Border agent hit, killed by vehicle

A Border Patrol agent trying to stop a vehicle that had illegally entered the U.S. was struck and killed Saturday in southeastern California, agency officials said.

The agent was killed about 20 miles west of Yuma in the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area, a spot along the border that is popular with off-road vehicle enthusiasts and frequently used by smugglers.

The agent attempted to impede the vehicle’s progress before he was hit, but the Border Patrol did not immediately have more information.

Witnesses said agents were chasing a Hummer and a Ford pickup on Interstate 8 when the vehicles turned into the dunes and fled toward Mexico. The agent was trying to place spike strips in their path and was struck by the Hummer, they said.

Baltimore

‘Poe toaster’ goes unseen yet again

Undeterred by controversy, a mysterious visitor paid his annual tribute at the grave of Edgar Allan Poe early Saturday, placing three red roses and a half-filled bottle of cognac before stealing away into the darkness.

Nearly 150 people had gathered outside the cemetery of Westminster Presbyterian Church, but the man known as the “Poe toaster” was, as usual, able to avoid being spotted by the crowd, said Jeff Jerome, curator of the Poe House and Museum.

The tribute takes place every Jan. 19 – the anniversary of Poe’s birth.

The visitor did not leave a note, Jerome said, electing not to respond to questions raised in the past year about the history and authenticity of the tribute.

Sam Porpora, a former church historian who led the fight to preserve the cemetery, claimed last summer that he cooked up the idea of the Poe toaster in the 1970s as a publicity stunt.

Jerome disputes Porpora’s claims and says the tribute began in 1949 at the latest, pointing to a 1950 article in the (Baltimore) Evening Sun that mentions “an anonymous citizen who creeps in annually to place an empty bottle (of excellent label)” against the gravestone.

Chicago

Giraffe strangles on pulley rope

An 11-year-old male giraffe at the Brookfield Zoo was found dead Saturday morning, apparently from strangulation, zoo officials said in a statement.

The giraffe, named Dusti, was found caught up in a rope and unresponsive at the zoo’s Habitat Africa! The Savannah exhibit in the building’s main exhibit space. The giraffe was discovered by one of its zookeepers just before the zoo’s opening.

The rope, part of a pulley system, was located in an off-exhibit hallway, the statement read.

Zoo officials said they were aware of the giraffe’s long-reaching capabilities and curiosity, but said they were stunned as to how he was able to reach over his enclosure door, around a 90-degree angle, and across a 6 1/2 -foot span to become caught up in the rope, which was fastened with multiple safety clips in order to keep it flush against the wall.

The Chicago Zoological Society cares for and breeds giraffes at Brookfield Zoo. The release said staff regularly evaluates all of the zoo’s exhibits, holding areas, and equipment for safety.