WOMAN JAILED OVER STICK UP KIDZ TATTOO: ERIE, Pa. (AP) — A northwestern Pennsylvania woman has been jailed on charges she tried to help an alleged robbery and burglary ring avoid detection — by telling one of its accused members to remove a tattoo that says "Stick Up Kidz" from his arm.
Online court records don't list an attorney for 21-year-old Desiree Husband, of Erie, who has been jailed pending a preliminary hearing March 22 on charges including conspiracy to tamper with physical evidence and obstruction of justice.
The Erie Times-News reports Husband became the 15th person charged in connection with the group which Erie police say operated a robbery and burglary ring out of a duplex on the city's crime-ravaged East Side.
The group refers to itself as the "Stick Up Kidz" or "S.U.K" and is allegedly responsible for crimes in the city and its suburbs.
MICH. MINOR-LEAGUE TEAM TO OFFER BACON-SHELL TACO: COMSTOCK PARK, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan minor league team plans to offer its fans an oink-tastic treat this summer.
Those who come to see the West Michigan Whitecaps play will have the opportunity to chow down on a Baco, a taco with a specially made bacon shell.
The Baco was the top vote-getter in the fourth annual Whitecaps food contest, which determines Fifth Third Ballpark's next culinary delight.
The team narrowed to 10 a list of more than 150 fan-submitted menu ideas and turned the contest over to the fans.
The second-place finisher was The Bad Joke, a corn dog covered in cheese with two strips of duck bacon on a bun.
Previous winners of the food contest include Chicks with Sticks and the Declaration of Indigestion. They've since been retired from the menu.
CARNIVAL FLYING STRANDED CRUISE PASSENGERS HOME: PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten (AP) — Passengers from the cruise ship Carnival Dream headed to the airport Thursday instead of sailing home after an on-board generator problem halted their trip in the latest maintenance headache for the world's largest cruise line.
The Dream was in St. Maarten on the final stop of a Caribbean cruise when the crew announced it would not be sailing home to Port Canaveral, Florida, because of a mechanical issue with a diesel generator, passengers said.
Carnival Cruise Lines said the Dream had a "technical issue" with its backup emergency diesel generator that was discovered during a test Wednesday. A company statement said that the ship did not lose power but that there were periodic interruptions to elevators and restrooms.
Carnival said all systems were functioning normally Thursday but the company decided to get the passengers home by air.
NEWTOWN GUNMAN HAD INTEREST IN OTHER MASS MURDERS: NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — The man who killed 26 people inside a Connecticut elementary school last year showed interest in other mass killings, people close to the investigation told The Associated Press.
The 20-year-old gunman, Adam Lanza, killed his mother at their home before killing 20 first-graders and six staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown on Dec. 14. He killed himself as police arrived.
Authorities found literature on other mass shootings at Lanza's house, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the investigation. Another person familiar with the investigation says Lanza demonstrated an interest in other mass murders. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is continuing.
The discovery suggests Lanza didn't act on impulse and might have used past mass killings as a guide.
"It certainly lends some evidence of prior planning and at least a fascination with these kind of incidents, if not using it as a way to sort of develop a plan," said Jack McDevitt, associate dean in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Northeastern University.
Other killers have been found with materials from earlier mass shootings or cited the crimes, said Jack Levin, a professor at Northeastern University who has written a number of books on mass murderers.
GAY VIETNAMESE-AMERICAN GROUP BARRED FROM PARADE: WESTMINSTER (AP) — A Southern California city is reviewing its rules after a gay Vietnamese-American group was excluded from February's annual Tet Parade in Little Saigon.
The Orange County Register reports Thursday that the Westminster City Council had a closed session to discuss the issue.
Afterward, City Attorney Richard Jones said the council is unanimous in opposing discrimination against this or any other gay and lesbian group, and is disappointed some agreement wasn't reached over the parade.
The council will receive recommendations on possible moves at its next meeting March 27.
The Partnership of Viet Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Organizations marched in past parades when they were city-run, but were barred after a community federation took over this year. The federation said they feared the gay group would drive out other participants.
