NYC Steakhouse Workers Arrested for Fraud

NBC New York: More than two dozen current and former waiters and their associates from some of the city's top steakhouses have been arrested in an alleged identity theft ring, accused of stealing credit card numbers from wealthy customers, NBC New York has learned.

Several suspects are from top city restaurants like Smith and Wollensky, Capital Grille and Wolfgang Steak, as well as Morton’s in Stamford and the Bicycle Club in New Jersey, sources said.

The alleged scam targeted customers who often paid with American Express Black cards and other high-limit credit cards, according to sources.

Law enforcement sources said some restaurant workers used handheld scanners to copy the credit card information as they walked away to process the bill. Later, that information would be sent to leaders of the alleged fraud ring, who would forge new credit cards with the stolen information and test them out on taxis.

If the cards worked, the suspects would go on major shopping sprees, buying up expensive goods like Chanel goods and Jimmy Choo shoes. The thieves would then re-sell the luxury brand items for cash.

Officials estimate profits totaled at least $1 million, sources said.

NYPD officials and District Attorney Cy Vance were expected to announce details of the case Friday. Many of the suspects are also expected to be arraigned in Manhattan criminal court.

An NYPD spokesman declined to comment Thursday, as did a Vance spokeswoman.

Managers at Smith & Wollensky, the Bicycle Club and Capital Grille restaurants declined to comment.

A manager at one Wolfgang’s restaurant said he believed all workers on the schedule Thursday had arrived and was unaware of any law enforcement allegations against any worker.

A manager at Morton's also referred calls to its corporate headquarters.

Officials stress restaurant operators had no knowledge of the alleged crimes by the few employees.

Woman Feaks Out Over McDonald's Breakfast Menu

The Smoking Gun: When Shanaya Edgell arrived early yesterday morning at a McDonald’s in Janesville, Wisconsin, she was expecting to order from the fast food joint’s regular menu--Big Macs, french fries, Chicken McNuggets, and the like.

Except it was around 3 AM and the restaurant had already switched over to its breakfast menu--hash browns, Egg McMuffins, hotcakes, and the like.

This enraged Edgell, according to Janesville Police Department officers.

The 22-year-old--for some unexplained reason--turned on her boyfriend, biting him on the lip and tearing off his shirt. At some point during her meltdown, Edgell climbed atop the roof of her 40-year-old beau’s car and launched into a loud diatribe about McDonald’s.

After Edgell dismounted from the vehicle, she was collared for disorderly conduct. Danny Davis, deputy chief of the Janesville police, told TSG that Edgell and her boyfriend had been at a bar prior to heading to McDonald’s. When questioned by an officer about her behavior, Davis said, Edgell copped to “freaking out” in the wake of the menu changeover, adding that she was “acting crazy.”

Edgell, pictured in the above mug shot, is being held in the Rock County jail in lieu of $150 bond. She is scheduled for a court appearance later this afternoon.

Obscene Photos Found in Myrtle Beach Hotel

WMBF: One Myrtle Beach hotel found itself covered with obscene photos Friday morning and no known suspects.

At approximately 9 a.m. Friday morning, Myrtle Beach Police responded to a hotel on South Ocean Boulevard to find pornographic and obscene materials that had been placed in the common areas.

According to a police report, security at the resort had begun to find these materials beginning at 10 p.m. Thursday night in various locations throughout the building, including door frames, elevator doors and stairwells. The photos were collected by security and turned in to Myrtle Beach Police.

The photos collected were found in areas of the hotel not under the surveillance of video cameras, and appeared to be removed from an old photo album. The police report stated that the photos were old polaroids, possibly taken in the early 70s of adults engaged in "various sexual acts."

Anyone with information about this incident should contact Myrtle Beach Police.

Man Trashes Hotel Room Over Lack of Toilet Paper

CBS Charlotte: One man made sure a Charlotte motel was going to pay for him running out of toilet paper.

Upset about the lack of toilet paper that was available in his room, a man destroyed $2,090 worth of hotel property on Monday, according to a Charlotte-Mecklenburg police report. The identity of the man remains unknown.

The incident, which happened at the Charlottetown Manor, happened around 10 a.m. Monday. According to the report, the man grew irate after learning he didn’t have toilet paper and proceeded to walk upstairs to a vacant room that was being renovated. Upon entering the room, he proceeded to clog the toilet, causing water damage to the room, totaling about $2,000 in carpet and ceiling charges.

The man would go on to break a blow dryer and several lights, accounting for an extra $90 in charges.

The suspect returned to his room and damaged more property using physical force, according to the report.

The suspect faces vandalism charges.

The Bare Essentials of Air Travel

A man has been taken to a hospital for evaluation after he was spotted walking naked around Dulles International Airport. -- Associated Press

Washington Post: The Naked Man stood in the security line at Dulles Airport. People were staring at him. Since he’d arrived, he’d had to endure plenty of stares. And plenty of comments, too.

He’d heard, “Your landing gear is showing” and “It’s TSA, not T&A.” One guy had shouted, “Hey, buddy, please stow your tray table, and return your seat to its upright position.”

The Naked Man didn’t quite understand that one, but there was plenty he didn’t understand about air travel these days.

Flying used to be glamorous. People dressed up for it, as if they might be photographed by paparazzi. Flying on a jet was like visiting the Playboy Mansion. Now, though, passengers looked like slobs. Young men wore tank tops and shorts. Young women dressed as if they were going to a slumber party. They shuffled aboard in pajamas, with inflatable neck pillows hanging off their backpacks like wine-filled goat’s bladders.

Well, if that’s the way they were going to be, he’d show them. He’d really dress down.

And it used to be you could arrive at the gate mere minutes before your plane took off. Now you had to be there hours in advance. These days, the trip to the airport and the waiting at the airport were often longer than the flight itself.

Then the questions: Did you pack this bag yourself? Did anyone ask you to carry anything? Did you ever let your suitcase out of your sight?

That was only the beginning. Next came the ritual disemboweling of the carry-on luggage: the removal of liquids and gels, the pulling out the laptop and putting it in a tray.

And then the promenade through the magnetometer. Bzzzip! Sir, do you have any metal on you? Just my keys. Put them in the bin, sir. Bzzzip! Is there anything else? My watch? It has a leather band. I thought it would be fine. Please remove it, sir. Bzzzip! Is there any change in your pocket, sir? Any pens, pencils, cuff links, pocket knives, scissors, thimbles, snuffboxes, slide rules, ball bearings, sterling silver inkwells, ferrous meteorites, stainless steel curtain rod finials?

Today, there would be nothing in his pockets. He had no pockets.

No one saw the Naked Man off at the airport — he’d driven by himself — but he thought back with fondness to the way departures used to be. You could accompany your loved ones right to the gate, hug them goodbye, kiss them passionately, as if they were flying off to Casablanca, then watch as their airplane pulled back from the accordioned jetway and taxied away. If you had the patience and the vantage point, you could watch the plane actually take off and become a smaller and smaller dot in the sky, until it was lost among the clouds.

Now, though, the signs said “Ticketed Passengers Only Beyond This Point.” You made your distracted farewells in a clot near the security line, then stood awkwardly as your loved ones joined the zigzagging queue. Did you slip away now? Or did you wait till they were through to the “airside”?

Taking loved ones to the airport these days was as romantic as hurling them aboard a freight elevator. And as for the act of flying itself, the less said the better. You’d be better off fashioning wings from feathers and wax.

The Naked Man was snapped out of his reverie by shouts and the sound of pounding feet. He was knocked to the floor by a blue and black phalanx. The floor, he noticed, was cold against his skin and for the first time he began to question his decision to travel nude.

“Sir,” a uniformed officer said as he lifted the Naked Man rudely to his feet, “you have to come with me. Passengers must wear clothes.”

“You don’t understand,” the Naked Man said. “I’m not a passenger. I’m a pilot.”

Doctor Accused of Prescribing Drugs at Starbucks

OC Register:  A doctor who is charged with illegally prescribing dangerous opiates to people he often met at Starbucks is expected to be arraigned Wednesday.

Alvin Mingczech Yee, 43, of Mission Viejo, was arrested Tuesday night at his Irvine office by Drug Enforcement Administration agents and Orange and Huntington Beach Police Department officers, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Meanwhile, authorities are looking into the death of a woman in Huntington Beach who got prescriptions from Yee and is thought to have died from an opiate overdose, according to a search warrant affidavit. The document says the Orange County deputy coroner told Huntington Beach investigators he recognized the doctor's name associated with several other overdose deaths he was investigating.

Huntington Beach police Lt. Russell Reinhart said he could not say more because of ongoing investigations.

A 56-count grand jury indictment charges Yee with prescribing drugs, such as oxycodone and hydrocodone, "outside the usual course of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose," the release said.

Court documents allege Yee met with numerous "patients," including three undercover operatives, during evening rendezvous at Starbucks across the county and wrote prescriptions for drugs best known by brand names, including OxyContin, Vicodin, Xanax, Adderall and Suboxone.

Authorities searched Yee's home, Irvine office and his car. According to an affidavit in support of the search warrants executed Tuesday, Yee met with up to a dozen people nightly, writing prescriptions for cash.

A DEA investigation found that large quantities of controlled substances were seized and many people arrested in Seattle, Phoenix, and Detroit. Independent investigations into the arrests determined those arrested traveled to Orange County and obtained the opiates from Yee, according to the affidavit.

At least one young adult, identified as Krista Davis, who got large amounts of opiates from the doctor overdosed and died in Huntington Beach in August, the affidavit says.

If convicted, for each of the 50 counts Yee faces up to 20 years in federal prison. Each count of distribution of a controlled substance by a medical practitioner to a minor carries a mandatory minimum penalty of one year and a maximum penalty of 40 years.

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Taco Bell Fire-Bombed For Lack of Meat

Meat Shortage?

WESH: "Where's the beef?" took on a whole different meaning after an unsatisfied customer fire-bombed a Taco Bell in Georgia over too little meat in his Chalupas.

The Molotov cocktail left a large burn mark on the wall under the restaurant's drive-through window, Albany, Ga., TV station WALB reported.

A police officer spotted the small fire just before 5 a.m. Sunday.

The restaurant manager told WALB that an irate customer phoned them a few hours earlier to complain over the lack of meat.

The caller made racial slurs and threatened to "redecorate" the building, police said.

Police said they recovered a melted plastic bottle with what's believed to be gasoline inside.

Break-In Prank Lands French Tourists in Jail

Security Cam Photo

AFP: Five drunken French tourists landed in a Texas jail Wednesday after breaking into a county courthouse in the middle of the night and sparking terrorism fears, officials said.

Security footage showed the men wearing sombreros and playing around with a judge's gavel before they were arrested by police, who were tipped off by the courthouse security system at around 1:30 am (0630 GMT).

But since they'd left the sombreros behind as they made their way out of the building, the responding officers were worried at first that it could be some kind of terror plot. They called for a security sweep of the building and shut down neighboring streets in downtown San Antonio for several hours.

Soon the local media was "breathlessly" reporting that the courthouse had been attacked, Bexar County spokeswoman Laura Jesse told AFP. Reports surfaced that two of the men were on an FBI watch list and that photos of critical infrastructure -- water systems and courthouses -- were found in their recreational vehicle.

But after the security tapes were reviewed and the men questioned, it became pretty clear that the break-in was simply a stupid "prank," she said.

"It's pretty entertaining at least," Jesse said. "Usually when you think of someone trying to commit a terrorist attack it's not with a sombrero and waving a gavel."

An FBI spokesman declined to comment on whether any of the three brothers or their two friends were on a terrorism watch list but noted "we have found no public safety threat."

"We still have an ongoing inquiry, we're still searching a few aspects about these individuals," special agent Erik Vasys of the San Antonio office of the FBI told AFP.

"We're not classifying or qualifying whether it's a prank or not at the moment."

Local officials were puzzled by the motive, but not the severity of the crime.

"At this point we do not believe nor do we have any evidence of a terrorist plot," said sheriff's department spokesman Ronald Bennett. "We believe at this point the five individuals were here to see our country and after a night of drinking on the famous San Antonio River walk, things spun out of control and they decided to unlawfully enter a building. The reason why they entered the historic courthouse is unknown."

Only two of the men were arrested in the building. Three others were found in the RV which was parked outside. The five men aged 21 to 27 are currently being held on burglary charges.

An official told AFP on condition of anonymity earlier Wednesday that the men were believed to be of Moroccan descent and that it was not yet clear whether they held French, Moroccan or dual nationalities. They were later confirmed to be French nationals, according to another official who declined to be named.

Officials also bumped up security at a conference being held nearby about satellites and other national security tools used to monitor possible terrorist activities.

"It's a serendipitous event, as far as I know right now," conference organizer Keith Masback, with the United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation, told KSAT news. "But it just heightens our awareness and heightens our resolve that what we're doing here this week is critically important for the nation."

Air Passenger Arrested After Making Threats

9News: An American Airlines flight was diverted to Denver International Airport on Thursday night after a passenger hit a flight attendant and yelled threats.

The U.S. Attorney's office says Varoujan Khodjamirian was arrested when the plane landed safely in Denver.

American Airlines Flight 21 was flying from New York to Los Angeles.

Investigators say about an hour-and-a-half into the flight, Khodjamirian became loud and disruptive after he had consumed several alcoholic drinks. Passengers complained, so flight attendants reseated the two people sitting next to him.

Then, authorities say Khodjamirian started kicking the seats in front of him. When flight attendants tried to calm him down and failed, they moved him to the last row of seats.

He kept being loud, and that is when investigators say he hit one of the flight attendants in the face. He then started yelling threats that included: "I kill you children, I kill your mother, I will beat you all down and kill you."

Flight attendants then restrained him with flexible cuffs, and two attendants sat on him while the plane was diverted to Denver. If convicted of interference with flight crew members, Khodjamirian could get up to 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.

Click here to read the full criminal complaint.

TSA Agent Arrested in Phony Marriage Scheme

The Smoking Gun: A Transportation Security Administration agent was arrested this week on federal charges for her role in an alleged phony marriage scheme that sought to secure U.S. citizenship for her purported spouse, a Lebanon native.

The case against Krista Taha, 34, is, in part, based on information provided by two male TSA agents who told investigators that they dated her while she was reportedly married to Ali Taha, who was also named as a defendant in a felony criminal complaint unsealed yesterday in U.S. District Court in Detroit.

Taha, pictured right, and one of the male TSA agents are the parents of a four year-old boy.

The federal criminal complaint does not detail Taha’s alleged motive for taking part in the sham February 2002 marriage (or whether she was paid in return for the marriage vows). Taha, charged with conspiracy and making false statements, has worked as a TSA agent at the Detroit airport since late-2002.

Customer Finds B Word on Her Starbucks Cup

Vicki Reveron is a native New Yorker and, until a few weeks ago, a loyal Starbucks customer. That changed one morning when a barista wrote “Bitch” on her cup instead of her name.

"I was shocked. I didn't understand why they would do that," said Reveron.



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Businessman Jailed for Foul-Mouthed Airline Rant

Daily Mail: A U.S. businessman who launched a drunken foul-mouthed rant at staff on a British Airways flight was jailed for three months today.

Mortgage consultant Timothy Bradley flew into a rage after cabin crew on a BA flight from Phoenix to London refused to serve him more alcohol. He was told by a judge at London's Isleworth Crown Court that his behavior on the aircraft had been 'foul'.

Judge Richard McGregor-Johnson said: 'You were thoroughly abusive, threatening, making foul remarks to a number of people and Mr (John) Manson (head of cabin crew) quite plainly thought that he was about to be attacked.'

The court heard Bradley had been drinking with friends before boarding the flight in Phoenix, Arizona. He had beers and bourbon cocktails and continued to drink alcohol once aboard the flight to Heathrow.

Bradley began chatting up a female cabin crew member in the business class section of the plane, Charlotte Howell, who felt uneasy and was replaced by a male colleague, Stuart Williams. When Mr Williams refused to serve the businessman any more alcoholic drinks, Bradley said: 'Who the f*** are you to judge me? You don't f****** know me, how old are you?'

Bradley had been repeatedly swearing and was playing loud music on his laptop, the court was told, ignoring requests to turn it down. Mr Manson was brought in to try to calm the situation, but said Bradley was immediately aggressive and the American was so close to him that spit ended up on his clothes.

He asked the crew manager: 'Do you think I'm going to stab the pilot?', and when Mr Manson accompanied the drunken passenger to the toilet Bradley said: 'Do you want to hold my ****?'

He was arrested when the plane landed on August 20, and today was jailed for three months for being drunk on a plane and one month to run concurrently for common assault. Bradley had previously admitted both offences.

Judge McGregor-Johnson said: 'This happened on an aircraft in a confined space and caused, I've no doubt, fear and distress to others who of course could not escape from you.'

The court was told that smartly-dressed Bradley, whose parents sat in the public gallery, was 'totally and utterly ashamed' of his behavior. He was excited about coming to Europe for his first holiday in five years, and the drunken outburst was utterly 'out of character'.

Bradley had told Ms Howell 'I love you' only when she brought him a glass of champagne, and denied having told her that she was 'so sexy'. A spokesman for British Airways said: 'We will not tolerate abusive behavior towards our staff or customers.

'Although our crew are highly trained to deal with such situations on board, we will always look to support prosecutions where appropriate.

'We are pleased that the court has recognized the seriousness of this incident.'

Air Passenger Carrying Knife Threatened Police and FBI

Deseret News: A Salt Lake airline passenger faces federal charges for allegedly carrying a knife onto an airplane and verbally threatening police and FBI agents.

Shortly after taking his seat on a Delta Air Lines flight from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas on Sunday, David Alan Anderson, 60, began elbowing the passenger next to him to "claim" the armrest, according to a federal complaint. He then put his foot on the passenger's leg.

"Sir, you are going to have to move over," the passenger told him.

About five minutes later, the passenger saw Anderson staring at him. He then said to the passenger, "If I have a knife, I would slit your throat," the complaint states.

The passenger told flight attendants, who noticed Anderson reach into his bag several times with something cupped in his hand. The flight crew then called Salt Lake police.

Anderson denied having a weapon or making threats. But during a consensual search of his bag, police found a Gerber folding knife with a 3 ½-inch blade. Police handcuffed Anderson and took him to the airport police station.

At the station, the complaint says, Anderson made numerous profane threats to police and FBI agents including, "Your days are not long," "It's a shotgun in the chest," "I'll pull your eyeballs out," and "It will give me a lot of pleasure to see you again, but you won't see me, bucko."

According the complaint, Anderson smelled slightly of alcohol, but did not appear to be drunk. Anderson faces charges of dangerous weapon on an aircraft and retaliation against a federal law enforcement officer by threat of murder.

Oregon Man Mistakes Police Station for Casino

Casino?

KETV: An Oregon man's trip to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln police station front desk did not score him the blackjack chips he was seeking, but did land him in a detox cell for a night.

The 21-year-old man wandered into the station Saturday night after the Nebraska game against Washington, approached the front desk and asked for blackjack chips, thinking he was in a casino.

Staff at the front desk told the man they didn't have any chips.

When he returned to the station a few minutes later, officers administered a blood alcohol test, which registered at .273. Police then decided to place him into protective custody. A police sergeant said the man had not committed a crime and was not arrested.

Female Airline Passenger Drank Whiskey & Demanded Sex

Katherine Goldberg

 The Telegraph: Katherine Goldberg, who works in education, was on a flight from South Africa to Heathrow when she drunkenly assaulted the crew member by grabbing his penis, it was claimed.

She consumed the whisky on the August flight when the assault happened, Uxbridge Magistrates Court was told.

Stella Waata, prosecuting, said: "The circumstances are that Miss Goldberg was on a flight from South Africa to Heathrow and she was drunk whilst on the airplane.

"She proceeded to sexually assault one of the crew members by demanding to have sex with him and grabbing his penis and crotch area. She was believed to have drunk at least 50 centilitres of whisky."

She added: "I understand what representations are to be made in relation to the charge of sexual assault."

Ms Goldberg's lawyer applied to adjourn the case to make representations in relation to the charge of sexual assault and asked that Ms Goldberg receive a caution.

Mr Brennan said: "The purpose of my application is so that we can raise our representations with the Crown. I wish to raise representations in relation to one of the charges, that matters are dealt with by way of a caution rather than continuing with the court proceedings. It is a serious allegation but there are good reasons why it would be in the public interest for the Crown to deal with her by way of a caution."

"I have told the court that admissions were made in interview and if matters are not deal with by way of a caution there will be a plea of guilty at the next occasion. She was charged immediately, without any representation being able to be made to the CPS as to whether diversions would be appropriate."

Agreeing to the adjournment, Miss Waata said: "I understand what representations are to be made in relation to the charge of sexual assault. Given the circumstances, I understand Miss Goldberg works in education, a short adjournment of one week would not be disagreeable."

Miss Goldberg, of Ealing Common, west London, is charged with one count of sexual assault on a male and another of being drunk in an aircraft.

Wearing a white shirt and light pink trousers and appearing tearful in the dock, she spoke only to confirm her name, address and date of birth and was granted unconditional bail until her next appearance at the same court on 22 September.

Soccer Fans Watch Couple Score in Hotel Room



Model Alicia Tenderness

 UPI: A woman spotted having sex in a hotel room overlooking a Belgian stadium during a soccer match said she and her beau had thought the windows were tinted.

The woman, who identified herself by her stage name, Alicia Tenderness, 26, said she and her boyfriend did not realize soccer fans could see into their stadium hotel room during Saturday's Lokeren game in Sint-Truiden, the Dutch-language Sportwereld reported Monday.

Tenderness, a model and escort, said she and her boyfriend were shocked to see their picture in newspapers and on the Internet the following day.

"When checking out on Sunday morning the lady at the desk responded very cold, but we did not understand why. The realization came when we read the newspaper Monday," Tenderness said.

She expressed outrage that the hotel manager had filed an indecency complaint against her. She said the manager should have installed tinted windows in the rooms.

Airline Passenger Hid 7 Snakes, 3 Tortoises in His Pants

NBC Miami: A Miami International Airport passenger is in trouble after being caught with snakes in his pants while trying to board a flight.


The Transportation Security Administration said Monday the seven cold-blooded reptiles were discovered on the male passenger by security scanners on Aug. 25.

It was not clear where in the man's pants the snakes were hidden or if the snakes were venomous.

But the unidentified passenger didn't stop at sneaking snakes on a plane, authorities allege. He also had three tortoises hidden in a nylon bag concealed in his pants, TSA spokesman Jon Allen said.

The exotic animals were confiscated by the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife and the man was arrested for trafficking illegal wildlife.

Drunken Politican Trashes Hotel Room

Anchorage Daily News: Wasilla City Councilman Steve Menard (right) is apologizing but will not resign after the city was billed for a Sitka hotel room that Menard apparently drunkenly trashed while on city business.

The Wasilla City Council is requiring Menard to pay the city back the entire cost of his trip to Sitka and forbidding him from any more travel on city business until his term expires in October 2013.

Menard was staying at the Westmark in Sitka earlier this month for a meeting of the Alaska Municipal League. The hotel reported that damage to his room included urine on two mattresses and a chair, vomit on the carpet, ruined bedding, and a burned mattress. It's not clear exactly how it was burned but the hotel bill said there had been smoking in what was a non-smoking room.

The Wasilla City Council met in a closed session at the end of its regular meeting Monday night to decide what to do about it. Before the session began, Menard gave a brief statement, according to an audio recording provided by the city.

"I would like to start off by ..." he began, followed by a long pause. When he resumed his voice was breaking slightly. "Apologizing publicly for my actions in Sitka. The City of Wasilla, my friends and family, I'm truly embarrassed and sorry, truly sorry."

“I sit here before you a humbled man 11 days sober and working a program. And only through the grace of God I will redeem myself. And I thank you," he said.

Menard is a member of one of the best known and most influential families in the Mat-Su. His mother, Linda Menard, is a state senator who represents Wasilla. His father, Curt Menard, was a longtime state legislator and friend of the Palin family who was serving as the Matanuska-Susitna Borough mayor when he died in 2009 after an extended battle with cancer.

Then-Gov. Sarah Palin appointed Steve Menard to fill out his father's term on the Alaska Railroad's board of directors. He is no longer on the railroad board but Gov. Sean Parnell last year appointed him to a public seat on the Alaska Royalty Oil and Gas Development Advisory Board for a term that expires in 2015.

The board does not meet often and hasn't since 2004. It reviews new contracts between the state and refiners for purchase of royalty oil, the state's share of the crude produced on state lands.

Menard, who did not return messages from the Daily News, is a waiter at Evangelo's Restaurant in Wasilla, according to his October 2010 filing with the Alaska Public Offices Commission and a Tuesday interview with a fellow council member, Dianne Woodruff.

Menard had worked in the administration of then-Gov. Palin as an administrative assistant to Palin and later a special assistant to the labor commissioner. Menard was on the Wasilla City Council from 2005 to 2008, before running unsuccessfully for mayor.

He won another city council term last year. The Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman editorialized that Menard should admit that he needs help as well as resign from the council after what happened in Sitka. And Wasilla resident John Dewar told the council at Monday night's meeting that he believed Menard was "not fit for public office."

But Anne Kilkenny of Wasilla, who gained national attention in 2008 when her long email casting doubt on Palin's leadership went viral on the Internet, urged the city council on Monday night to show compassion for Menard.

"I ask you, who among you is without sin? Let him be the first to cast the stone. If your goal is to protect and preserve the good reputation of the City of Wasilla then I suggest that you look at enacting an ordinance which forbids the consumption of any quantity of alcohol while on city business," she said.

The Westmark Sitka sent the city of Wasilla a $350 bill for repairs to Menard's room. Westmark Hotel manager Kathy Adams would not comment on Tuesday.

She'd earlier told the Frontiersman that "we actually went light on the charges" and that the room was out of service for three days as a result of what happened. She said her housekeeping manager wanted to charge for new beds.

Adams had told the Frontiersman that Menard had told the hotel to "bill it to the city" and that the Westmark was on the verge of calling the police because the city initially would not pay the $350. The city decided to pay and had Menard reimburse the cost.

The City Council on Monday night directed Menard to also pay back to the city the entire $1,404 cost for him to attend the Sitka meeting, which other Wasilla council members attended as well.

The council also won't allow Menard to travel on city business for the remainder of his term.

Menard has declined to describe exactly what happened in Sitka. He has had documented difficulties with alcohol in the past. Menard was convicted in 2004 for driving under the influence in Fairbanks and in 2007 in Anchorage on a charge of "drunk on licensed premise." He told the Daily News while running for mayor in 2008 that he'd addressed the issue by no longer drinking.

Fellow Wasilla council member Woodruff said in a Tuesday interview that Menard "is a person with an issue and hopefully this will get him the help that he needs." Woodruff said she believes that Menard is now involved in Alcoholics Anonymous.

Woodruff, an outspoken critic of Menard's former boss, Palin, said she has always found Menard to be a good council member.

"He has come up with a lot of good ideas for the city and he's passed some meaningful legislation. I've never seen him do anything that I thought was self-serving, that wasn't meant for the good of the community. So I'm hoping this is a reasonable solution in which he's been properly sanctioned and gets the help he needs and the city benefits still from his expertise," Woodruff said.

The Top Ten Types of Annoying Airline Passengers

Jaunted: Do you have things in your job that annoy you? Do you notice it's the same things that annoy your co-workers? Yeah me too. As a flight attendant I get asked over and over again what is the most annoying things passengers do? I always tread lightly, because flight attendants get accused of, well, complaining too much. And, believe me we can probably complain better than most.

In fact there's an old joke:

Q. How many flight attendants does it take to change a light bulb?

A. Zero, because we'd rather sit around in the galley and bitch about it.

So, what behaviors annoy flight attendants the most? Well, besides urinating in the aisle, and other super gross activites, here are Ten Types of Annoying Passengers:

1. The Manner-less: Just a "please" and "thank you" goes a long way in our world. We hear “what ya got” and “gimme a coke” far too often. Also, if we offer a meal choice and they don't like it, it's okay to just say no thank you; only five year olds wrinkle up their nose and say "ewww."

2. The Amateur Geographer: Flight attendants don't know our exact location coordinates, especially in the middle of in-flight service. And chances are we don't know what body of water that is below us either.

3. The Pen-forgetter: Passengers that leave home without one are particularly annoying, especially on an international flight with forms to be filled out. And, yes we know you are glaring at the pen on us when we say no we don't have one. Flight attendants are required by the FAA to have a pen on them at all times.

4. The Smartphone Addict: Those who insist they're about to turn off their phones even after we've already asked numerous times usually reply, “I know! I am turning it off!" But they're not—they're texting and it's not like we can't see that. It's just as annoying for us to ask as it for them to have to comply. Just do it!

5. The Thirsties: They need a drink of water as soon as they board the plane and need to use the lav just as urgently. We understand there are close connects and exceptions, but most passengers have been sitting out at the gate area with ample time to use the restroom and get a drink of water.

6. The Headphones Wearer: We ask: “Would you like something to drink?” No response. "Would you like something to drink?" Nothing. Wave in front of face. Nothing. Wave in front of face again. Confused look. “Would you like a drink?” “What?” Motion someone drinking. "Ahh, gimme a coke." Is it possible they didn't see the bar cart coming?

7. The Trash Collector: It's super gross to be handed trash during in-flight service, especially when they blindly put it wherever, like in our ice. And let's not talk about handling dirty diapers or wiping their nose or face and then trying to hand us the tissue.

8. The Free-for-all Parent: Passengers that let their kids run wild on the plane and then expect and ask the flight attendants to watch them are of course expecting too much. This behavior often includes parents telling us to return their children to buckle up their seat belts.

9. The Dare to Barer: Perhaps this type of passenger shouldn't bother us because it's a personal choice thing, but they do. We're talking about those who use the lavatory in their bare feet. Maybe it's because we care so much about the well-being of our passengers?

10. The Coffee Snob: It's a safe bet that passengers probably didn't have breakfast with their flight attendant, so you need to let them know how you take your coffee. If they're picky and don't indicate their preferences, there's no reason to get mad. And to my people in the north east, "regular coffee" does not mean milk and sugar; it just means not decaf to the rest of the country.

About the Author:

Sara Keagle is a Flight Attendant for a major U.S. Airline with over twenty years of experience. On her blog TheFlyingPinto.com she shares advice on making air travel less stressful for all and offers peeks behind the galley curtain. She also co-hosts The Crew Lounge, a weekly podcast that gives insight into the career of a flight attendant.

Florida Waitress Swindled Customers for $5,000

New York Daily News: It's just one more reason to be kind to your server.

Kathryn Shana'e Perez, 25, told Pasco County detectives she used credit card skimming device on overly-demanding diners at a Mugs N Jugs restaurant in Port Richey, Fla.

"During an interview, she identified the people she skimmed as the ones who ran her around, made her work real hard," Detective John Suess told local television station WTSP 10 News. "Maybe she's scared of a hard day's work."

Detectives say the waitress got the tiny skimming device from her cousin, 25-year-old Brandon Quillen, who used the information she ripped off to make new credit cards.

He gave the fraudulent credit cards to his ex-girlfriend, 22-year-old Rebecca Pixton, who used them to buy more than $5,000 worth of stuff from Radio Shack and Walmart.

She sold the goods for cash, detectives said.

Perez is believed to have used the skimming device to rip off at least nine diners between May 30 and June 23, but police said there could be more victims.

One victim, Denise Remington, said her bank account was nearly depleted after her credit card racked up more than $3,000 in fraudulent charges.

Remington, who once worked in a bank's fraud department, told WTSP that Perez wasn't exactly the most attentive waitress.

"She couldn't look you in the face when she waited on you. She didn't greet you. She took a long time to come back to the table. She didn't say thank you," she said.

Perez, Quillen and Pixton all face multiple charges, including fraudulent use of a credit card.