October 4, 2010

Page 1

Vanguard The

VOLUME 48, NUMBER 10

Thousands Gather at 16th Annual BayFest CRIME

USA Student Arrested on Arson Charges Cameron Adkins

ASSOCIATE EDITOR cja501@jaguar1.usouthal.edu

A USA student was arrested late Thursday night at The Grove on charges of attempted arson after police responded to a report of a fire. Torrean Katsumi Kinnel, a 21-year-old from Biloxi, Miss., was spotted by police at the scene and arrested on charges of two counts of first-degree arson attempts, public intoxication, criminal trespassing and second-degree marijuana possession. The fire University police responded to at The Grove Thursday night was the fourth such incident reported that day. There had previously been two fires reported in the Student Center and one in the Delta Commons. “We had pulled video from both the Student Center and Kinnel the Delta Commons to see if there was anybody we could see that was common to both buildings, and he was the only one we saw,” USA Chief of Police Normand Gamache said. “We had printed pictures of him off of the video and given them to the officers. “When they responded to the call for a fire at the Grove they were looking around to see who was there and they happened to spot him,” he said. Damages from the fire at The Grove were limited to the shrubbery outside of

Police Blotter p. 2

What trait do you like most in your professors? Take our weekly poll at www.usavanguard.com

Rapper Nelly took the stage Sunday night. To read more, turn to page 8.

Mobile Firefighters Pull Trapped Kitten From Drainage System Near USA Library

Cameron Adkins

To see The Vanguard’s video and online photo gallery of the rescue, visit www. usavanguard. com.

ASSOCIATE EDITOR cja501@jaguar1.usouthal.edu

Mobile firefighters rescued a small, black kitten Thursday afternoon from an underground drainage system next to the University Library after it had been trapped inside for a couple of days. “This is unusual, but we do it when we get the chance,” said Larry Bailey of the Mobile Fire-Rescue Department. Several USA students had heard the kitten’s meowing and attempted to find aid for it over the past few days by calling the Maintenance Department at the University, but not much ever came from the requests, the students said. On Tuesday, the Maintenance Department came out and opened one of the drains, but the kitten ran into a different area of the system, according to Shauna Pettey, a student involved in the rescue. After that, workers closed the drain and left, leaving the kitten inside. Pettey said that she and a few other students had called tmaintenance workers again approximately three hours before the kitten was rescued Thursday. No one from the maintenance department responded to the call. “When I called maintenance, they said at least 20 people had called, and that was at lunch time [Thursday],” said Sarah Prine, another student involved in the rescue. Prine said she called multiple humane societies, the Mobile Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) and the city’s animal control department, but representatives from the organizations said they could not help rescue the kitten. “I understand [the maintenance department has] stuff to do. Waiting an hour or two hours is fine, but it’s already been two-and-a-half or three hours. Also, it’s

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Serving USA Since 1965

October 4, 2010

Arts & Entertainment p. 7

USA’s most recent play “Rabbit Hole” Comes to a Close See Arts & Entertainment, page 7

Student Shauna Pettey holds the kitten after it was pulled out of a drain near the University Library where it had been trapped for several days. The visibly frightened kitten was taken to the Mobile SPCA after the ordeal for treatment.

Daniela Werner / Editor-in-Chief

been three days. And they also came out here [Tuesday], but to try one drain and give up after that and leave is ridiculous,” Blaine Green, a third student involved in the rescue, said. Finally, the Mobile Fire-Rescue Department was notified and responded in less than 30 minutes. A firefighter then corralled the visibly frightened kitten into an orange construction cone to contain it while he climbed out of the drainage system on a ladder. Sports p. 10

After its rescue, the kitten was taken to the Mobile SPCA for treatment. “We’ve just got to keep working with it to see if we can get it calmed down before we can do any tests or anything,” SPCA Office Manager Jeannie Cooley said. “Sometimes they will come around when they are that little, and sometimes they won’t.” According to Cooley, the kitten is too small to run some tests that need to be done, but the kitten is being taken care of until the tests can be run.

Opinion p. 12

Get to Know USA’s Next Opponent in Football See Sports, page 11

Distractions p. 14

Are City-Wide Smoking Bans Good or Overdoing it? See Opinion, page 13


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October 4, 2010 by The Vanguard - Issuu