A runner in the punishing annual Mount Marathon trail race in Seward, Alaska, has been missing since July 4 and is presumed to be the competition's first fatality in a year where several serious course injuries have sparked a call for rule changes. Race officials last saw Michael LeMaitre, a 66-year-old race newcomer, about 200 feet from the summit, lagging well behind the rest of the pack. Alaska State Troopers called off a search for LeMaitre last weekend, but the Seward Volunteer Fire Dep... Read More
San Diego beachgoers are on alert for stingrays after 41 people were injured and one taken to the hospital on Wednesday. Lifeguards and paramedics set up a triage area near the beach at La Jolla Shores with buckets of hot water to break up the protein toxins and ease the intense pain caused by the stingray barbs. While the number of injuries is higher than usual, it is not unheard of for this time of year. Once the water gets above 50 degrees, stingrays are an everyday sight along the Southern... Read More
The international campaign to save a Belfast, Northern Ireland, dog deemed an illegal "pitbull-terrier type" ended Wednesday after the deadline for further appeals expired and the dog was put down. Seven-year-old Lennox, whom his disabled owner said was a bulldog-labrador cross, was identified by Belfast City Council dog wardens as a "possible" pitbull type in 2010 and impounded, despite having never harmed anyone. Victoria Stilwell, host of Animal Planet's It's Me or the Dog, was a vocal oppo... Read More
Lance Armstrong’s attorneys refiled a lawsuit against the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency Tuesday, a day after his initial suit had been dismissed, and only hours after USADA issued lifetime bans to three of his former staffers. Armstrong is asking U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks to prevent his doping case from going forward on the grounds that USADA has no right to charge or sanction him, and that the agency’s procedures violate his Fifth Amendment Due Process rights. Armstrong’s ini... Read More
While swimming with friends in the Caloosahatchee River in Moore Haven, Florida, on Monday, 17-year-old Kaleb Langdale was attacked by a 10-plus-foot alligator. The alligator latched on to Langdale’s arm, and rather than trying to pry it free and perhaps risk further—possibly fatal—damage from his attacker, Langdale waited until the alligator broke though his arm bones. He then pushed off the alligator’s body with his feet, which ripped off his right arm below the elbow... Read More
