Cities cancel fireworks because of downturn

COME Saturday, the sky over most American cities will be eerily silent.

After all, every Fourth of July, which marks Independence Day, has been marked by displays of fireworks.

As the economic crisis drags on, city leaders around the country say fireworks are a luxury they can no longer afford.

Big and small, urban and rural, the skies will remain dark over at least four dozen communities nationwide come 4 Jul.

Said Mayor Bill Cervenik of Ohio: 'It came down to this: Did we want to spend US$150,000 ($218,000) on something that would be over in a few hours?

'Or did we want to use that money to keep city workers employed?'

The news has sparked outrage and protests among residents who long to preserve an American tradition that dates back to 1777.

They say that fireworks displays are more than a nod to nostalgia: They allow communities to come together, set aside their woes and build up town pride - even if only for a few hours.

But some cities would rather feed their residents than entertain them.

Money to the food banks

In the Los Angeles suburb of Montebello, where unemployment hovers at 12 per cent, the city council unanimously voted to use its US$39,000 fireworks budget on donations to local food banks.

'The last food bank line I saw had more than 1,000 people in it,' said Mayor Rosemarie Vasquez.

'We figured that, instead of burning the money in the air, why not give it to people who need it?'

Big cities, such as Chicago and New York, have been able to keep their shows thanks to corporate sponsors, according to the American Pyrotechnics Association.

When budgets grow tight, towns are forced to be creative with less.

Punta Gorda, a Florida town of 17,000, which is still rebuilding itself after a 2004 hurricane, is raising funds for a smaller show.

The city came up with extra activities to make up for the abbreviated fireworks: Three-legged races, water balloon tosses, hula-hooping and key lime pie-making contests.

Elsewhere, towns have just given up.

Mayor Ronald Branson of Carrollton, Texas, said: 'We all would like to get the fireworks going again because it would mean the economy has turned around'.

Los Angeles Times

Pet snake strangles toddler to death

A 2.5M-LONG pet Burmese python broke out of its enclosure and strangled a 2-year-old girl in her bedroom at a central Florida home on Wednesday.

DANGEROUS PET: US authorities remove a Burmese python from the home where it killed a 2-year-old girl. PICTURES: AP

Shaiunna Hare was already dead when paramedics arrived at about 10 am, police Lieutenant Bobby Caruthers told Associated Press.

Mr Charles Jason Darnell, the snake's owner and the boyfriend of Shaiunna's mother, discovered the snake missing from its enclosure.

He went to the girl's room where he found the snake beside the girl, who had bite marks on her head, said Lt Caruthers.

Not knowing what else to do, Mr Darnell, 32, stabbed the snake until he was able to pry the child away.

An emergency call recorded a sobbing caller saying: 'The baby's dead!

'Our stupid snake got out in the middle of the night and strangled the baby.'

Mr Charles Darnell hugs girlfriend Jaren Hare, the child's mum.

Authorities did not identify the caller and removed the person's name from the recording.

'She got out of the cage last night and got into the baby's crib and strangled her to death,' the caller said.

Authorities removed the snake from the home that same afternoon after obtaining a search warrant.

The snake, which was still alive, was placed in a bag and then inside a dog crate.

Mr Darnell did not have a permit for the snake, which makes it a second-degree misdemeanour, said Ms Joy Hill, a spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

He has not been charged, but investigators were looking into whether there was child neglect or if any other laws were broken.

Ms Hill said the snake will be placed with someone who has a permit, pending an investigation into the girl's death.

The Humane Society Of The United States said at least 12 people have been killed in the US, including this death, by pet pythons since 1980. Of that, five were children.

Snakes and deaths

Burmese pythons are not native to Florida but they easily survive in the state and can reach a length of 8m and weigh more than 90kg.

Other than some owners freeing pythons into the wild, scientists also speculate that a number of Burmese pythons escaped in 1992 from pet shops battered by Hurricane Andrew and have been reproducing since.

'People purchase these animals when they're small. When they grow, they either can't control them or release them.'

Mr George Van Horn, owner of Reptile World Serpentarium, said the strangulation could have occurred because the snake felt threatened or because it thought the child was food.

'They are always operating on instinct,' he said.

'Even the largest person can be overpowered by a python.'

Earlier this year, in February, another wild animal kept as a pet was involved in attack, and it too had to be killed.

Ms Sandra Herold's 90kg pet chimpanzee, who once starred in TV commercials for Old Navy and Coca-Cola, was shot dead by police after a violent rampage that left her friend badly mauled.

Victim Charla Nash suffered traumatic facial injury, including the loss of her nose, upper and lower lips, eyelids and the bony structures in her mid-face, and has filed a US$50m ($70m) lawsuit against Ms Herold.

Naked passenger detours flight

A PASSENGER stripped naked during a US Airways flight and resisted a flight attendant's efforts to cover him with a blanket. Two off-duty law enforcement officers on board had to subdue and handcuff him.

Keith Wright, 50, a New Yorker, had disrobed while in his seat at the back of Flight 705 on Tuesday evening.

The plane was carrying 148 passengers from North Carolina to Los Angeles, said authorities.

Wright did not respond to a flight attendant's repeated requests for him to put his clothes back on, said Albuquerque airport spokesman Dan Jiron.

Instead, he punched and kicked her when she tried to cover him with a blanket. Two off-duty law officers helped her subdue and handcuff Wright before the plane landed. He was taken into custody, said Mr Jiron.

The aircraft was diverted because of an unrelated on-board medical emergency, and Wright's actions were a secondary reason for the unplanned landing, a police statement said.

Wright said he was suffering from a bipolar disorder and missed taking his prescribed medication before the flight. He also could not recall anything about the flight or his behaviour.

Wright had been seen dancing in a crowded boarding area before the flight, but when approached by a senior flight attendant, he said he had drunk one beer.

After Wright was taken off the plane and it took off again, a passenger said the announcement to fasten seat belts came with a twist.

The message included 'a reminder to everybody to please keep your clothing on', drawing chuckles from passengers.

Wright is expected to appear in court Thursday.

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