Friday Snippets and Soundbites

Good morning! And greetings from a freezing cold Nashville! No matter what the weather's like where you are, we know you're ready to get this Friday off to a good start.

And the best way to do that, you ask? Well, "Snippets and Soundbites" on the ec blog! Let's see what random news and weirdness this week's news sites holds in store!

Flashing lights mean stop. 

Especially if they belong to a police car and an officer who's alerting you to that fact that you're speeding. But the police in Sandusky, Ohio, can't take much credit for nabbing a woman who was drinking and driving there this week. Apparently, the woman thought she saw flashing police lights in her rearview mirror and pulled over. The lights actually came from a nearby skating rink. Then, the woman's car got stuck in the snowbank (near the sign) that she'd pulled into. A passing motorist called the police, who came to the scene and arrested the woman on charges of operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol. For more info on this story, go here. 

Help! I'm trapped! 

The flight was set to leave Washington's Reagan National Airport for Hartford, Conn. Everything seemed to be going well. The baggage had been loaded. The cargo doors were shut. It was time to push the plane back from the gate, but no one new where the tug driver was. The man had also been one of the bag handlers in charge of loading passengers' baggage into the cargo compartments. At some point in the confusion, the co-pilot heard screaming and pounding coming from the cargo area. The crew investigated—and found the missing baggage handler. He had crawled into the cargo area while loading the plane and another baggage handler closed the door on him. He was quickly freed and wasn't hurt at all. The flight left on time. . .but we bet that guy has a talk with his coworker! Learn more here.

Good manners are important. 

Your parents have probably drilled manners into your brain. It's just polite to say thank you, yes ma'am and yes sir, right? Well, apparently, it's even important when robbing a convenience store. Seattle police made an arrest in a weekend robbery committed by the "polite robber." The man entered the store and politely informed the clerk: "I'm robbing you, sir." He explained and apologized, saying that he had bills to pay and a family to feed. He even promised to pay the money back if he ever got back on his feet. The man left the store with $300. Police quickly identified a suspect and arrested him after the surveillance video went viral and people called in with tips. You can learn more by clicking here.

If this edition of "Snippets and Soundbites" isn't enough, be sure to check out page 38 in this month's (and every month's) issue of ec. You can subscribe to ec here.