Richland has state’s highest road death tally
More people have died on Richland County roads this year than in any other county in the state, continuing a trend that consistently sees the county as the state’s leader in traffic fatalities, The State reports.
Eighteen people have died as a result of traffic collisions in Richland County as of midnight Sunday, The State reported.
Greenville and Berkeley counties have the next highest totals, with 11 traffic fatalities apiece.
Road deaths have been less frequent in other Midlands counties, according to The State: Lexington County, eight deaths; Kershaw County, five deaths; Orangeburg County, seven deaths; Sumter County, four deaths; Saluda County, one death; Newberry County, one death.
According to the state Department of Public Safety, 161 fatal traffic collisions have occurred in the state this year as of Monday, down from 198 last year in the same time frame.
— Sarah Ellis, Assistant News Editor
Naked man bites naked child, arrested
A naked man carrying a naked baby along a highway is bound to draw some attention. Calls to the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office Saturday about just that led to arrest of a Travelers Rest, S.C., man, The Associated Press reports.
Anthony Michael Hedger, 24, is charged with unlawful neglect of a child or helpless person and is being held under a $10,000 bond, according to AP.
A Greenville County deputy said the office received calls about the man with the child walking into the flow of traffic on U.S. 25 North, AP reported.
The arrest warrant said the man ran into the woods, where he was surrounded by civilians until deputies arrived, according to AP.
The man’s running into the woods led to scratches on the child, and when deputies tried to secure the child, the man bit the child on the shoulder, AP reported.
— Sarah Ellis, Assistant News Editor
Cookie Monster accused of shoving child
“Can you tell me how to get, how to get to … Times Square?” Or maybe not.
A man dressed as the “Sesame Street” character Cookie Monster Sunday is accused of shoving a 2-year-old child in New York’s Times Square and charged with endangering the welfare of a child, The Associated Press reports.
Osvaldo Quiroz-Lopez was arrested Sunday afternoon. A criminal report says the man shoved a toddler and shouted obscenities at a Connecticut family who posed for a picture with him but refused to pay him $2, according to AP.
Quiroz-Lopez has no prior arrests and did not enter a plea at his arraignment Monday, AP reported.
Cookie Monster is not the first character to cause a stir in Times Square. A performer dressed as a Super Mario Brother was accused of groping a woman there in December, according to AP.
— Sarah Ellis, Assistant News Editor
Cancer patient tops Clowney in Best of the Best
ESPN’s 45-time Best of the Best champion Jadeveon Clowney has finally fallen from the “SportsCenter” poll’s top spot.
A 7-year-old Nebraska Cornhuskers fan and cancer patient Jack Hoffman supplanted Clowney for the nation’s top sports play with a 69-yard touchdown run at Nebraska’s spring game Saturday, WIS reported.
Hoffman wore former Nebraska running back Rex Burkhead’s No. 22 jersey when he scored the touchdown, with Burkhead watching from the sidelines.
“If this is God’s way of doing it, then so be it,” Hoffman’s father, Andy Hoffman, told KETV of Lincoln, Neb. “Get the country talking about pediatric brain cancer.”
A video of Jack Hoffman’s touchdown has more than 2 million views on YouTube.
Clowney previously held the top SportsCenter spot for his hit on Michigan running back Vincent Smith in the Outback Bowl Jan. 1.
— Sarah Ellis, Assistant News Editor
Britain’s first female prime minister dies
Britain’s “Iron Lady,” Margaret Thatcher, died of a stroke Monday at age 87.
Thatcher was the first female prime minister of Britain and held office from 1979 to 1990. Her work with former U.S. President Ronald Reagan in the early ’80s helped end the Cold War.
The New York Times reported Thatcher had been in poor health for months and suffered from dementia.
In a White House statement, President Barack Obama said the world had “lost one of the great champions of freedom and liberty.”
“As prime minister, she helped restore the confidence and pride that has always been the hallmark of Britain at its best. And as an unapologetic supporter of our transatlantic alliance, she knew that with strength and resolve we could win the Cold War and extend freedom’s promise,” Obama said in the statement.
— Sarah Marchbanks, Copy Editor
5.5 tons of Nutella stolen in Germany
Belgium, hide your chocolate — it seems that today’s thieves have developed an insatiable sweet tooth.
Only nine months after 6 million pounds of Canadian syrup were stolen from the Global Strategic Maple Syrup Reserve, police in Germany said Monday unknown culprits had taken off with 5.5 tons of Nutella, CBS news reports.
The chocolaty-hazelnut haul, which has an estimated value of more than $20,000, was taken from a trailer parked over the weekend in the German town of Bad Hersfeld, according to CBS.
A German news agency, DPA, reported this wasn’t the first time the area has been the victim of food-related robberies. Previously, thieves filched a truckload of Red Bull energy drinks. In another instance, about 5 tons of coffee were taken, ABC news reports.
— Elizabeth Minten, Copy Editor