São Paulo, Brazil – Professional clown Francisco Everardo Oliveira Silva, also known as Tiririca (“Grumpy”), has won a seat in the Brazilian Congress. Polls estimate that Tiririca won 1.3 million votes, which is much more than any other candidate. However, he may not be able to accept the position because of illiteracy claims. In an interview with Época magazine, Tiririca became nervous after the interviewer asked him to read poll questions. Instead of reading them himself, he had aides read them aloud. Tiririca has 10 days to prove to a judge that he can read and write, or else he will lose his seat in Congress. Approximately 10 percent of Brazil’s population is illiterate.

Read more at usatoday.com.

Chattaroy, Washington – After putting a ban on the “I Heart Boobies” breast cancer bracelets, the administration at Riverside High School suspended nine students who refused to remove the bracelets. The students say they were showing support not only for breast cancer but also for a classmate with a brain tumor. Concerned with the inappropriate message on the bracelets and the distraction they cause, administrators then compromised and allowed students to wear the bracelets turned inside out. Three students still refused to comply and were suspended on Monday. The same week, the school cancelled a “Relay for Life” event focused on breast cancer due to lack of interest.

Read more at krem.com.

London, England – Britain officially recognized Druidry as a religion on Saturday, giving it benefits such as a charitable status. The religion dates back to the time of the Celts and focuses on deities that take shape in nature. The religion is known for its cloaked worshipers holding ceremonies at places like Stonehedge. The Druid Network, comprised of around 350 members in Britain, stated in its application to the Charity Commission for England and Wales that despite popular belief, they do not sacrifice humans and/or animals as part of their worship.

Read more at blogs.cnn.com.

Collin Hoofnagle can be reached for comment at choofnagle@jcpatriot.com

London, England – Southwest Britain resident Kay Russell claims that she now speaks with what sounds like a French accent after experiencing a severe migraine attack. Neuroscientists are aware of this disorder, dubbed Foreign Accent Syndrome. Cases of the disorder in 2006 and 2009 happened after a stroke and brain surgery, respectively. Sophie Scott, a researcher at University College London’s Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, says the disorder can be a result of people shifting their mouths differently when they speak or emphasizing certain syllables differently following a stroke or brain injury.

Read more at usatoday.com.

Sante Fe, New Mexico – A new ordinance is being drafted regarding public nudity after complaints about the World’s Naked Bike Ride Event held in Sante Fe in June. The city council received complaints saying that people’s children saw more than they should have. The ordinance would require all genital, buttocks, and breast areas to be covered. However, the ordinance would include an exemption for people protesting or performing art, which would include the nude bicycling event. Female members of the council refuse to support the ordinance because they say it would create a gender gap.

Read more at koat.com.

Cambridge, Massachusetts – Three Cambridgeport Elementary School students were taken to the hospital after they mistook pepper spray for perfume and sprayed each other. The eight- and nine-year-olds discovered the pepper spray on the school campus.

Read more at thebostonchannel.com.

Colin Hoofnagle can be reached for comment at choofnagle@jcpatriot.com

Newark, Ohio – Seniors at Licking Valley High School have organized a second senior prom, separate from the prom hosted by their high school. The event was planned in response to tight regulations placed on the school’s planned prom. Licking Valley Principal announced that in an attempt to curb “grinding,” no hip-hop music will be played and that other activities will be offered during the dance. The alternate prom will take place in a nearby ballroom. 15 parent chaperones and a safety officer will be at the event. 108 tickets have been sold for the alternate prom.

Read more at newarkadvocate.com.

Concord, Massachusetts – The town of Concord will ban the sale of bottled water beginning in 2011. Only water in re-usable bottles can be sold and delivered in the town. Town officials are unsure, however, if the law can take effect without approval from the state of Massachusetts.

Read more at thebostonchannel.com.

Houston, Texas – Despite its being responsible for the recent Gulf oil spill dispensing an estimated 5,000 barrels of oil a day, BP is one of three finalists for an award honoring oil companies for “outstanding safety and pollution prevention.” The winner was already chosen before the oil spill and was scheduled to be announced on May 3. However, the Department of Interior cancelled the event to better focus its efforts on the oil spill. A spokeswoman for the department could not say whether the recent spill could affect the previously chosen winner.

Read more at news.blogs.cnn.com.

Collin Hoofnagle can be reached for comment at choofnagle@jcpatriot.com.

Utah – A convicted killer on death row has selected to die by a firing squad, the third to do so in the past 35 years. Utah, only one of the two states to currently allow the firing squad as a method of death if others are deemed unconstitutional, took the option away in 2004. But Ronnie Lee Gardner, the convicted killer, was sentenced in 1985 and originally chose the firing squad.  Anti-capital punishment protestors, including the family of Gardner’s victim, are demonstrating outside the courthouse where the order of execution was signed. Gardner is scheduled to die June 18. His lawyer is currently seeking an appeal.

Read more at bbc.co.uk.

Barcelona, Spain – Doctors claim they have performed the world’s first full face transplant, replacing a man’s nose, lips, teeth, and cheekbones. Requiring 30 doctors, the surgery took 24 hours. The patient, whose name is being withheld, opted for the transplant after an accident severely disfigured his face. The accident from which he sustained the injuries was not made clear. The patient requested to see himself in the mirror a week after the procedure and wrote that he was “satisfied.”

Read more at cnn.com.

Hanover, New Hampshire – A new study links the viewing of R-rated movies and drinking in middle school-aged children. Among the children who indicated their parents allow them to watch R-rated films “all the time,” a quarter of them tried an alcoholic drink without telling their parents. Of those “never allowed” to watch R-rated films, just three percent had had an alcoholic drink without their parent’s knowing. James Sargent, co-author of the study, said parenting style was accounted for and had no effect. According to Sargent, “the movie effect is over and above that effect.”

Read more at usatoday.com.

Collin Hoofnagle can be reached for comment at choofnagle@jcpatriot.com.

Read more at timesonline.co.uk.

Washington, D.C. – As part of an effort to acquire digital media in its collections, the Library of Congress will archive all tweets from the popular social networking site Twitter. The site receives 55 million messages, with 140 characters or less each, every day. The Library of Congress has already archived 167 terabytes of various digital media, equal to the capacity of 5,344 iPods with a 32GB capacity.

Read more at nytimes.com.

New York, New York – After an exhibit featuring live, nude models opened on March 14, several of the models at the New York exhibit have complained of being groped by visitors. The Museum of Modern Art will not speak about any specific incidents, but says they have recognized the problems. The museum says that any visitor who improperly touches or disturbs one of the live models will be escorted out by security. The exhibit features an area where visitors squeeze through two nude models facing each other.

Read more at foxnews.com.

 Collin Hoofnagle can be reached for comment at choofnagle@jcpatriot.com.

Buenos Aires, Argentina – After a spike in sexual assaults over the past year in the Mendoza province, officials have authorized a process for convicted rapists known as “chemical castration.” The process involves taking a medication that lowers the sex drive combined with physiological treatment. The process is not mandatory for convicted rapists, but is hoped to help curb long sentences for those who elect to undergo the process. So far, 11 rapists have indicated they wish to participate.

Read more at cnn.com.

Edinburgh, Indiana – A man in an Edinburgh grocery store was arrested after frantically cutting through packaged meat and throwing the raw meat on the floor. 28 year-old Anthony Coffman even poured dog food on top of the meat. Coffman was attempting to contaminate the beef, totaling $200, so it couldn’t be sold. He told police that he is a vegetarian and that it upsets him when other people eat meat. Coffman also said God had sent him to the store and he was only trying to save little girls from food he thought would make them “chubby.” Police believe the grocery store incident was sparked by an argument Coffman had with his grandmother over her making a pot roast. Coffman was taken to a hospital for mental evaluation.

Read more at theindychannel.com.

Louisville, Kentucky – A custodian at a Louisville high school found a fetus in a paper towel receptacle. The coroner’s office estimated the fetus was aborted at less than 20 weeks gestation, meaning it never took a breath. Principal of Iroquois High School Joey Riddle said no student has come forward, nor has any student indicated medical complications from aborting a fetus.
Read more at wlky.com.

Collin Hoofnagle can be reached for comment at choofnagle@jcpatriot.com

Scotland – Scotland’s water treatment staff have revealed interesting finds among their sewers. A live snake, badger, a dead cow, and sheep were among the things found in Scotland’s sewer network throughout the past year. Workers found many other smaller animals still living, such as a goldfish and a frog. Workers even found a stolen credit card belonging to one of the water treatment workers that was stolen. The staff urged Scots to be mindful of what they flush, but also acknowledged that items find their way into the system, which costs $9 million a year to maintain, through drains and manholes.

Read more at bbc.co.uk.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates – An Indian man and woman have been sentenced to three months in jail for sending sexually suggesting text message to each other. Judges in Dubai, where the pair lives, ruled they were “planning to commit sin,” as the woman is married and to have an extramarital affair is considered a sin in the Emirate.  The pair was originally sentenced to six months in jail and deportation, but an appeals court lessened the sentence and gave them the option of remaining in the country. Had there been more evidence to prove the man and the woman actually had an extramarital affair, they would have received a harsher sentence. In the same week, a British couple announced they will appeal a one month jail sentence they received for exchanging “a passionate kiss” while in a Dubai restaurant.

Read more at bbc.co.uk.

Boston, Massachusetts – The Massachusetts House of Representatives passed an anti-bullying bill in response to two teen suicides in the state in the past year. The House version of the bill will require all school staff, including cafeteria workers and bus drivers, to report bullying incidents to principals. If a principal deems that the bullying amounts to criminal behavior, the principal must report it to police. The bill also requires school staff to undergo training to look for signs of bullying both in school and online. Governor Deval Patrick said he will sign the bill after it is reconciled with a Senate version.

Read more at boston.com. 

Tbilisi, Georgia – Just 19 months after Russian forces invaded Georgia, a national Georgian news network aired a half-hour program highlighting what would happen if Russian forces were to invade again. The station displayed no message during the broadcast to inform viewers that the situation was fictional, and viewers of the network thought that Russian forces had again invaded the small European country. As part of the fictional broadcast, an anchor for the news network updated viewers that Russian forces had bombed an airport in Georgia’s capital city and a military base in Georgia’s countryside. Two hours after the broadcast, the network ran a ribbon of text apologizing for the confusion that had caused panic.

Read more at cnn.com.

Rome, Italy – The world’s shortest man, measuring just 2 ft. 5 in. tall, died in Rome Saturday, March 13. 22 year-old He Pingping, a native of China, died in a Roman hospital after entering two weeks ago complaining of chest pain. Pingping was in Rome to film a series called “The Record Show.” Pingping’s body will be laid to rest in China.

Read more at bbc.co.uk.

Auburn Hills, Michigan – African American residents in a Detroit suburb reported finding Easter eggs stuffed with racially-hateful messages in their yards. The eggs, which families believe were thrown in their yards, contain messages with the N-word and messages mentioning the Aryan race. Police say they are looking into the case.

Read more at wbaltv.com.

Collin Hoofnagle can be reached for comment at choofnagle@jcapatriot.com.

Colleton County, South Carolina – A nine year-old girl attempted to poison her fourth grade teacher, according to Sheriff’s Deputies. A substitute teacher overheard the girl, whose name has been withheld, telling others students that she had “taken care” of her teacher and that teacher would not be coming back to school.  After the girl was confronted, she confessed to crushing up prescription medicine and pouring them into the teacher’s water bottle. The poisoned teacher said that she began to feel ill that day, but waited until the next day to go visit a doctor. Once at the doctor, the teacher took a toxicology test, which came back negative. The girl has been suspended, and, if convicted, will serve a sentence under house arrest.

Read more at live5news.com.

Boulder, Colorado – A Boulder Catholic school has refused to re-admit a preschooler because the student has two lesbian mothers. The Archdiocese of Denver issued a statement saying that “parents living in open discord with Catholic teaching in areas of faith and morals unfortunately choose by their actions to disqualify their children from enrollment.” Around 24 protesters were present for Sunday’s Mass at the Church which runs the school.

Read more at thedenverchannel.com.

Amsterdam, Netherlands – A 41 year-old Swedish man was arrested at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport for forgery and flying without a license moments before he was set to fly a commercial jet with 140 passengers on board. The man, whose name has not been released, was previously charged in Sweden with flying without a license, but authorities were forced to drop the case because he left Sweden.

Read more at cnn.com.

Collin Hoofnagle can be reached for comment at choofnagle@jcpatriot.com.

Central Falls, Rhode Island – As part of an effort to clean up education throughout its district, a Rhode Island school board voted to fire all 93 teachers, administrators, and other staff at Central Falls High School. The school, one of lowest-performing schools in the state, is located in a community where the median income is $22,000. For years, the school performed poorly. Half of the 800 students are failing every subject, and only 7 percent are deemed proficient in math. The staff will continue to teach for the remainder of the school year.

Read more at cnn.com

Beverly Hills, California – A woman underwent reconstructive surgery after having been saved by her size-D breast implants. Lydia Carranza was involved in a July 1 shooting at a dental clinic, where her co-worker’s husband opened fire. Lydia Carranza was shot in the arm and the chest, and according to her doctor, her implant stopped the bullet from hitting her heart. Carranza’s implant deflated soon after, but she was unable to undergo reconstructive surgery until now because of her wounds.

Read more at ktla.com

Paris, France – The French parliament will vote on a proposal that would require men who are considered violent towards their partners to wear electronic ankle-bracelets. Men who receive an order from a court to stay away from their spouses would be required to wear the bracelet, which would alert police if the offender appeared to be approaching his partner. The proposal has support from both of France’s main political parties and is expected to pass easily. Police estimate that around 160 French women are murdered by their partners each year.

Read more at bbc.com.

Collin Hoofnagle can be reached for comment at choofnagle@jcpatriot.com.