The Daily News

[Siouxper]

This is a thread for discussion of smaller-scale news stories, mainly ones that aren't large enough to warrant a separate thread, but still worth discussing. If a certain story gains a lot of attention, it will be split off into a new topic. Please don't post stories of a sensitive nature (such as political stories or stories that might spark an argument or debate; those would be better off in the Debate group). When posting direct quotes or portions of a story, link back to the original site. Thanks!

Rick Strengthens to Category 5 Hurricane

Forecasters expect it to stay well off the coast for several days before bending east over cooler waters and hitting the peninsula as a Category 2 hurricane sometime Wednesday.

Even thought it will weaken to a Category 2, it's still very unfortunate for those living in the affected areas. Hope they all stay safe when it comes ashore.

[Siniri]

White-nose syndrome continues to decimate bat populations in the Northeast U.S. One of the largest hibernacula on the east coast has seen its winter bat population drop from 200,000 to a mere 2000. Experts are still stumped as to the exact mechanism by which the bats are dying, as well as how to combat it -- treating fungal infections is difficult enough for animals in captivity, much less in a wild population.

There were a lot more cases of Eastern Equine Encephalitis in the Northeast U.S. and eastern Canada this year; expect more mosquito-borne diseases in the coming summers since bats are the primary mosquito predator.

[Siouxper]

Very unfortunate that the bats are dying out

Largest Ever Web-Spinning Spider Discovered

About the size of a standard DVD, a newly described spider is now considered the largest in a class of web-spinners.

Wow, that is quite a large spider web

[ginny-ROX]

That was huge I couldn't beleive it

[Siouxper]

Man pleads guilty to DWI in motorized La-Z-Boy

DULUTH, Minn. – A Minnesota man has pleaded guilty to driving his motorized La-Z-Boy chair while drunk. A criminal complaint says 62-year-old Dennis LeRoy Anderson told police he left a bar in the northern Minnesota town of Proctor on his chair after drinking eight or nine beers.

Prosecutors say Anderson's blood alcohol content was 0.29, more than three times the legal limit, when he crashed into a parked vehicle in August 2008. He was not seriously injured.

Police said the chair was powered by a converted lawnmower and had a stereo and cup holders.

Sixth Judicial District Judge Heather Sweetland stayed 180 days of jail time Monday and ordered two years of probation for Anderson. His attorney, David Keegan, did not immediately return a call for comment.

Northwest Plane That Overshot Airport Had Old Black Box, Which May Not Help Solve Mystery

This story has been all over the news, or at least the channels I have been watching. I'm just glad they made it back to the airport safely.

[Blue]

That motorized la-z-boy is awesome. Complete with headlights and an NHRA sticker and everything

[Siouxper]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,572853,00.html?test=latestnews

950th Try Is a Charm: Woman Finally Passes Driver's License Test

SEOUL, South Korea — A woman in South Korea who tried to pass the written exam for a driver's license with near-daily attempts since April 2005 has finally succeeded on her 950th time.

I'm glad she finally passed, and I wish her good luck on her road test.

[Siniri]

6/30/10: Meet George Jetson
Yep, that's right, the FAA has approved the first airplane that also meets federal highway safety standards. With a required landing strip of 1/3 mile and a price tag close to $200k (USD), don't expect it to replace the average commuter's car any time soon.

8/2/10: Keeping with the transportation theme: Megabuses