For better or worse, Colorado is a place that’s never short on strange headlines. In fact, some of the top headlines from the month of March include a cold case solved because of a can of Coke, a beef with the Nebraska governor, and a man peeing on a plane. We love you Colorado, but you weird us out!
A beef about…beef?Nebraska governor Pete Ricketts has a beef with Colorado. Or, more accurately, he has a beef with Colorado governor Jared Polis. Let’s get into it.
Polis recently proclaimed March 20 as “MeatOut Day,” a day meant to encourage people to try to avoid eating meat one day of the week. In response, the Nebraska politician and owner of the Chicago Cubs baseball team stated that Polis’s proclamation was “a direct attack on our way of life here in Nebraska” and declared March 20 as “Meat on the Menu Day.” Confused? Good. So are we!
This sort of reaction isn’t too surprising. After all, Ricketts has taken issue with Colorado in the past over our legalization of marijuana and is also apparently the type of governor that threatens to withhold millions in federal funding from local governments if those entities mandated masks in courthouses and any other local government offices.
Coke can helps crack 40-year-old cold caseThe first time authorities thought they had solved the murder of Sylvia Quayle, 34, was when serial killer and drifter Otis Toole confessed to killing her, amongst dozens of other cold cases. In August 1981, Quayle was in her Cherry Hill, Colorado home when someone broke in and murdered her. When police arrived at the scene, they found that her phone line and bathroom window screen had been cut. Eventually, law enforcement realized that Toole’s confession was phony and the case was left unsolved for 40 years.
In 2000, a DNA sample from the crime scene was submitted to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation for genetic DNA testing. That testing eventually led investigators to the home of David Dwayne Anderson of Cozad, Nebraska, where they removed several items from his trash, including a Vanilla Coke can, to test for DNA. The DNA sample on the Coke can was confirmed to match the suspect’s DNA and Anderson was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
Man pees in plane and refuses to wear a maskAvoiding flights right now is a good idea for more reasons than one, and this story is one of those reasons. A Colorado man is facing federal charges for refusing to wear a mask during his flight from Seattle to Denver and then peeing inside the plane.
In early March, the FBI arrested Landon Grier of Canon City after his Alaska Airlines flight landed. According to an FBI affidavit, Grier said he has several beers and shots before boarding his flight to Denver. He reportedly refused to wear a mask and swatted at a flight attendant after they repeatedly asked him to wear one. Grier later started urinating in his seating area. He currently faces a federal charge of interfering with a flight crew and attendants. If found guilty, Grier could face a maximum of 20 years in prison and possibly a $250,000 fine.
Coloradans have some of the longest life spansIf you’re a Coloradan then we have good news for you. According to a new study, you have a longer lifespan than most Americans! On average, Americans live about 78.7 years. In Colorado, the average lifespan is 80 years, a whole 1.3 years more.
Among the other top contenders are Hawaii (81 years), followed by California (80.8), New York (80.5), Minnesota (80.5), Connecticut (80.4), Massachusetts (80.1), Washington state (80), New Jersey (79.8) and Rhode Island (79.8).
On the other end of the spectrum were Mississippi (74.6), Alabama (75.1), Kentucky (75.3), Tennessee (75.5), Louisiana (75.6), Oklahoma (75.6), Arkansas (75.6), South Carolina (76.5), and Missouri (76.6).
Cat burglar…err, Postmates cat burglarWorried about theft of your valuables? Well, what about theft of your valuable family members, like your freaking cats?
If you’re a pet owner, you might want to make note of this odd story about a Postmates driver who allegedly dropped off an order of food and then took the cat in return.
According to the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, law enforcement needs your help finding Simba, a feline friend that was snatched by a Postmates driver on March 9th.
According to the social media post by the Sheriff’s office, Simba was stolen by a Postmates driver on March 9th at about 10:27 p.m.
The woman who delivered the cat owner’s food was seen on the homeowner’s surveillance cameras getting out of a white SUV with an unknown plate.
The video footage showed the woman dropping off the delivery and then picking up Simba. She doesn’t just pet the cat, though — she takes it, gets in her car, and drives away with it.
According to the sheriff’s office, they’ve reached out to Postmates but haven’t gotten the name of the driver yet. Apparently Postmates isn’t as concerned about the cat burglar as they should be.
On the other hand, the owners of Simba are concerned and want their cat back, so make sure you keep an eye out for Simba or the driver if you’re in the area.
The sheriff’s office described the cat burglar as a Hispanic female with brown hair which was secured in a ponytail. She was wearing a cloth face mask, a gray long-sleeve shirt, black pants, and black shoes. Pretty vague description, eh?
Simba, on the other hand, may be a little easier to recognize. The poor feline wasn’t microchipped, but you should keep an eye out for an 11-month-old orange tabby cat with a pink nose and an “M” above it. You may also recognize him by the collar he was wearing, which has a gold circle on it.
If you see or find Simba, you’re asked to call the Adams County Sheriff’s Office non-emergency number at 303-288-1535.
Amanda Push
