Funny Halloween Costumes

Halloween comes early, courtesy of Pottery Barn

Gsearch — Sat, 19 May 2012 14:29:52 +0000

It’s Halloween in Napa, or at least it was on Thursday and Friday at the Captain Andrew Sampson home on Division Street.

A team of 20 photographers, stylists and assistants spent two days at a photo shoot at the historic residence across from the Napa library.

A team of stylists decorated the outside of the two-story 1850s-era house with black crepe paper, plenty of faux spider webs, a black door wreath and other bewitching accents.

The reason for the seasonal switch was to take pictures for a Pottery Barn Kids Halloween 2012 catalog featuring goodies like trick-or-treat bags and Halloween costumes.

A photographer, who came from Minneapolis, said he brought his own fall leaves for the event. After carefully arranging the orange and yellow leaves on the sidewalk, the crew placed individually wrapped pieces of candy into Pottery Barn treat-or-treat bags shaped like pumpkins or Halloween characters.

A trailer parked on the street served as the crew headquarters for the shoot, which was organized by Scout Napa Valley. The business provides Napa Valley locations and production services for the photo and film industry, said owner Patrick Sprinkel.

Crouched over a camera on a low tripod, a photographer took a number of photos of the treat bags, artfully arranged on a bed of black fabric inside a black painted wagon. Styrofoam pumpkins decorated with black ribbons were propped nearby.

A vintage lantern placed on the sidewalk added further ambiance to the scene. An assortment of duct and masking tape was used to hold the baskets in just the

Article source: http://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/halloween-comes-early-courtesy-of-pottery-barn/article_01da53be-a15b-11e1-95a2-001a4bcf887a.html

Halloween store Ricky’s sues rival, ex-execs

Gsearch — Thu, 17 May 2012 13:45:03 +0000

It’s too early for ghosts, goblins and ghouls to ring doorbells — but a spine-tingling corporate war is already raging in the Halloween industry .

Ricky’s Halloween Inc. is suing its chief competitor and two former executives who jumped ship in a Manhattan Supreme Court action rife with allegations of deceit, subterfuge and skullduggery.

The firm, which touts its “sexy, funky and crazy Halloween costumes,” is accusing the defendants of using confidential information they possessed as insiders in a bid to “defame” Ricky’s — and cripple its holiday business.

At issue are Ricky’s so-called popup stores, which sell trick-or-treating outfits and decorations for a few months each fall. The popups require a full year of planning to find and lease affordable short-term space.

Helming the seasonal popup operations for years were Jason Sandlofer, who bought inventory and secured space, and Adam Stupak, an independent real estate broker who worked out of the firm’s offices.

After a management change earlier this year, the two men felt vulnerable — and secretly started to negotiate a deal to work for one of Ricky’s competitors, Spirit Halloween Superstores, court papers allege.

“F— them,” Sandlofer emailed Stupak on April 2, according to Ricky’s. “They don’t care about our livelihood or families. Now they see theyf—– up but it’s too late . . . Let them fall.”

Ten days later, Ricky’s claims that Stupak emailed a real estate executive to say, “Ricky’s is crashing and burning! Sad to see what’s happening to a great company.”

It was all part of a campaign to “poison

Article source: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ricky-halloween-suing-chief-rival-executives-bid-cripple-holiday-business-article-1.1077508?localLinksEnabled=false

Halloween night robber accepts deal

Gsearch — Tue, 15 May 2012 09:37:37 +0000

1:00 AM

Halloween night robber accepts deal

By David F. Robinson drobinson@onlinesentinel.com
Staff Writer, Morning Sentinel

A Chesterville man pleaded guilty recently to robbing a couple at gunpoint in their home and forcing the husband to withdraw money from a nearby automatic teller machine while his wife remained held hostage.

The defendant, Michael E. Kidd Jr., 21, accepted a plea deal May 7 in connection with the Halloween night armed robbery kidnapping as well as three other burglaries, according to Kennebec County Superior Court documents.

The plea deal was identical to the agreements taken by two other men, Kevin S. Crandall, 28, of Wilton, and Marcus A. Thompson, 26, of Farmington, who each pleaded guilty last month to committing the same crimes with Kidd, according to court documents.

Chris Dilworth, the attorney representing Kidd, did not return a call Monday. Prosecutor James Andrews, a Franklin County assistant district attorney, also did not return a call Monday.

During separate appearances by Crandall and Thompson on April 20 in Franklin County Superior Court, Andrews described the armed robbery and kidnapping. He said Crandall, Thompson and Kidd were wearing black ski masks and gloves when they knocked on the couple’s door after breaking into three other unoccupied homes earlier in the day.

The couple, ages 65 and 64, opened the door, mistaking the men for trick-or-treaters. At least one of the men then pulled out a knife and handgun and they forced their way inside, knocking the husband to the floor, Andrews said.

Once inside,

Article source: http://www.onlinesentinel.com/news/halloween-night-robber-accepts-deal_2012-05-14.html

Wichita fire officials say Halloween fire at Wichita mosque was arson

Gsearch — Sun, 13 May 2012 04:53:44 +0000

WICHITA, Kan. — A Wichita fire official says a blaze at a mosque in the city was intentionally set.

The fire last Halloween at the Islamic Association of Mid Kansas mosque caused about $120,000 in damage but no one was injured.

The Wichita Eagle reports (http://bit.ly/Kq06ZX ) the congregation was able to return to the mosque last Friday.

It had received anti- Islam letters before the fire but Bevis says investigators weren’t able to prove a connection between the letters and the fire.

Fire Capt. Stuart Bevis said Wednesday test results from federal officials ruled out the last possible accidental source of the fire.

He says at this point, all leads in the case have been investigated.

The mosque was the first formal mosque in Kansas when it opened in 1978. It had received anti-Islam letters before the fire but Bevis says investigators weren’t able to prove a connection between the letters and the fire.

___

Information from: The Wichita Eagle, kansas.com”http://www.kansas.com

Article source: http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/44d10b2caada4b3e8cf8d687faf28237/KS--Wichita-Mosque-Fire/

Halloween mosque fire in Wichita declared an arson

Gsearch — Fri, 11 May 2012 03:46:02 +0000

The fire that heavily damaged a west Wichita mosque early on Halloween morning was an arson, a fire department official said today.

The fire at 3406 W. Taft, southeast of Maple and West streets, was reported at 12:45 a.m. on Oct. 31 and caused an estimated $120,000 in damage. The damage was so extensive the congregation only returned to the mosque last Friday, Capt. Stuart Bevis
Article source: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/05/10/3604618/halloween-mosque-fire-in-wichita.html

Ordinance bans Halloween smoking

Gsearch — Tue, 08 May 2012 22:36:24 +0000

May 8, 2012 — The Susanville City Council passed an ordinance Wednesday, May 2 to prohibit smoking on Main Street during Safe and Sane Halloween.

According to the ordinance, “Main Street” means the street, the sidewalk, any parking lot or store between Weatherlow and Roop streets, the Uptown park to be constructed on Main Street and any place where children may be located during the Safe and Sane Halloween event.

The prohibition will be in effect between 3 and 5 p.m., on the day the event is held, regardless of what the date is.

The city council made the following statement of purpose and intent:

A. There is an ongoing need on the part of the City of Susanville to protect the health of its residents as part of the protection of the public peace, safety and welfare of the citizens of the City of Susanville.

B. Passive smoking is the inhalation of smoke, called second hand smoke, from tobacco products used by others when tobacco smoke permeates any environment causing its inhalation by people within that environment.

C. The negative health risks of second hand smoke are a matter of scientific consensus.

D. There is also a danger to children’s safety given the wearing of costumes that may be flammable if they come in contact with hot cigarette embers.

E. The Safe and Sane Halloween event is held mainly on Main Street between Weatherlow and Roop streets and the first block of Roop, Lassen, Gay, Union and Weatherlow streets

Article source: http://www.lassennews.com/home/7969-ordinance-bans-halloween-smoking

Week in Review: Burglary Causes School Lockdown

Gsearch — Sun, 06 May 2012 16:52:08 +0000

4 Arrested for Burglary that Caused School Lockdown. Suffolk County police on Wednesday arrested four people whom they say burglarized multiple homes in the Selden, Setauket, Miller Place and Port Jefferson areas. The burglary and arrests caused a half-hour lockdown at Ward Melville High School and Arrowhead Elementary School.

Families Push for Budget Support with ‘Reverse Halloween.’ Halloween is months away, but if you see families doing what looks like trick-or-treating this week, here’s why: “Reverse Halloween.” Kids and families will go door-to-door to hand out candy and ask for the community’s support for the school budget.

Toy Shoppe Leaves Town. In a letter to the community, the owners of The Toy Shoppe explain why they are leaving town: to open shop in a community that supports small business more than they say Long Island does.

Pickup Truck Smashes into Sycamore Circle Home. The Setauket Fire Department responded to a crash in which a pickup truck smashed into the garage of a home on Sycamore Circle on Wednesday afternoon. The pickup truck damaged the garage door and a utility room containing the home’s heating system.

Town, Homeowner Resolve Christian Ave. Dispute. Brookhaven Town has resolved a dispute with a homeowner over a home at 150 Christian Avenue in Stony Brook that has been the center of neighborhood controversy since March of 2011, when the town declared it an “illegal rooming

Article source: http://threevillage.patch.com/articles/week-in-review-burglary-causes-school-lockdown

Halloween will stay haunted in Crimora

Gsearch — Fri, 04 May 2012 16:04:16 +0000

VERONA — The haunts will happen for another year for a Crimora couple, now that the county zoning board approved a permit request for Halloween events at their home to raise money for a charity camp for kids.

Charles Scott and Cathy Balsley had been staging a haunted forest on their Rock Mountain Lane property for a decade and managed to raise thousands of dollars for charity with the gate money.

But last year, the attraction got big a little too fast — which turned into lots of money for things like cancer care, but in doing so turned into a nuisance for the couple’s neighbors.

Backed-up car traffic caused complaints and, eventually, a better acquaintance for the Balsleys with the county’s permitting laws.

The couple this year asked the Board of Zoning Appeals for a special use permit to run the events once more on their four-acre property. Afterward, they plan to hold them on a much larger parcel they acquired nearby for the children’s camp.

The back-ups at their home last year happened because the couple ran out of parking space for the much-larger crowds, Scott Balsley told board members at their monthly meeting Thursday.

“It was a good flow — there was no issue there,” Balsley said of the traffic during a public hearing for their special use permit. “There was just no room.”

The couple will make three more acres available for parking, and board members were convinced that the extra space and efficient signaling from volunteer college students will prevent any more

Article source: http://www.newsleader.com/article/20120504/NEWS01/205040314

Happy Halloween — and congrats — as Sharon Needles wins RuPaul’s Drag Race

Gsearch — Wed, 02 May 2012 13:03:05 +0000

Written by Maria Sciullo

For those of us old enough to remember the “Is it live, or is it Memorex?” advertising campaign, there was something a tad familair about the moment Sharon Needles was announced winner of Season 4 on “RuPaul’s Drag Race” Monday night.

She sported two fabulous looks, starting with a hokey beer stein outfit during the first act of the show. Ms. Needles later returned wearing a see-through, full-length green/gold lace gown. Over her black-and-white Cruella de Vil wig, she affixed a headband featuring the “Mystic Hand” game piece from a Ouija board.

In order to protect the winner’s identity — was there anyone who did not know beforehand that Raja would wear the sparkly crown in Season 3? — host RuPaul devised a scheme to shoot three different endings during the reunion show.Taken April 25 in Los Angeles before a live audience, each of the three — Sharon Needles, Chad Michaels and Phi Phi O’Hara — were filmed pretending they’d won.

Entertainment Weekly’s Tanner Stransky, who attended the reunion taping, blogged last week about the bizarre scenario. Chad Michael’s was the “first” winner, followed by Sharon Needles. When it came time for Phi Phi O’Hara, Ms. Needles joked “Can we skip this one?”, acknowleging their long-running feud this season. Party City, indeed.

So when the big moment arrived at the end of the Logo broadcast, there was Sharon, sort of/kind of/maybe thrilled to win the crown. After all, she wasn’t genuinely reacting to

Article source: http://blogs.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/arts-a-entertainment/popi/34044-happy-halloween-and-congrats-as-sharon-needles-wins-rupauls-drag-race

Truck stolen on Halloween turns up looking scary

Gsearch — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:11:00 +0000

Portage La Prairie RCMPâ€ˆadvised Brandon Police Service that they had recovered a 2010 Dodge Ram stolen on Halloween from Brandon. The truck was found totally burnt in a farmer’s field west of Portage La Prairie.

Police continue to investigate.

— — — —

A 23-year-old Brandon man was arrested and charged with possession of property obtained by crime on Saturday.

The arrest stems from the theft of an ATV from the 800 block of Assiniboine Ave. in Brandon on March 21. The ATV was located in Wawanesa less than three weeks later and through police investigation it was learned the man was in possession of the stolen ATV.

— — — —

Early Saturday morning, an assault occurred that sent one woman to the Brandon Regional Hospital with injuries to her upper body occurred at the residence in the 100 block of 10th St.

Later that same day, police arrested the victim’s common-law husband, who left the residence prior to police responding to the 911 call.

Article source: http://www.brandonsun.com/breaking-news/Truck-149421915.html?thx=y