Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Teacher spared prison in plea deal and other eye-catching headlines

The Redlands teacher who had a baby fathered by a 16 year old student has pleaded guilty in a deal made with the District Attorney's officer.  Under the agreement she will enter a plea of guilty to six counts rather than the 41 she was charged with.  She will serve a year in jail rather than up to 29 years in prison.  She must also register as a sex offender for the rest of her life, lose her teaching credential, serve five years probation, undergo counseling and never again contact the father of her baby.  She got off easy.

Aaryn Gries, the contestant on this season's "Big Brother" who has made several racist and homophobic remarks doesn't know what's going on out here in the world.  She's lost her job and her mother had to hire a publicist to deal with the potential fallout from her remarks. 

Jose Rigaberto Sanchez is a L.A. County Deputy Sheriff who is facing 11 counts related to incidents involving his alleged attempts to coerce female drivers into having sex with him.  In return he would agree not to arrest them.  He is being held in lieu of $1.45 million bail.

The man incorrectly identified on social media as the one who threw a stop sign through a bicycle shop window in Huntington Beach has now been arrested on other charges.  Illario Niko Johnson was booked on suspicion of felony arson, inciting a riot, refusal to disperse when ordered and taking part in an unlawful assembly. 

The lawyer for San Diego Mayor Bob Filner may have come up with a strategy to get the city involved in paying for his defense.  Attorney Harvey Berger says that Filner did not receive sexual harassment training that is mandatory for supervisors in California.  He was supposedly scheduled to be trained but the trainer cancelled and failed to reschedule.  Oops.

George Zimmerman had another run-in with law enforcement, this time in Texas.  He was pulled over for speeding and let off with a warning.  He was armed, which may someday become mandatory in Texas.

Under pressure due to news stories about their unlimited sick pay policy, the DWP is changing the rules.  Starting tomorrow, any DWP employee who is out for three days or longer must provide a note from a doctor.

Major League Baseball may announce the decision on a suspension for A-Roid and nine other players as early as Friday of this week.

Helen Hunt will direct and star in a film she also wrote.  It will be her second outing as a director.  "Ride" will also star Luke Wilson.

Sharon Stone says the reason she's able to maintain such a fit body at the age of 55 is because she is a self-described "gym rat."

Almost 200 residents of Iowa and Nebraska have become ill with cyclospora, an intestinal disorder tied to a rare parasite.  Authorities have discovered the source of the affliction was prepackaged salad mix from outside of the two states.  It may have come from outside the U.S.

A photographer visiting Bangladesh says that the ratio of prostitutes to potential clients in brothels there is so high, the women actually fight over the customers.  They are fighting over a client that will net them approximately $1.50 US, on average.

A UC San Diego student who was detained for five days in a DEA cell without food, water or a toilet has settled his lawsuit against the agency for $4.1 million.  Daniel Chong had to drink his own urine to survive.  He was so sure he would die that he used a shard of glass from his glasses to carve the words "sorry Mom" into his arm as a farewell message.

Dallas Cowboys safety Barry Church didn't have to go on the injured list, but he did miss a practice because he'd chipped a tooth on a Jolly Rancher.  He had to undergo a root canal.

Ossie Schectman played only one season in the NBA, but he holds a record that can never be touched by any player.  Schectman, who died Tuesday at the age of 94, scored the first ever points recorded in NBA history during the 1946/46 season, playing for the New York Knicks.

The son of Ariel Castro says he will never visit his father in prison.  Anthony Castro told NBC's Savannah Guthrie that his father belongs behind bars "for life".  Ariel Castro has pleaded guilty to 937 counts involving his having kidnapped three women who he held hostage for nearly a decade.  Under a plea deal he will be sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.

A woman gave birth to a baby weighing over 13 pounds, naturally (meaning without a C-Section).

WWE Randy Orton was on the receiving end of a low blow during an event in South Africa.  A fan snuck past security as Orton was about to begin a match, got behind him and hit in square in the family jewels.