This guy went to my school he was in the same year as me although i didnt know him well i wish him the best of luck.

A YOUNG Worksop athlete is just one win away from competing in the Beijing Olympics.
Slalom canoeist Andrew Hadfield goes head-to-head with Athens silver medallist Campbell Walsh tomorrow for the chance to represent Great Britain in the global sporting extravaganza.

The 23-year-old won one of the two qualifying races in the K1 single kayak category at the Zoetemeer course in Holland at the weekend and finished third behind the experienced Walsh in the other.

That was enough to earn him one of three spots on the GB team to compete in the European Championships in Krakow, Poland, next month.

But the Olympics is the main target, and victory tomorrow at Holme Pierrepont in Nottingham will book his seat on the flight to Beijing
It's basically a shootout between Walsh and Andy," said Hadfield's dad Alastair.

"The three races are based on points, not times, with the top two races counting. Walsh has four points more than Andy because he finished second when Andy won and because he earned Great Britain a spot at the Olympics."

Hadfield got caught up in one of the gates on his first run and finished third on Saturday.

Walsh would have sealed the Olympic spot with a win on Sunday but Hadfield was fastest down the course on both runs and managed to avoid the penalty gates, something all of his nine competitors failed to achieve.

He has spent this week training at Holme Pierrepont, a man-made water sports centre which has been the young Worksop man's home-from-home for much of his life.

Yesterday was light training before a day of rest today as he prepares mentally for a race that could change his life forever.

http://www.worksopguardian.co.uk/sport/Hadfield-is-one-win-from.3993602.jp

Apparently there was an earthquake at 4:40 AM. Normally I'd be up but last night I wasn't and didn't feel a thing.

Update on the story:
Local paper reported that someone called the police dept. anonymously and said they'd find the missing gun in a mailbox in the next town. They did.
Now they're reporting that the cop who left the gun in the john will undergo a "disciplinary review" to "assure it doesn't happen again." Maybe he should start taking kaopectate.

This place is about 5 mins from house

A siege at a house in Nottinghamshire involving a 45-year-old man thought to be armed with a sword has ended after more than 33 hours.

A woman, a child and another man, who had all allegedly been taken hostage, left when police were called to the scene at about 0900 BST on Sunday.

Nearby properties in Carlton in Lindrick, near Worksop, were evacuated.

At 1820 BST on Monday the man left the house voluntarily and was taken into police custody.

No-one was hurt in the incident, and neighbours were allowed to return to their houses.

A Nottinghamshire Police spokeswoman said: "Police would like to thank residents for their patience and co-operation."

http://news.google.co.uk/news?ned=uk&hl=en&ned=uk&q=worksop

This is the nephew of a friend of my wife. The mother saw it happen.


GARY | A 2-year-old boy was crushed by a freight train Thursday afternoon on tracks that run past his family's mobile home in Gary.

Neighbors heard Ryan Watson's mother calling for the boy about 4:30 p.m. at the mobile home park at Ridge Road and Cleveland Street, they said. Then they heard the train's brakes screech. A few men approached the boy's lifeless, destroyed body, they said. A man who asked not to be identified by name said he saw that the boy died instantly.

"I've seen a lot of things. That's the worst thing I ever saw in my life," the man said.

Neighbor Willie Mitchell also approached the boy's body, he said. He called Watson a "sweet little old kid" with plentiful energy. The boy's third birthday was approaching, the men said.

"Lord have mercy," Mitchell said.

"Poor little fellow got away a little too far."

Gary police Lt. Thomas Pawlak said Watson's death appeared accidental. Pawlak expected Thursday night that no one would be charged in connection with Watson's death, he said. Social workers descended on the scene Thursday night, asking witnesses how closely supervised Watson was when he wandered onto the tracks.

Pawlak said Watson was playing in the yard of the family's mobile home, which sits only a few yards from the Norfolk Southern tracks. An adult who was watching Watson left the yard briefly, Pawlak said. The adult came back outside to find the boy had run from the yard, Pawlak said.

The man who asked not to be identified said he heard Watson's mother call for the boy. The man ran behind his own mobile home to see if the boy was playing with the man's dog, as the boy often did.

"Next thing you know I heard the brakes lock up on that train," the man said.

The boy's mother saw that he was dead, Mitchell said. The neighbors stopped the boy's family and the train's conductor from viewing the boy, the men said.

The freight train blocked Ridge Road until 7:03 p.m., when the cars lurched and pulled from a scene that drew dozens of police, social workers and religious officials. Watson's family members cried into cell phones as neighbors watched the body's removal and the investigation that continued after dark.

Pawlak advised parents who live near train tracks to watch their children closely. Mitchell said the boy's mother took her eyes off the boy briefly before the accident.

"Just for a split second, man," Mitchell said.

"Gone."

That is freaking horrible.

But as the article says, you should never take your eyes off of a two year old, especially if you live yards from train tracks. What is going on in the house that's so darned important you leave a two year old alone. People never seem to fucking amaze and dumfound me.

I feel horrible for the mother, but the person who left the child alone should be in constant agony for the rest of their lives.

That is a horrifying story. I agree with Beth that it is mind boggling to leave a two year old alone only yards from train tracks. It will unfortunately haunt them forever. I wish them well.

There is a bank inside the hospital where I work. It got robbed not even two months ago, and today when I went to go to the ATM it was robbed again. This bank has no security, so the bad guys know it's a good target. I saw them take the upset teller somewhere to ID someone. Having had a gun to my face in the past I know how she feels. No pay check in the world is worth that kind of trauma.

OMG That is just tragic for the family.

There's been a guy around here robbing banks.... he hit the same one 3-4 times and they haven't caught him yet.

It's generally difficult to rob banks. Surveillance videos, automatic alarms, and security windows are impediments to robbers. The bank branches that are sprouting all over suburbia can be easier targets in that they allow easier access to flee and often don't have all of the security measures of the larger banks.

One thing that helps is the insertion of dyes in cash handed over that activates and renders the stolen loot worthless. Also, the devices that emit billowing clouds of red smoke make it easier to identify the culprit or cause him to abanon the money bag.

Beth, you are 100% right about no check is worth keeping with a gun in your face. Hand it over, get a description, and don't drag the situation out longer than it needs to be.

Well all they know at this point is he is a short stocky Mexican with a red minivan.

Really an easy target would be local supermarket service desks. All they have are some low quality cameras. Someone could probably get 20K or so at the end of a night. And they are never too busy about an hour before closing...

I think someone here heard that the camera in the bank wasn't working today. Of course! I wouldn't be surprised if it's an inside job. We have a prison ward here where we treat prisoners. Hey, maybe a corrupt guard let one of them escape to rob the bank and split the difference with him. I doubt the clowns that run that place are smart enough to even have dye packs. My sister used to be a teller at a bank that had 2 guards, and she was robbed. She said the bank might not want to get more help because their stance is it's better to lose the money since they're insured than to risk someone getting hurt.

A couple weeks ago there was a funeral for a gang member, and two guys getting into a car at that funeral were shot. One was killed and the other they brought here. My co-worker said they were fighting outside the emergency room trying to get into seeing this guy. It reminds me of the scenerio Yogi (I believe it was Yogi_ wrote about what happened at his job.

There was a stabbing caught on tape yesterday about 3 blocks north from where I work. This is right up the street from The Hippodrome theatre as well. They just restored this historical theatre a couple years ago, and now have broadway shows playing there. "The Color Purple" is playing there now. I guess they wanted to makes sure this girl was black, blue, purple and red. With all the bus assaults, students beating teachers and now this, where's Al Sharpton at when you need him?

http://wjz.com/local/stabbing.light.rail.2.719315.html

He's too busy holding up traffic here in New York.

Two boys who went to school with my daughter were hit by a train last night while walking on the tracks. They were 15. One was killed and the other has survived, but his condition is extremely critical. It was pouring here last night. Why would these boys be out walking on a railroad bridge? Horrible.

I pray for their parents.

Man, that is really sad SB. Did your daughter know them? Is this the same daughter who you wrote about had a friend that was really sick?

I'm sorry to hear this sad news, SB. It's devastating for the families.

That is sad SB. What a horrible way to die. I always wonder why people don't hear the train coming. Seems they are loud enough. It seems one would have time to get off the track no?? Obviously not. Anyway, Im sorry to here this sad news.

Although I don't have an article, just last week in Arrowhead (not my city, but more in the mountains, not too far from here) there have been 3 coyote attacks on little children right in their own backyard. The latest is a two year old girl who fortunately will survive, but was bitten twice from what I understand.

I've seen coyotes from a distance and at my other house even saw one walking along a back fence in a field. They usually are afraid and tend to run. The experts seem to think that from fires and such perhaps they are hungry and looking for food. I don't know, but how the hell to protect a child from a coyote in your own backyard.

TIS

It seems that the boys were walking on a railroad bridge that runs over the NYS Thruway. The police are theorizing that between the traffic noise and the rain, they didn't hear the train. Also, they were walking in the same direction as the train, so they didn't see it coming. And if they did, because they were on a bridge, they probably wouldn't have had anywhere to go.

Beth, she knew both the boys. We're a pretty small school district. They were more friends of friends, and the boy that died had transferred recently to a local Catholic high school, but when the entire high school is only a few hundred kids, a loss like this really hits home.

I can only think of their parents and can't imagine their pain.

Yes, her best friend was hit by a car last January. Although she has recovered to a great extent, she has suffered severe short-term memory loss and has several painful surgeries on her leg ahead. However, she's walking, she's talking, and that's a heck of a lot more than we ever expected.

TIS, we've had coyote problems here, too. We've had them show up in our yard and our neighbor's dog was eaten by one a few years ago. They are scary, although they usually don't do much harm. It's the price we pay for overdevelopment.

Uggh! This is just horrible. It reminds me years ago when a woman who worked in the finance deparment where I work lost her husband who died in a car accident going to take her and their newborn son home after he was born.

Woman Gives Birth, Hours After Husband Dies
BALTIMORE (AP) ―
A Catonsville woman delivered her first child on Mother's Day, only to learn that the child's father had died from the stab wounds he suffered during robbery.

Claudia Sales last saw her husband Carlos Santay while she was in labor Saturday afternoon. Santay went to a gas station about a block from their home to gas up his car for the ride to the hospital, but he never returned.

Finally, Sales left by ambulance for Howard County General Hospital.

Her baby boy, also named Carlos arrived about 3:30 a.m. Sunday.

Her husband's cousin later told her of Santay's death at another hospital.

Police say they have only a partial description of the assailant who stabbed Santay at the gas station.

Wow, that's a bad story. It reminds me of the groom, who was mistakenly shot to death by police on his wedding day in NY. Similarly, Bill Clinton's father was killed in a car accidsnt when he was driving to Arkansas to pick up his wife, who was several months pregnant with the future president.

About 20 years ago a group of friends was hosting a surprise birthday party for a young lawyer in the Harrisburg area. He was to meet them at a bar 20 minutes away at 6pm on a Friday evening. The young guy was killed in a car accident on his way to the party. The group stayed out for hours, was disappointed the guy didn't show up, and didn't learn about the tragedy until late that night.

Local story:

A six year old was dropped off at his school (late) by his mother. Nobody in the school watched the kid and he soon left the office to go to his kindergarten classroom. His classmates weren't there (they were in the auditorium attending an assembly) so the kid left, walked out of the school (unchallenged and unnoticed) and started to walk home. He got lost and ended up on Sunrise Highway (a major thoroughfare) until he was noticed by someone driving by.

As terrible as that is (school officials really fell down on that) I find it just as disturbing that the kid voluntarily got into the car of the (unknown) passerby (who luckily was a decent person).

Whatever happened to parents teaching their kids not to get into a stranger's car??

SC, funny you mention this story. My mom dropped me off at kindergarten one morning. She got that weird feeling that Mom's can get after she saw me go in, so she waited around the corner. Sure enough, about 20 minutes later, I came strolling out of school. When she asked me where I was going, I told her that the teacher hadn't shown up and I was going home (having to cross East 233rd Street in the Bronx, which was definitely a major thoroughfare).

She walked me back to my classroom and found complete and utter chaos. The teacher hadn't shown up, there was some mix up and there was no sub. My mother swears that the kids were swinging from the light fixtures. There was also the vomit domino effect going on.

I think the principal must still hear my mother's voice ringing in her ears.

As for kids not listening to the "stranger" story, 20/20 did a special on this very subject. Although the parents swore that they had lectured their children on the dangers of going off with someone, an undercover reporter approached children in a park saying that he had lost his puppy, and could they come help him look for it. Without fail, virtually every kid walked off with him.

That is very scary. I know I will be giving my son the do not talk to strangers lecture AGAIN!!!!

We had some gun action here in the West not long ago:

Meth is a big problem out here. Police got a tip about a car carrying meth, so they parked on the shoulder of a busy state road about a half mile from my home, and across from a busy mall. They spotted the car and pulled it over. Three people got out of the car--and one started shooting. The bullets were flying. The perp got one of the cops in the chest with a .357 mag, but luckily, the cop was wearing a vest, and it held. They wounded him in the arm and took him down.
I found out about this because I kept hearing sirens, then helicopters. I went out, found the highway roped off, and a copter circling the state road. It landed on an open field across from us and took the wounded perp to a hospital in Phoenix. About 20 official cars lined the road through the next day, looking for bullets and cartridges. The cop who was shot wasn't hurt, thank God. The three a-hole perps are looking at life plus 999 years.
The next week, one of my neighbors told me how he heard of this shootout: One of the perp's missed shots came right through his kitchen window.

"TO GET SOME CHEESECAKE, MOMMY".

That explains a lot.

Well, YEAH!! Actually, I was heading for Arthur Avenue to get some fresh cannoli.

Did you leave the gun?

You never want to do THAT on Arthur Avenue!