WOMI Daystarter – July 22, 2019; News and More

Love of speed pushes man to collect Mustang Cobras

PADUCAH, Ky. (AP) — Randy Thomas never could help but go fast in his blue 1966 Ford Mustang, but he knew the outcome as a teenager.

Too many traffic violations for speeding and street racing and he'd be forced to park the speed machine and ride his bike to school. The fact that his step dad, Billy Wilkins, was a major with the Paducah Police Department made matters so much worse.

In the spring of 1983, Thomas collected 23 traffic violations which prompted a lifestyle change. Thomas worked his circumstances and changed the Mustang to a bona fide drag racing car.

Now 48, Thomas' need for speed and competition is controlled through his collection of four gleaming Ford Shelby Cobra GT500s which he houses in a garage he calls "The Snake Pit."

WET WIRE CALLS

Wet wires resulting in fake 911 calls

OWENSBORO, Ky. (AP) — Dispatchers in western Kentucky must send a law enforcement officer to every 911 call received from a landline telephone, even when there's no sound from a caller on the other end.

Recently, though, occupants claim they never called 911. And, in some cases, the calls have come from vacant lots.

Ohio County 911 Dispatch Director Carol Smith told the Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer that wet phone wires are triggering the phantom calls. Dispatch directors in Daviess, Muhlenberg and McLean counties have reported a similar phenomenon.

Daviess County 911 Director Paul Nave says the ghost calls tie up deputies and officers and potentially keep them away from actual calls.

AT&T spokeswoman Cathy Lewandowski says the company is not aware of the problem.

SKATE AND PRAY

Skaters pray together at outdoor church

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — A group of skateboarders who ride on Sundays at a Lexington park are also meeting to pray together.

They meet for Lexington Skate Church, which is affiliated with Lexington's Simple Church, which emphasizes gatherings outside a formal church environment.

Their leader on a recent Sunday was Joshua Roberts, who brings donuts, juice, Mountain Dew and an egg-and-bacon casserole.

"What better way to do church than with a skateboard?" Roberts told The Lexington Herald-Leader.

The gathering began in 2012 with visits to various skateboard venues, but this year the church has been more centered around Woodland Park.

Today in History

Today is Monday, July 22, the 203rd day of 2013. There are 162 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On July 22, 1943, American forces led by Gen. George S. Patton captured Palermo, Sicily, during World War II.

On this date:

In 1587, an English colony fated to vanish under mysterious circumstances was established on Roanoke Island off North Carolina.

In 1796, Cleveland, Ohio, was founded by General Moses Cleaveland.

In 1893, Wellesley College professor Katharine Lee Bates visited the summit of Pikes Peak, where she was inspired to write the original version of her poem "America the Beautiful."

In 1916, a bomb went off during a Preparedness Day parade in San Francisco, killing 10 people.

In 1933, American aviator Wiley Post completed the first solo flight around the world as he returned to New York's Floyd Bennett Field after traveling for 7 days, 18 and 3/4 hours.

In 1934, bank robber John Dillinger was shot to death by federal agents outside Chicago's Biograph Theater, where he had just seen the Clark Gable movie "Manhattan Melodrama."

In 1942, the Nazis began transporting Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto to the Treblinka concentration camp. Gasoline rationing involving the use of coupons began along the Atlantic seaboard.

In 1946, Jewish extremists blew up a wing of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, killing 90 people.

In 1963, Sonny Liston knocked out Floyd Patterson in the first round of their rematch in Las Vegas to retain the world heavyweight title.

In 1975, the House of Representatives joined the Senate in voting to restore the American citizenship of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.

In 1983, Samantha Smith and her parents returned home to Manchester, Maine, after completing a whirlwind tour of the Soviet Union.

In 2011, Anders Breivik (AHN'-durs BRAY'-vihk) massacred 69 people at a Norwegian island youth retreat after detonating a bomb in nearby Oslo that killed eight others in the nation's worst violence since World War II.

Ten years ago: Saddam Hussein's sons Odai (oh-DAY') and Qusai (ku-SAY') were killed when U.S. forces stormed a villa in Mosul (MOH'-sul), Iraq. Months after her prisoner-of-war ordeal, U.S. Army Pfc. Jessica Lynch returned home to a hero's welcome in Elizabeth, W.Va.

Five years ago: Tropical Storm Dolly spun into a hurricane as it headed toward the U.S.-Mexico border. European Union foreign ministers agreed to toughen sanctions against Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe to pressure him to share power with the opposition. Actress Estelle Getty died in Los Angeles at age 84.

One year ago: President Barack Obama made a quick trip to Colorado to meet with families of those gunned down in an Aurora movie theater and to hear from state and local officials about the shooting that left 12 people dead and dozens more injured. The International AIDS Conference opened in Washington, D.C., with the goal of "turning the tide" on HIV. Fifteen people were killed in South Texas when a pickup truck ran off the road and hit trees about 90 miles southeast of San Antonio. Bradley Wiggins became the first British cyclist to win the Tour de France. Ernie Els won his fourth major championship in an astonishing finish, rallying to beat Adam Scott in the British Open when the Australian bogeyed the last four holes.

Today's Birthdays: Opera singer Licia Albanese is 100. Former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, R-Kan., is 90. Actor-comedian Orson Bean is 85. Fashion designer Oscar de la Renta is 81. Actress Louise Fletcher is 79. Rhythm-and-blues singer Chuck Jackson is 76. Actor Terence Stamp is 75. Game show host Alex Trebek is 73. Singer George Clinton is 72. Actor-singer Bobby Sherman is 70. Former Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, is 70. Movie writer-director Paul Schrader is 67. Actor Danny Glover is 67. Singer Mireille Mathieu is 67. Actor-comedian-director Albert Brooks is 66. Rock singer Don Henley is 66. Movie composer Alan Menken is 64. Singer-actress Lonette McKee is 60. Jazz musician Al Di Meola is 59. Actor Willem Dafoe is 58. Rhythm-and-blues singer Keith Sweat is 52. Actress Joanna Going is 50. Actor Rob Estes is 50. Folk singer Emily Saliers (Indigo Girls) is 50. Actor John Leguizamo is 49. Actor-comedian David Spade is 49. Actor Patrick Labyorteaux is 48. Rock musician Pat Badger is 46. Actress Irene Bedard is 46. Actor Rhys Ifans (rees EYE'-fanz) is 46. Actor Colin Ferguson is 41. Rock musician Daniel Jones is 40. Singer Rufus Wainwright is 40. Actress Franka Potente (poh-TEN'-tay) is 39. Actress A.J. Cook is 35. Actor Keegan Allen ("Pretty Little Liars") is 26. Actress Selena Gomez is 21.

Thought for Today: "The love we give away is the only love we keep." — Elbert Hubbard, American author (1856-1915).

ENTERTAINMENT DAY IN HISTORY

On July 22nd, 1965, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones were fined five pounds for urinating on the wall of a London gas station. They were charged with "insulting behavior."

In 1967, Vanilla Fudge made its concert debut in New York.

In 1969, singer Aretha Franklin was arrested for disorderly conduct after a disturbance in a Detroit parking lot.

In 1972, the variety show "The Bobby Darin Amusement Company" premiered on CBS.

In 1977, Elvis Costello's first album, "My Aim Is True," was released in the UK. It was released in the US in October of that year.

In 1983, Diana Ross performed a concert in New York's Central Park. A show the night before had been rained out.

In 1996, the parents of a teenage murder victim sued the band Slayer. The suit contended that the band's lyrics were "satanic" and inspired three teenage boys to rape, torture and stab the girl to death. The lawsuit was later dismissed.

In 2005, country singer Mindy McCready attempted suicide by ingesting two unidentified substances and drinking alcohol at a hotel in Indian Rocks Beach, Fla.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Orson Bean ("Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman") is 85. Actress Louise Fletcher is 79. Singer Chuck Jackson is 76. Actor Terence Stamp is 75. Game show host Alex Trebek is 73. Singer George Clinton is 72. Singer-actor Bobby Sherman is 70. Actor Danny Glover is 67. Writer-director Paul Schrader is 67. Singer Don Henley is 66. Actor-comedian-director Albert Brooks is 66. Composer Alan Menken ("Little Mermaid," ''Little Shop of Horrors") is 64. Musician Al Di Meola is 59. Actor Willem Dafoe is 58. Singer Keith Sweat is 52. Singer Emily Saliers (SAYL'-yers) of the Indigo Girls is 50. Actor-comedian David Spade is 49. Actor John Leguizamo (leh-goo-ZAH'-moh) is 49. Bassist Pat Badger of Extreme is 46. Actor Rhys Ifans (EYE'-fanz) ("Notting Hill") is 46. Musician Daniel Jones (Savage Garden) is 40. Singer Rufus Wainwright is 40. Actress Franka Potente (poh-TEN'-tay) ("The Bourne Identity") is 39. Actor Keegan Allen ("Pretty Little Liars") is 26. Actress Selena Gomez ("The Wizards of Waverly Place") is 21.