Non-Santa burglar gets stuck in chimney

It wasn’t Santa Claus that rescue workers found stuck up a chimney in central Australia on Friday - it was a would-be burglar.

Staff at the Gapview Hotel in Alice Springs heard a man groaning when they arrived for work in the hotel bar, and called the fire department.

The man had been stuck inside the chimney for about 10 hours with his knees jammed tightly into his chest, said local fire station officer Mark James.

‘He was like a grub in a cocoon when we found him,’ James said. ‘He was really wedged in there.’

Firefighters and ambulance officers spent 90 minutes trying to free the man before finally removing part of the chimney with jackhammers.

What the burglar did not look like

‘Imagine being in the tightest ball you can (make) and being in that position for 10 hours,’ James said.

‘He was pretty embarrassed and ashamed, so he didn’t say much when we got him out. He was obviously feeling sore and sorry for himself.’

The man’s identity was not immediately released, and it was not clear if he would be charged with any offense.

 Cranky customer leaves waitress $50,000

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) — For nearly seven years Melina Salazar did her best to put on a smile and tend to the every need of her most loyal and cantankerous customer.

She made sure his food was as hot as he wanted, even if it meant he burned his mouth. And she smiled through his demands and curses. The 89-year-old Walter “Buck” Swords obviously appreciated it, leaving the waitress $50,000 and a 2000 Buick when he died.

“I still can’t believe it,” the Luby’s cafeteria employee told Harlingen television station KGBT-TV in an interview during which she described Swords as “kind of mean.”

Swords, a World War II veteran, died in July. But Salazar learned just a few days before Christmas that he had left her the money and car.

Marianne White , CanWest News Service

Published: Thursday, December 20, 2007

QUEBEC - Quebec is implementing new measures to better supervise the use of Tasers in the province - including giving immediate medical attention to a person hit by a Taser - following the recommendations of a task force.

The Public Security ministry released a report Wednesday from a government committee calling for limits on the use of Tasers, which fire 50,000 volts of electricity. At the same time the department said it had sent new guidelines to police chiefs the day before to explain when and how the weapon should be used.

Before using a Taser, police officers will have to make sure the person refuses to comply and must assess the violence potential of the suspect, the risk of injuries and if the person is armed.

The ministry said that the use of a Taser is reasonable when trying to bring under control a person who is a significant threat to himself, to the police officer or to someone else. It’s also reasonable when the police officer has to protect himself against an imminent threat of physical injury.

The new guidelines specify that an agitated person should be considered a medical emergency and therefore police officers should call for medical help before doing any physical intervention.

A person who has been hit by a Taser will also have to get a medical evaluation “as soon as possible” before being taken into custody.

Public Security Minister Jacques Dupuis didn’t comment directly on the report but said only the most qualified police officers were allowed to use the Tasers.

“It’s not the weapon itself that is dangerous, but rather the way it’s used,” Dupuis told the Quebec legislature Wednesday before the report was made public.

The report also suggests police officers receive more in-depth training on the use of the weapon, a recommendation the government says it will follow.

Across the country in the past year, there have been about a dozen investigations into the use of Tasers. In Canada, Tasers have been involved in as many as 20 deaths since 2001.

In Quebec, the cases of Claudio Castagnetta, who died in Sept. two days after being hit with a Taser, and Quilem Registre, who died in Montreal after being stopped by police on suspicion of drunk driving, are being reviewed.

© CanWest News Service 2007

How to make it on the ‘best of’ episode of ‘Antiques Road Show’…gotta find me one of these! 

710-year-old copy of Magna Carta sold in

The document, which had been expected to draw bids of $30 million or higher, was bought by David Rubenstein, of The Carlyle Group, a private equity firm, the spokeswoman said.  

Sotheby’s vice-chairman David Redden called the ancient parchment “the most important document in the world, the birth certificate of freedom.”  

The document had been owned by the Perot Foundation since the early 1980s. It had been on exhibit at the auction house for the last 11 days.  

Bearing the seal of King Edward I and dated 1297, it is one of 17 known copies of the historic tract that limited the powers of the monarch. It is one of two that exist outside Britain; the other is in

In the 1980s, it was sold by a British family for $1.5 million to the Perot Foundation, created by Texas billionaire H. Ross Perot, and from 1988 until earlier this year it was on loan to the National Archives in

“Over those years,” Redden said, “it may have been seen by 40 to 50 million people, certainly the most viewed version of the Magna Carta anywhere.”  

The Magna Carta came into existence when a group of English barons demanded King John affix his seal to a list of protections at

Tuesday’s sale price included the auction house’s commission.  

Published: Thursday, December 20, 2007TORONTO - Four school board employees, allegedly cheated out of their winning lottery ticket by a retailer who claimed the prize money as his own, received a cheque for $5.7 million - plus interest - Wednesday from the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation.

The cheque came as Ontario Provincial Police announced they had charged Hafiz Malik, a 60-year-old former convenience store owner with theft and fraud following an investigation into “insider wins” at the OLG.

Police allege Malik, who was released on $60,000 bail Wednesday afternoon, validated the group’s Lotto 6/49 ticket at his now-closed convenience store in midtown Toronto but didn’t tell the customers they had won.

Hafiz Malik (right) leaves Old City Hall Court House in downtown Toronto with his son after being released on bail on Wednesday 

He has been charged with two counts of fraud of more than $5,000 and one count of theft of more than $5,000.

A lawyer for winners Lorraine Teicht, Paul Carlisi, Silvana Pincivero and Aurora Pincivero said his clients played the same numbers regularly and realized they might have been duped after checking the OLG website for the winning numbers nine months ago.

The OLG said when it received a complaint from the group in July it launched an internal investigation and determined the co-workers were the rightful owners.

The winning ticket was purchased in Orillia, Ont. in June 2004 and validated by Malik who allegedly claimed the prize as his own in January of 2005.

The OLG said it did investigate Malik at the time he claimed the prize but CEO Kelly McDougald said she could not comment because the case is before the courts.

Speaking in general terms, McDougald said any “insider” who claimed a prize was subject to a series of questions, which she wouldn’t reveal, when they came to claim their money.

OPP said Malik’s arrest was part of a larger investigation into “insider wins” prompted by a scathing report by Ontario’s ombudsman earlier this year.

In his report Andre Marin blasted the OLG for being more fixated on profits than the integrity of games after a disproportionate number of lottery retailers or their families claimed winning tickets.

Ontario store owners and their families claimed about $100 million in lottery wins between 1999 and 2006, including tens of millions of fraudulent claims ignored by the public lottery corporation, Marin said in his report.

Responding to news of the arrest, Ontario’s ombudsman said he was pleased to see the OLG and OPP take the “insider wins” problem seriously.

“No doubt the OLG has undergone important changes in the last few months, but culture change is not achieved overnight,” Marin said in a statement. “The developments today are a cautionary reminder to the OLG to remain vigilant and not let its guard down in protecting the public interest.”

OPP said they have seized and frozen more than $5 million of Malik’s assets, including three cars and a home in Mississauga.

In a news release, the rightful winners said they were thrilled to receive the cash and planned to continue playing the same numbers in the future.

“Life will be a lot easier and more comfortable for my family and I,” wrote Aurora Pincivero.

Carlisi said he was “ecstatic” at the new-found cash, which the group was informed they would be receiving in October.

The OLG held off on making that public until OPP revealed results of its investigation.

“This provides a wonderful opportunity for my wife and I to explore many new avenues of interest - a waterfront property, travel and a pearl necklace for the cat!”

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty said he hoped the arrest would serve as a warning to other retailers.

“I’m delighted with the signal this is sending to retailers of lottery tickets in the province of Ontario which is - if you try to cheat people out of their winnings, if you try to rip off the system, we’re going to be all over you.”

OPP said they are still investigating four other “insider wins

Southern Ontario bracing for major winter storm

Updated Tue. Feb. 13 2007 1:13 PM ET

toronto.ctv.ca

A winter storm warning has been issued for regions southwest of Toronto, while commuters in the GTA should be bracing for a heavy snowfall during the commute home.

Environment Canada is calling for between 30 and 50 centimetres of the white stuff to blanket Hamilton and Niagara Falls on Tuesday, while Oakville and Burlington could see a major dumping as well.

In Toronto, where temperatures called for a high of -12C but -26C with the wind chill, forecasters predicted 15 to 20 centimetres of snow when flakes begin falling mid-afternoon.

The weather system is being labelled the worst storm of the season.

Toronto so far has been relatively snow-free, as only 10 centimetres has fallen this winter, the lowest tally at this time of year since 1937.

The city usually accumulates 77 centimetres by this date.

The weather has caused some flight delays and cancellations at Pearson International Airport. Officials say they are prepared.

“We’re ready for whatever kind of weather we get and we’re confident things will go relatively smoothly,” said Greater Toronto Airport Authority spokesperson Scott Armstrong.

Those who plan on flying in the next few days are being advised to call their airline to see if their flights have been delayed or cancelled.

The Wednesday morning commute could be treacherous as well as another 10 centimetres of blowing snow is expected.

The snowfall is finally expected to end Wednesday night.

Police are reminding residents to use caution while shoveling following the death of an Orillia man. The 43-year-old suffered a heart attack while clearing snow from the roof of his parents’ home.

Meanwhile, the City of Toronto extended its extreme cold weather alert on Tuesday.

With a report from CTV’s John Musselman

@

Classic NHL Rivalry Heats up for 5th Time This Season

The Montreal Canadiens are mired in their longest home losing streak in more than seven years. Facing red-hot Vesa Toskala and the Toronto Maple Leafs may extend that slide even further.

The Canadiens will try to notch a rare home win when they take on surging Maple Leafs on Saturday night.

Montreal (15-11-5) has lost six straight at the Bell Centre - including two shootouts - after starting the season 5-2-2 there. It’s the Canadiens’ longest home losing streak since a seven-game skid from Oct. 28-Nov. 25, 2000.

Finding the back of the net has been Montreal’s biggest problem at home recently, as it’s scored two regulation goals or less in five of six games. The Canadiens are 2-1-1 this season against the Maple Leafs (14-12-6), but they lost the one game played in Montreal 3-2 on Nov. 3.

Toskala made 32 saves for Toronto in that game, and is 2-0-1 with a 2.32 goals-against average in four career games versus the Canadiens. Toskala - in his first year with Toronto - is having his best stretch of the season, going 6-1-0 in his last seven games and allowing two goals or less in each of those contests.

“I’m seeing the puck well,” Toskala said. “Overall, I’m really comfortable. I’m having fun. That’s the key.”

Toskala continued his hot streak Friday, stopping 24 shots as the Maple Leafs beat Atlanta 4-0 in the opener of a season-high seven-game road trip. It was his second shutout of the season, and eighth of his career.

Montreal, though, is coming off a strong game on the road, getting two goals from Mark Streit in a 4-1 win over Philadelphia on Thursday. After playing defense in the early part of the season, Streit is now part of a forward line.

“I played defenseman for about 25 games because we had a couple of injuries,” said Streit, who scored his first goals in 22 games. “When the coach put me up front, I didn’t maybe shoot as much as I wanted to, but finally tonight I scored twice and it’s a great feeling for my confidence.”

Streit has four goals and 17 points on the season.

Montreal also got a strong game in goal from rookie Carey Price, who has made five straight starts in place of Cristobal Huet, sidelined by a groin injury. Price - the fifth overall pick in the 2005 draft - made 29 saves against the Flyers.

Price is 2-2-1 with a 2.74 GAA since Huet’s injury, and 2-0-0 with a 2.88 GAA in two career starts against Toronto. In his last matchup with the Maple Leafs, Price turned away four of Toronto’s five shootout attempts as Montreal won 4-3 on Nov. 27.

A sixth straight start for Price would pit him against a Toronto team that has scored six goals in two of its last three games. The Maple Leafs lead the NHL with 44 second-period goals, including two Friday.

Associated Press

OBERLIN, Kan. - Talk about a snail’s pace.

A postcard featuring a colour drawing of Santa Claus and a young girl took almost a century to reach its destination.

The card, mailed in 1914, just arrived in northwest Kansas.

The Christmas card was dated Dec. 23, 1914, and mailed to Ethel Martin of Oberlin, Kansas, apparently from her cousins in Alma, Nebraska.

Oberlin postmaster Steve Schultz says it’s a mystery where the card spent most of the last century.

He says: “It’s surprising that it never got thrown away.”

Ethel Martin is deceased, but Schultz says the post office wanted a relative to have the card.

That’s how it ended up with Bernice Martin, Ethel’s sister-in-law.

She says the 93-year-old card was apparently found somewhere in Illinois.

“That’s all we know,” she said. “But it is kind of curious. We’d like to know how it got down there.”

The card was placed inside another envelope with modern postage for the trip to Oberlin, since the one-cent postage of the early 20th century wouldn’t have covered it.

“We don’t know much about it,” said Martin. “But wherever they kept it, it was in perfect shape.”