Bullet Proof Bra? Murder Biz As Usual?

Maybe the police don't need those bulky, hot, uncomfortable vests....maybe all they need is a GOLD BRA....

One woman discovered on New Year's Eve that her bra could do more than lift and support when a falling bullet was halted by the bra strap on her left shoulder.

Debbie Bingham, 46, an Atlanta resident visiting family in St. Petersburg, said her gold bra slowed the falling bullet during the holiday celebrations.

Her injuries may have been much more severe had it not been for her bra strap, said George Kajtsa, spokesman for the St. Petersburg Police Department.

Then there's this loser...

A man who allegedly robbed a Loveland bank so he could avoid jail time is now headed back to jail.

Mark Steven Valladares, 48, is accused of robbing a Wells Fargo Bank last week for money that he wanted to use to pay off outstanding [DUI] driving fines. One hour after the bank robbery, Valladares was pulled over about one block from the Loveland police and courts building, police said.

He allegedly told investigators that he was headed to the police station to pay the fines and that the robbery was an act of desperation, the Loveland Daily Reporter-Herald said.

Looks like things ARE getting back to normal in New Orleans...

Seven people have been shot to death since New Year's Day in New Orleans. Five of the shootings, all unrelated, occurred within a 14-hour span Wednesday night and Thursday morning. Also, a body with signs of physical trauma was found Wednesday wrapped in a rug. That death has not been classified but could bring the total for the 5-day-old year to eight.

This is what's going on in Houston since the 1st of the year...

For a second consecutive year, Houston recorded a rise in homicides within its borders, with the number of killings edging toward its highest point in more than a decade.

Despite another annual increase, residents here are not necessarily at greater risk of becoming a homicide victim. That's because Houston's homicide rate per 100,000 residents rose only incrementally in 2006 — since the city's population is estimated to have surged by more than 148,000 people, due largely to an influx of Hurricane Katrina evacuees.

In 2006, the Houston Police Department recorded 379 homicides as of Dec. 31, a 13.5 percent increase from the 334 homicides recorded in 2005. The 2006 total is the highest since 1994, when 419 homicides were reported in the city.

Then there's ...

Jan 1 - Travis Michael Zielenski was found dead inside an residence at the Timber Mill Apartments in the 1400 block of Sawdust.
Jan 2 - A 96-year-old Conroe woman, who apparently wandered from her home and was lying in the street, was struck and killed by a motorist early New Year's Day.
Jan 2 - After racking up 379 homicides in 2006, Houston made it through the first day of 2007 without a slaying — but just barely. It was about 1 a.m. Tuesday when two east Houston youths heard gunshots outside their bedroom window in the 300 block of Super. Minutes later, police discovered a man dying from gunshot wounds in their backyard.
Jan 4 - A 10-year-old boy who apparently was mimicking the execution of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein accidentally hanged himself on New Year's Eve, authorities said.
Jan 4 - A 6-year-old girl was apparently struck by a hit-and-run driver in west Houston around 8 p.m. this evening. The unidentified girl was hit on Westhollow and flown by helicopter to an area hospital, where she is in critical condition, authorities said.

So that looks like the Houston area has "only" had one homicide in 6 days of 2007. The one with the guy found dead on Jan 1 doesn't count because he was probably murdered "last year". I wonder what it's like to live somewhere without this kind of news daily? You know if you don't open the Comical and see your name on either the front page or in the death notices it's probably going to be a good day! All the same, I think I might look into getting one of those gold bras....