News Story
Homeland Security Warns Airlines of Possible Toothpaste Tube Bomb
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Air carriers flying to the Winter Olympics in Russia are being warned to look out for toothpaste tubes containing material for a bomb, Bloomberg reports. The warning comes just days before the start of the Olympics, where officials are on extra alert. It’s unclear what prompted the warnings, and Homeland Security would…
Throwing Stars, Skull Fragments, Grenades: You Won’t Believe the Items Confiscated by TSA in 2013?
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com The better question might be – what wasn’t confiscated from U.S. airports in 2013? The TSA discovered guns, grenades, throwing stars and human skull fragments on travelers at checkpoints, WSBT.com reports, citing a TSA blogger. Security found a stun gun in a cane and pepper spray disguised as lipstick. “Our officers regularly find…
Nearly a Year Later, FBI Still Uncertain What Motivated Sophisticated Sniper Attack on Power Substation
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com The FBI is still uncertain what motivated a sophisticated sniper attack at a Silicon Valley power substation last year. The New York Times reports that the attack exposed the vulnerability of electrical grids and led to concerns that terrorists were responsible. But the FBI has found no strong evidence to link the…
ATF Operation Veers into Human Trafficking and Naked Detective’s Massage
By Les Zaitz The Oregonian PORTLAND, Ore. — A police operation meant to protect girls working for a pimp ended with an 18-year-old woman partially stripped, talking sex while massaging a naked police detective in a hotel room. The 2011 episode in a Vancouver, Wash., hotel was an odd conclusion to a long undercover operation…
Four People Arrested, Questioned Over Possible Connection to Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Death
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Authorities may be closer to finding the source of the heroin that is believed to have killed 46-year-old actor Philip Seymour Hoffman. The USA Today reports that authorities arrested four people in Manhattan on Tuesday evening and were questioning them over possible connections to the actor’s death Sunday. The suspects were found…
FBI Rescues 16 Juveniles, More Than 50 Adults Forced into Prostitution for Super Bowl
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com FBI agents rescued 16 juveniles who were forced into prostitution for the Super Bowl in the New York City area, the Associated Press reports. The children, who ranged in age from 13 to 17, were found in Newark, New York City and New Haven. At least one of the victims had spent…
FBI Helps Investigate Tutor Accused of Teaching Students to Change Grades
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Private tutor Timothy Lance Lai sure knew how to boost students’ grades. Police says he’s the mastermind behind a cheating scandal at a Newport Beach high school where 11 students have been expelled for changing their grades by hacking into the district computer system, the L.A. Times reports. Now local police want…
NSA’s Widespread Surveillance Even Includes Members of Congress, Their Staff Members
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Not even members of Congress are immune to the NSA’s wide surveillance reach. During a House Judiciary Committee meeting Tuesday, Deputy Attorney General James Cole admitted that the NSA “probably” collects phone records of lawmakers and their staff, the National Journal reports. But Justice Department official said the information isn’t used without…