That’s Odd

left the Army in 2013 as a major, said on Monday at an interview in his garage, his first since the shooting on Saturday night. “I just know I have to kill this guy before he kills us.” On Monday, the authorities said they were holding Anderson Lee Aldrich, 22, on suspicion of murder and of bias-motivated crime causing bodily injury, Colorado’s equivalent of a hate crime, for each of the five people killed in the shooting. Chief Adrian Vasquez of the Colorado Springs Police Department identified the victims as Daniel Aston, Kelly Loving, Ashley Paugh, Derrick Rump, and Raymond Green Vance. The number of wounded victims was revised downward by authorities to 18 from 25. Of those people, 17 were shot and one was injured without being shot, officials said. At least 13 injured victims remained hospitalized, spokespeople for two hospital systems said. Fierro said his wife and daughter were recovering from injuries at home. The death toll could have been much higher, officials said, if patrons of the nightclub had not stopped the gunman. Vasquez identified Fierro and Thomas James as the people who knocked down the suspect. “He saved a lot of lives,” Mayor John Suthers of Colorado Springs said of Fierro. Gov. Jared Polis of Colorado ordered flags on all public buildings to be lowered to half-staff beginning on Monday for five days, one for each of the people killed. Fierro’s Army record shows that he was awarded the Bronze Star twice. The experiences of combat still haunt him, he said, and the psychological and physical toll of the deployments were why he left the Army. He said he never thought he would have to deal with that kind of violence at home. “I was done with war,” he said. (© The New York Times)

Fat Fish

The Carrot is big and orange – and a fish. Andy Hackett, 42, was fishing in France when he nabbed an oversized female carp weighing a whopping 67.5 pounds. This was no ordinary sea creature. The fish is also orange in color, which makes it prized by anglers since most other giant carp are either pale or brownish. “I knew it was a big fish when it took my bait and went off side to side and up and down with it,” Hackett said. “Then it came to the surface 30 or 40 yards out, and I saw that it was orange.

“It was brilliant to catch it, but it was also sheer luck,” he added. It took him 25 minutes to reel in his catch. Still, “The Carrot” – his name for the fish – was released back into the lake. The behemoth fish was stocked 15 years ago “as something different for the anglers to try to catch,” Jason Cowler, a spokesman for Bluewater Lakes, explained. “It’s not the biggest resident in the lake, but by far the most outstanding,” he said. The orange-colored carp was caught around nine times last fishing season, Cowler added. In February, she broke the 60-pound mark. “I always knew The Carrot was in there but never thought I would catch it,” Hackett said. Hey, you know there are other fish in the sea.

Every Dog Has Its Day

Make way, canine world. Gino is now the king. The California dog was named the oldest living dog by Guinness World Records after he was confirmed to be more than 22 years old. Owner Alex Wolf, 40, said he and his college roommates adopted the then-2year-old dog from Colorado’s Humane Society of Boulder Valley in 2002. “He’s been there every step of the way,” Wolf said. “I’m so glad we got him. He’s the best.” Guinness World Records verified Gino was born Sept. 24, 2000, earning him the title of oldest dog living. The previous record-holder, a canine named TobyKeith, is also still living, but is only 21 years old. Wolf attributed Gino’s continuing good health to a balanced diet, veterinary care and the canine’s own zest for life. “I give him all the credit,” Wolf said. “He’s gotten a lot of love, and I think he’s just a strong dog.” Seems like you can teach an old dog new tricks.

A Big Book

Think you just read a big book? Think again. Recently, a Texas nonprofit and a museum teamed up to break the Guinness World Record for largest published book with a tome measuring 7 feet tall and 11 feet wide. The volume was a version of the book I Am Texas, which contains writing and artwork from 1,000 Texas students from third to 12th grades. The book, which has smaller versions available for purchase, measures a gargantuan 7 feet tall, is 11 feet wide, and weighs in at 496 pounds. The giant book, which has been certified as the world’s largest by Guinness World Records, is now embarking on a tour of Texas and will be featured in the November 24 H-E-B Thanksgiving Day Parade in Houston. Talk about making a short story long.

Sky Walker

Afraid of heights? Whether you enjoy the skies or you prefer terra firma, we don’t suggest you try this at home. Rafael Bridi is fearless. The accomplished slackliner recently showed off his balance skills by taking a walk on a line suspended between two hot air balloons over his Brazilian hometown. This is not the first time that Bridi accomplished this stomach-churning feat. He previously earned the Guinness World Record for highest slackline walk when he crossed between two balloons 6,236 feet over Praia Grande in Santa Catarina, Brazil. This week, he replicated his stunt over the city of Florianopolis to honor his hometown.

According to Bridi, the sky over Florianopolis provided optimal conditions for the dizzying feat. “The location we chose provides very good conditions for flying balloons. And we have all these pilots here doing unique flights, going over canyons above the clouds. Together with my production crew, I think we created a dream team,” he said. Sweet dreams.

Paper Ballot

When all the ballots were counted in the race for a city council seat in Roger City, Michigan, it was a clear tie: 616 people voted for Timeen Adair; 616 people voted for Brittany VanderWall. How to resolve such a dismal deadlock? Councilmembers had an innovative solution to settle the tie. They had the two candidates draw pieces of paper from a bowl. Adair, who won, had picked the paper that had the word “elected” on it. VanderWall’s paper declared: “not elected.” There were no hard feelings between the two candidates. They exchanged hugs, although VanderWall told Adair, “Congrats. Do good work. I’ll see you in two years.” Adair noted, “The people have spoken, and they said, ‘Eh, either one.’” Talk about a balance of power.