Hold on to your dreadlocks...literally

Just when you thought crime couldn't get any stranger, a new trend of stealing the hair right off your head has cropped up in parts of South Africa. The thieves target individuals with dreadlocks that oftentimes have been grown for years. Unfortunately not everyone who is interested in the style is willing to take the time and effort to grow them, hence the emergence of this type of crime. What is frightening is that the thieves use whatever sharp item they have at their disposal, sometimes even broken glass to cut off the hair before making their getaway. The dreadlocks are later woven onto the existing hair of someone who has requested the look. With the style growing in popularity, one can only assume that this crime spree is far from over. Source.

If something like this happened to me, I'd feel angry and violated. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this topic. Feel free to leave a comment below.

Hostage Freed in Alabama Standoff

Many of you have been anxiously following the story of the 5 year old boy who was abducted in Alabama. Some of you have prayed for this boy each night and hoped for a peaceful resolution to the hostage standoff. I can now tell you that Ethan has been rescued and seems to be in good health. The decision to enter the bunker was made after negotiations had deteriorated and Dykes had been seen with a gun. Though details are still emerging as to what transpired when FBI agents entered the bunker, it has now been confirmed by FBI Special Agent Steve Richardson that Dykes is dead. Ethan, though he appears to be unharmed, is currently being seen at a local hospital. Source.

Alabama Hostage Situation Now in Day 7

The hostage situation in Alabama has gone into its 7th day now, with 5 year old Ethan still being held in an underground bunker by Vietnam Vet Jimmy Lee Dykes (65). Those of you who have been following this story will recall that Dykes fatally shot bus driver Charles Albert Poland (66) last week before making off with the boy. Thankfully Dykes has made an effort to keep Ethan as comfortable as possible under the circumstances. While negotiations are still ongoing, authorities have done their part in seeing to Ethan's comfort by getting food, medication and even a red Hot Wheels car to him by way of a ventilation pipe leading into the bunker. Source.

8 confirmed dead in tragic Highway 38 crash

A tour bus carrying a group from Tijuana, Mexico collided with multiple vehicles on Sunday. The accident occurred at around 6:30PM local time, on a mountain road 80 miles east of LA, the result of apparent break issues. At the time of the crash, the bus had been traveling down Highway 38 near Forest Falls after its occupants had enjoyed a day of skiing at Big Bear. After the driver reported there was a problem with the breaks, the bus collided with a Sedan, flipping over then struck a truck towing a trailer.

Mario Lopez, a highway patrol officer at the scene, confirmed that 8 are dead and 38 others, some with life threatening injuries, have been taken to hospitals. Children are among those injured. Source.

17 yr old charged with pushing boy (9) off Morris Heights rooftop

17 year old Casmine Aska is being charged with attempted murder after pushing 9 year old Freddy Martin off the roof of the 5 story Bronx apartment building they both reside in. According to NBC New York, a police source indicated that Aska told investigators Martin and he had argued preceding the incident. The youth was found unconscious with severe injuries in front of the Morris Heights building at around 8:30PM on Friday night. Martin is listed in critical condition and currently receiving medical attention at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. Source.

Chapter Bus and Overpass Collide in Boston

34 passengers, high school students and their chaperons in route to Pennsylvania, were injured Saturday night when the chapter bus they were on struck an overpass. The bus was on its way back from Harvard University, carrying 42 people when the incident occurred. According to the Boston Fire Dept. twitter feed, the chapter bus struck the overpass on Soldiers Field Road sometime around 7:30 p.m Saturday evening.

34 people were hurt, according to Boston Emergency Medical Services, one with life threatening injuries, three in serious condition.

Authorities indicate that the bus did not belong on that road, the driver having failed to heed posted height restrictions. The driver was not injured in the crash and is being interviewed by police to determine if he will face more serious charges.

NYC Mother of 2 Found Dead in Turkey

33 year old NYC mother of two, aged 9 and 11, has been found dead in Turkey, a Turkish state-run news agency reports. She was scheduled to reach home on January 22, after spending two weeks there on vacation, but her family had not heard from her since the day before. Sarai Sierra's disappearance, a rarity in Turkey, had attracted widespread attention and lead to the creation of a special unit to ascertain her whereabouts.

On Saturday, her body was found by residents near ancient city walls of the Fatih district of Istanbul. At this point it is presumed that she was killed elsewhere and transported to where she was later found. Police were able to identify the body as the missing NYC woman from her driver's license. Multiple people have been questioned and the investigation remains ongoing.

Charged with gang rape of Indian student, 5 men plead not guilty

Five men being tried for the rape, beating and subsequent death of an Indian student have pleaded not guilty to the 13 charges that have been brought against them. A male friend of the student was also beaten, sustaining serious injury in the attack.

The men are accused of luring the student onto a bus and proceeding to attack both her and her male friend. The woman was raped and assaulted with a metal bar before being thrown, bleeding with severe internal injuries, onto a highway. She died of those injuries two weeks later.

The sixth individual in the attack is said to be a juvenile and will receive a separate trial according to police.

Prisoner Accidentally Released is Rearrested

44 year old Steven L. Robbins is back in custody as of late Friday, after mistakenly being released following a court appearance in Chicago. It turns out that the case, involving drugs and armed violence, which brought Robbins to Chicago had been dismissed years earlier. Due to a clerical error, Robbins was then released following his appearance in front of two Cook County circuit court judges.

Robbins was rearrested without incident Friday night, in Kankakee, Illinois; and will continue to serve out the remainder of his 60 year sentence in Indiana. His incarceration stems from the May 2002 shooting death of a young man who tried to intervene in an altercation between Steven and his then wife, Nicole Robbins. The couple has since divorced according to the Chicago Tribune.

Prison inmates rescue boys whose kayak capsized

Prison inmates on a ten man park maintenace detail lept into action when they heard screams coming from nearby Salmon creek on Thursday. Three boys, brothers aged 8, 10 and 16, had been floating downstream when their kayak capsized, plunging them into the frigid water, says Fire District 6 Fire Chief Jerry Green

Though the eldest boy was able to swim to shore,  the two younger brothers required further assistance in the form of  37 year old inmate Nelson Pettis who risked his saftey jumping into the strong current, estimated to have been moving at 25 to 30 miles per hour according to Fire District 6 paramedic Joseph Killian.

Nelson was able to float downstream to the boys and help them over to a pile of floating debris until a rescue team could arrive. Pettis was assisted in the save by 29 year old fellow Larch Corrections Center inmate  Larry Bohn, who jumped back into the water after making sure the older boy was safe. While they waited for help, both men removed their shirts, wringing them out and wrapping them around the boys in an effort to warm them.

On shore, according to The Columbian, 28 year old inmate Jon Fowler waited for the rescue team, assisting them with the inflation of their rescue boat once they had arrived and even carrying the ten year old boy to the ambulance once he'd been fished out of the water.

The three boys, The Columbian reports, were treated for hypothermia at Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center. Nelson Pettis and Larry Bohn also received treatment at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center and were later released back to the Larch Corrections Center, which is a minimum-security prison for nonviolent criminals.

Alaska Airlines Flight 473 Diverted Thursday Night After Pilot Passes Out

Alaska Airlines flight 473 in route from L.A. to Seattle was forced to divert when the pilot passed out in the cockpit. The co-pilot, an 11 year veteran of the airline, was able to take over the plane and, after declaring an emergency, make a successful landing in Portland, Ore. where the pilot was then taken to the hospital.

There's no word yet as to why the pilot, who has flown for Alaska Airlines for 28 years, was taken ill; but he did later regain consciousness and leave the cockpit. According to the Seattle Times, a doctor was on board the Boeing 737-700 and was able to tend to the pilot at the front of the plane.

20 of the 116 passengers were transferred to a Horizon Air shuttle flight to Seattle, according to Alaska Airlines spokesman Paul McElroy, to accommodate their tight connection schedules. The remaining passengers continued to Seattle on the same plane manned by a new pilot.

Former NYC Mayor Ed Koch Has Passed Away Today at Age 88

Former NYC Mayor Ed Koch has passed today at the age of 88. He succumbed to congenital heart failure earlier this morning at New York-Presbyterian hospital after repeated hospitalizations in prior months.

Known for his brash personality, Edward Irving Koch served as Mayor of New York City for three terms, spanning 1978 to 1989.  He was born in the Bronx on Dec, 12 1924 to Polish immigrants, Yetta (née Silpe) and Louis Koch. Koch earned a law degree from NYU and later went on to enter politics in the 1950s, winning a seat on the city council. His political career took him to Washington where, for four terms, he served in the U.S. House of Representatives.

During his time as Mayor, Koch was able to bring the city back from the brink of financial ruin. He had many victories over the course of three terms, but there were also times of increased racial tensions, corruption amongst his political allies, and a growing Aids/HIV epidemic.

Following his mayoral years, Koch became both a political commentator as well as a partner at New York law firm Robinson, Silverman, Pearce, Aronsohn, and Berman. He authored and co-authored books, reviewed movies and restaurants, starred in various movies and TV shows, and became an adjunct professor at NYU.

Koch was a man who was full of life to the very end and his influence will continue to live on. His funeral will be on Monday at Temple Emanu-El in Manhattan. He will later be laid to rest in the plot he purchased back in 2008 at Manhattan's Trinity Cemetery.