Teen arrested in sex solicitation
A teenager once arrested alongside her mother in a prostitution case has been accused of running an escort service out of her suburban Chicago home using the popular Web site Craigslist.
Kimberly Petersen, 17, was arrested after detectives doing a routine search of the site’s classified boards found one that included an offer to “enjoy a beautiful blonde” for $250 an hour and pictures of a smiling woman in lingerie.
An undercover detective who called the number in the ad and arrived at Peterson’s home was quoted a $300 rate for a 27-year-old woman to perform a sex act, Hillside Police Chief Joseph Lukaszek said.
Petersen was released on bond late last week after being arrested and charged with a misdemeanor, police said. Heidi Mudge, 27, was charged with prostitution.
The Craigslist ad had been removed Sunday and a telephone number at Petersen’s house was unlisted. A Craigslist representative did not immediately return a telephone call and e-mail message left late Sunday.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.
Dozens of animals killed in shelter fire
A fire gutted a Humane Society headquarters, killing dozens of animals including nearly all of the cats in the building, authorities said.
Up to 200 animals were in the facility, but it could take days to account for all the animals, Humane Society Executive Director Leona Sheddan said.
The early Saturday fire destroyed the main shelter building, valued at $1 million. Most dogs escaped serious injury because the kennels are in the back, but dozens of cats likely died, Sheddan said.
“Our protection of life policy extends to all living creatures,” Francis said. “It’s an emotional scene. When you have defenseless animals in danger, you see even the most seasoned veteran firefighter feel some melancholy.”
The cause of the blaze remains under investigation.
AVALON, Calif.
Third bald eagle hatches in wild
A bald eagle egg has hatched in the wild on Santa Catalina Island, only the third since chemical contamination there wiped out the iconic birds several decades ago, conservation officials said Sunday.
The eaglet emerged from its shell sometime late Friday or early Saturday, according to Catalina Island Conservancy officials. Its sex had yet to be determined.
The hatchling’s egg was one of four laid last month on the 76-square-mile island off the coast of the Los Angeles County mainland. Two hatched last week and the fourth could hatch at any time, officials said.
NEW YORK
Couple book cab for 2,400-mile move
Betty and Bob Matas have retired and are moving to Arizona, but like many New Yorkers, they don’t drive, and they don’t want their cats to travel in an airliner cargo hold.
Their solution: “Hey, cabbie.”
They met taxi driver Douglas Guldeniz when they hailed his cab after a shopping trip several weeks ago.
They got to talking about their move, and “we said ‘Do you want to come?’ ” said Bob Matas, 72, a former audio and video engineer for advertising agencies.
It was initially a gag, Matas said, but as they talked over the ensuing weeks it became reality.
They plan to leave Tuesday on the 2,400-mile trip to Sedona, Ariz., with Guldeniz driving his yellow SUV cab 10 hours a day for a flat fee of $3,000, plus gas, meals and lodging.
The standard, metered fare would be about $5,000 – each way, according to David Pollack, executive director of the Committee for Taxi Safety, a drivers’ group. But city Taxi and Limousine Commission rules direct drivers and passengers to negotiate a flat fare for trips outside the city and a few suburban areas.