Off beat

Ghostbusters Halloween getup alarms airport
security

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. “”mdash; Eric Velleca didn’t even
have to don his Halloween costume to garner some explosive
attention.

His getup, stashed in a trunk, tripped an explosives detector
during a baggage screening at Palm Beach International Airport.

Velleca, 28, was pulled off his United Airlines flight to
Chicago and questioned by investigators on Wednesday while a bomb
squad inspected the trunk carrying three costumes patterned after
the outfits worn in the film
“˜”˜Ghostbusters.”

The trunk contained PVC pipes, radios, cell phones, batteries
with wires attached and car distributor caps to be used to assemble
the “˜”˜proton packs” for costumes he and
two friends wanted to wear for a party.

Officials had discussed blowing up the trunk but decided against
it, Velleca said. He said officials briefly considered pressing
charges against him, but they were polite and professional
throughout the ordeal.

Lauren Stover, regional spokeswoman for the Transportation
Security Administration, said officials had no choice but to act as
if it were a threat.

Casinos tapped to give vaccines to elderly
gamblers

NEW LONDON, Conn. “”mdash; Want to stay healthy this winter? Try
a trip to the casino.

As another flu season starts, several organizations are
targeting casinos with their large numbers of elderly visitors as
places to administer vaccines.

“˜”˜It’s an ideal place,” said
Susan Peak, the wellness coordinator at the Visiting Nurse’s
Association of Central Connecticut, which administered flu and
pneumonia shots at the Mohegan Sun Casino Wednesday.

Promoting vaccinations for gamblers and employees is also good
for business, said casino spokesmen and health care workers.

Kay O’Shea, 73, of Massachusetts, said she typically comes
to the casino once a week. The one-stop gambling and inoculation is
“˜”˜killing two birds with one stone,” she
said.

Emu leads pest control on a chase through
Pensacola

PENSACOLA, Fla. “”mdash; A 6-foot-tall emu led a half-dozen pest
control workers on a 90-minute chase through woods and brush before
the flightless bird was snared and then gang-tackled.

Gene Ham has caught raccoons, opossums, coyotes, deer,
squirrels, foxes and other critters in his job with Jones/Hill Pest
Control, but Tuesday’s chase was his first encounter with an
emu, an ostrich-like bird native to Australia.

“˜”˜That was by far the toughest thing we’ve
ever caught,” Ham said. “˜”˜It was quick,
and it put up a tough fight once we caught it.”

The bird will be quarantined for at least 30 days and get
veterinary care before joining other emus at The Zoo, said zoo
president Pat Quinn.

It may have escaped from an emu ranch or have been deliberately
released, Quinn said. Emus are raised mainly for their lean but
beef-like meat.

Emus feed on grasses, insects and sometimes small reptiles in
the wild. They can run up to 40 mph and deliver lethal blows with
their feet.

Reports from Daily Bruin wire services.