrated himself.
"The man obviously needs some sort of counseling," Reno police Lt. Ron Donnelly told the Reno Gazette-Journal.
Information from: Reno Gazette-Journal, http://www.rgj.com
Original Picasso sells on Costco Web site
Associated Press
SEATTLE -- Costco shoppers were offered an online deal this month -- an original Picasso. The crayon-on-paper drawing of a face signed and dated by Pablo Picasso was listed for $39,999.99 on the retailer's Web site Jan. 12. It sold Wednesday, said Jim Sinegal, Costco's chief executive, who would not identify the buyer.
The Issaquah-based discount retailing giant may be better known for bulk chicken and cases of soda, but the Costco.com site features an eclectic mix of items, from caskets to computers to sports equipment.
Art dealer Jim Tutwiler, who sold the Picasso, has been selling art through Costco for the past decade. He said Costco's markup is one-tenth that of traditional galleries.
Tutwiler described the drawing as a "doodle" on the blank side of a book jacket. Picasso probably traded it for a new suit or a boat or some service, he said.
"He was a barterer. He hated to spend money," Tutwiler said.
The work was signed and dated Nov. 29, 1970. Picasso's daughter, Maya, authenticated it through a handwritten and signed declaration, which was further verified by the International Society of Appraisers.
This was the second Picasso Tutwiler has sold through Costco. The first sold for in November to a customer in San Francisco.
That buyer passed on this piece, Tutwiler said. "His wife said it was too similar to the other one."
On the Net:
http://www.costco.com
Allegation made against Bill Cosby; police investigating
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES -- A female acquaintance of comedian Bill Cosby has leveled an allegation against him that has prompted a police investigation in Pennsylvania, the entertainer's attorney said Thursday.
Attorney Walter Phillips wouldn't discuss the specifics of the allegation but said it amounts to, at the most, "inappropriate touching."
No charges have been brought against Cosby, but Phillips said authorities have begun an investigation. He said the accuser, who lives in Canada, knows Cosby and the alleged incident in question happened about a year ago. He called the allegation "utterly preposterous."
"I know the person making the accusation hasn't been contacted by authorities," Phillips said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "We are hopeful and optimistic that no charges will be brought forward."
Police in Cheltenham Township, Pa., where Cosby has a home, declined to comment. So did authorities in Canada.
Meanwhile, Cosby postponed a town hall meeting in Cleveland on Thursday and has postponed three upcoming shows -- two in Ft. Lauderdale and one in Daytona, both in Florida, Cosby's publicist, David Brokaw, said.
Brokaw wouldn't say whether the postponements have anything to do with the recent allegation.
About 3,600 people, including many Cleveland public school students and their parents, received free tickets for the event at the downtown Music Hall, part of the Cleveland Convention Center.
"I feel awful about it," said Sam Fulwood, a (Cleveland) Plain Dealer columnist, who said he received a personal call from Cosby requesting help organizing the event.
Fulwood said he has not heard from Cosby directly since learning of the postponement Wednesday night.
"He's not talking right now," Fulwood said.
Limbaugh asks state Supreme Court to return records to his doctors
Associated Press
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Rush Limbaugh asked the Florida Supreme Court on Thursday to return his medical records to his doctors and permanently keep them from prosecutors investigating his use of painkillers.
The conservative radio commentator alleges that his privacy was violated when the records were seized in 2003 and has fought to keep them sealed. Lower courts have sided with prosecutors, who are investigating whether Limbaugh illegally visited several doctors to receive duplicate prescriptions.
Limbaugh wants the state Supreme Court to decide that patients should be notified before their medical records are seized or inspected.
"The state has acknowledged that as a matter of strategy it made no good faith effort to comply with these requirements," Limbaugh's attorney, Roy Black, said in a statement.
Prosecutors insist that giving Limbaugh notice of their plan to seize the records would have compromised their investigation. Assistant State Attorney James Martz has said the Legislature has protected law enforcement's ability to conduct criminal investigations. He had no immediate comment on Thursday.
Limbaugh has maintained his innocence throughout the investigation and argues that the case threatens the privacy rights of all Floridians -- a point which has drawn the support of the American Civil Liberties Union.
Limbaugh has not been charged with a crime. Prosecutors must await a final decision on the medical records, which have remained sealed, before they can pursue their investigation.
In October 2003, Limbaugh acknowledged he became addicted to pain medication, blaming it on severe back pain. He took a five-week leave from his radio show to enter rehab.
On the Net:
Rush Limbaugh: http://www.rushlimbaugh.com
Palm Beach County State Attorney: http://www.sa15.state.fl.us
Miami woman gets 20 years for poisoning boss to cover theft
Associated Press
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- A woman received a 20-year prison sentence Thursday for putting rat poison in her boss' soda to cover up the fact that she was stealing his money.
Femesha Foster, 37, was found guilty Jan. 5 of poisoning for dropping the toxic mix into optometrist Mark Caruso's drink in 2000. Caruso realized the drink tasted funny and drove himself to an emergency room, where he was treated and released.
Foster, who worked as a technician for Caruso at a Wal-Mart, said she had discovered that her boss knew she had written checks from his account. Foster said she was not trying to kill him, but only send him home sick so she could have time to cover her tracks.
Foster's lawyer, William Lanphear, said he would appeal the verdict and sentence. He had argued Foster was innocent because there wasn't enough rat poison in the soda to do Caruso harm.
Foster is almost at the end of a five-year prison sentence for grand theft in the case.
A jury convicted Foster in 2001 of attempted poisoning and grand theft, but acquitted her of attempted murder.
In May, a state appeals court overturned the poisoning conviction because "attempted poisoning" is not a specific crime under Florida law.
Police say medical marijuana-related crimes likely under program
Associated Press
DUNDEE, Ore. -- Oregon police say the violent assault and robbery of a medical marijuana grower in Dundee this week is indicative of a problem inherent in such programs.
"If you have a product that is legal for some and illegal for others -- and they want it -- that's an awful big temptation for bad guys," Yamhill County Sheriff Jack Crabtree told The Oregonian. "These marijuana-growing greenhouses aren't exactly reinforced with steel and concrete."
Under state law, an Oregon resident can obtain a medical marijuana card by applying to the state Health Division after receiving a doctor's recommendation. As of Jan. 1, 9,813 Oregonians held cards, with 1,327 applications pending.
But marijuana-growing operations, generally in homes, gardens or outbuildings, are vulnerable to thieves. Law enforcement officials and medical marijuana advocates said they have heard reports of thieves preying on legal growers.
In this week's case, Ernest R. Holter, 50, who holds a valid medical marijuana card, told police that he heard an alarm Tuesday in his barn, just northeast of the Dundee city limits. When he went to investigate, he was hit on the head and in the face.
He is now in serious condition in the intensive care unit at Legacy Emanuel Hospital & Health Center in Portland.
In September, a Southwest Portland man was shot and wounded by thieves targeting his medical marijuana. In 2002, two Gold Hill residents weathered repeated attempts to steal their medical marijuana. Intruders cut their chain-link fence and stabbed their guard dog.
Oregon is one of 11 states allowing medical marijuana. Other states with similar programs are Washington, Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nevada and Vermont. Arizona has a law allowing medical marijuana, but no active program.
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