NEWS OF THE WEIRD

What’s in a Name?

A Planet Fitness customer in Saginaw Township, Michigan, was alarmed to find a Wi-Fi network named “remote detonator” while searching for an available connection.

The gym manager evacuated the building and called police, who brought in a bomb-sniffing dog and declared the facility safe after a three-hour shutdown. Saginaw Township Police Chief Donald Pussehl told MLive.com that people often choose odd names for their Wi-Fi networks, adding that one on his own street is called “FBI surveillance van.”

Crime Report

In October 1981, Stephen Michael Paris escaped from the Jess Dunn Correctional Center in Muskogee, Oklahoma, where he had been serving a nine-year sentence for drug possession and distribution. Using the name Stephen Chavez, Paris managed to evade authorities until April 12, when investigators tracked him down, thanks to his mother’s obituary, at an office in Houston where he was working.

Now 58 years old, Paris was mentioned in his mother’s tribute, using his alias, the Associated Press reported, and after confirming his identity with fingerprints, the U.S. Marshals Service returned him to custody.

New World Order

Jaywalkers, beware: The city of Daye, in Hubei province China, has installed water sprayers and an electronic screen at a crosswalk to stop people from crossing on a red light. Five pylons were placed along the road, China Daily reported, three of which identify offenders using sensors and then spray them with water vapor.

Other pylons “photograph people crossing against red lights,” explained Wan Xinqiang of the Daye public security bureau, and “a large electronic screen at the intersection will instantly display their photos . ... If the equipment works well, we will utilize it throughout the city.”