Watch: African serval captured after 2 days on the loose in Oklahoma
Edmond resident Shanna Honeycutt-Akram said her 35-pound pet, named Jalapeño, was able to push his door open when it failed to latch properly on Sunday and wandered out into the neighborhood.
Honeycutt-Akram and others posted about Jalapeño's disappearance on Facebook, and the posts garnered numerous comments and shares.
The pet owner said a neighbor spotted Jalapeño on Tuesday and was able to help trap him in a large crate.
Honeycutt-Akram said Jalapeño was not injured during his time on the loose and is now safely back at home.
"He was an entirely different critter as soon as he was back home! His enclosure is padlocked and we can all rest easy," Honeycutt-Akram wrote on Facebook.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Chicago Tribune
an hour ago
- Chicago Tribune
Waukegan-area officials trying to calm ICE-related fears; ‘People don't want to leave their house'
Six months after the arrest and ultimate deportation of a Waukegan resident with a Green Card by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, fear and uncertainty remain within Lake County's immigrant community. Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 Superintendent Theresa Plasencia took steps to ease some of that fear with a letter to families last week letting them know their children will be safe when classes start on Aug. 11. 'Recent news about immigration enforcement activities this summer has understandably created fear for some of our families,' Plascencia wrote in the letter. 'We want to reiterate that our school district strives to be a safe and welcoming place for all students, regardless of immigration status.' Waukegan Township Trustee Dulce Ortiz is the executive director of Mano a Mano Family Resource Center in Round Lake Park. The organization provides services and support to the immigrant community. She said people are unsure of their safety right now. 'There is a lot of fear,' Ortiz said. 'They don't know if ICE will show up after they drop their children off at school. People don't want to leave their house. They're afraid to go to the grocery store.' The Rev. Timothy J. O'Malley, the pastor of Most Blessed Trinity Parish in Waukegan, said last spring he noticed fewer people coming to church or arriving at the food pantry. Over the summer, more are coming back, in part because of social media, he said. 'People started returning in June, but they are still concerned,' O'Malley said. 'People get on the phone and Facebook when they see something. People know what to do. They know when not to be in a place in public.' District 60 officials are preparing for the start of school in Waukegan amid uncertainty over the potential impact ICE activities may have on some of the families, and are preparing to calm the situation as much as possible. For the past two school years, Nick Alatzakis, District 60's communications director, said the number of newcomers — foreign-born students who have arrived in the country over the last three years — appears to be declining. A year ago, it was approximately 10% of the student population. 'At this time, we do not anticipate the recent upward trend in newcomer enrollment to continue,' Alatzakis said in an email. 'Informally, we've received reports from multiple sources indicating that newcomer registrations for the 2025-2026 school year appear to be lower than in previous years. With families still registering children for school, Alatzakis said it is too soon to determine if the number of students will be more or fewer than last year. Those numbers 'will become clear' once school is in session. Ortiz said the fear is greatest among mixed families, where some members are legal residents and others are undocumented. Oftentimes, those situations occur when children are born in the United States and one or both of their parents are undocumented immigrants. Since District 60 does not collect information on the immigration status of students, Plascencia said there is no record of it. Student records are also confidential and protected by law. They cannot be shared without parental consent or legal authority. 'Every student deserves to feel safe, valued and supported when they walk through our school doors,' Plascencia said in the email. 'Federal immigration agents are not permitted access to students without a valid federal warrant.' Though she is not sure if people are becoming better educated or are afraid, Ortiz said fewer individuals are coming to Mano a Manio for programs or services. She notices fewer shoppers in stores. When the needs are strongest, families take more risks. 'They'll come to a school resource fair because of free backpacks and school supplies,' Ortiz said. 'They need the financial assistance. At the Lake County Fair, there were hardly any immigrants. There are usually a lot of immigrants there.' People can also become afraid in places that should be safe. O'Malley said he was at a parish carnival in western Lake County recently and there were trucks with the initials 'I.C.E.' People were worried and concerned. 'They were engineers' trucks,' O'Malley said, 'They were there for a road project going on. Then, people relaxed.' Some people still remember the initial ICE raid in the Chicago area on Jan. 26 when Waukegan resident Andres Marquina was arrested by ICE though he had a Green Card and had lived in the U.S. for 30 years. His daughter, Yenitza, said he was deported a few months later. Businesses are also feeling the impact of people leaving their homes less often. A local grocery store owner, who asked his name be withheld for fear of being a victim of violence, said business is currently slower than in past summers. His suppliers are noticing the same thing. 'There are different people shopping in our stores,' he said. 'We don't know if they're shopping for themselves or someone else. Neighbors have to show up for neighbors, and our leaders have to do what's possible for our most vulnerable citizens.' Though Waukegan is a sanctuary city, O'Malley said it does not get the attention of federal authorities like Chicago, Los Angeles or New York. The lack of attention helps people relax a little more. 'Waukegan seems like a safe community,' O'Malley said, 'People feel safe here.'
Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Boston Globe
Goose the wandering lizard makes a perp walk
Advertisement The lizard, whose sex is undetermined, was spotted over several days at a spot along Southwest Main Street in Douglas State Forest, and his location was so consistent that authorities said they spray painted the spot on the road. But each time Goose was approached he disappeared, until Saturday when they figured out he was scurrying under a root and hiding. An environmental police officer said Monday that he looked in the hole and 'there was a tongue sticking out at me.' After resisting hard-boiled eggs, officers laid out a few pieces of chicken and were able to lasso Goose using two catch poles. They described the animal as being in good health, and mostly good spirits, but 'very strong' and stopped being well-behaved when they got the catch poles on it. Understandably. Advertisement The owner of the lizard, who was not named at the press conference, will not face criminal charges, according to environmental police. The owner was cited for possession of the animal and issued a warning for a lack of an importation permit, authorities said, noting the animal had clearly been well cared for. Police said the animal, which was estimated to be 5-8 years old, is one of many prized in the exotic animal trade, and that on the black market Goose could sell for $6,000 to $20,000. What's next for Goose? A bit of nirvana, as he will be moved to his new home at the Goose will be quarantined for six weeks, but officials from the sanctuary said they hope that eventually, if Goose is in the mood, he will be brought back to Webster for a viewing so that locals can see the lizard that has become a social media sensation these last two weeks. When Mack Ralbovsky from Rainforest Reptiles brought Goose out at the press conference, which was broadcast on Facebook live, the handler held the perp securely in his hands and the lizard was a bit squirmy – like a restless baby. But Goose soon settled down and looked around the room for a while, occasionally flicking out his tongue at the assembled cameras. A few minutes later, the black lizard was led away, and there was that strange pause from town and state officials at the podium where everyone kind of looked at each other like they couldn't believe this bizarre media moment and was over. Advertisement 'He's our unofficial mascot in Webster,' Police Chief Michael Shaw said. 'We're kind of sad to see him go.' Billy Baker can be reached at
UPI
2 hours ago
- UPI
Drag group promotes artists' rights as Florida AG demands info on Pride event
Participants march down Fifth Avenue at the 2024 NYC Pride March in New York City. A group is promoting artists' rights as Florida's Republican Attorney General James Uthmeier is demanding guest lists, surveillance footage and personal information from people who attended a drag Pride event in Vero Beach on June. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo Aug. 4 (UPI) -- Florida's Republican Attorney General James Uthmeier is demanding guest lists, surveillance footage and personal information from people who attended a drag Pride event in Vero Beach on June 29, according to Scott Simpson, organizer for Qommittee, a national volunteer network defending drag artists' rights. The group says that no laws were violated in the event, and Florida's statewide "drag ban" has been blocked by federal courts. But state officials are "weaponizing existing laws to bully, intimidate, and surveil our community," Simpson said. Simpson's group has publicized Floridians' rights and called for organizing. "This is serious government overreach designed to intimidate drag performers into silence," he said. "They want performers to stop performing. They want venues to stop booking drag shows. They want our community to stop gathering and celebrating who we are. "Going to a drag show should not mean you forfeit your anonymity or land your name in a government database," Simpson said. "We cannot let that happen. Every drag performer and venue in Florida must stay loud, stay proud, and protect themselves while continuing their art." This isn't the first attack on Vero Beach's drag community. Linda Moore, the vice mayor of Vero Beach, is being investigated by Uthmeier for a "Pride Tea Dance" held last month at the Kilted Mermaid, a wine bar she owns in the town on the Atlantic coast. But it's unclear what charges Moore might face and questions remain concerning Uthmeier's legal basis for the investigation. Uthmeier's office cited evidence that the event was promoted as being open to all ages and included sexualized adult performers who "wore revealing attire and burlesque outfits while interacting with the children." "In Florida, we don't sacrifice the innocence of children for the perversions of some demented adults," Uthmeier said in a statement. But Moore said the bar has hosted it for at least the past five years. "We have the event every year; it's our gay pride event, and it is all ages," Moore said. "It's a family-friendly event, and then once the drag show actually starts, we tell the parents who have small children that they can't stay for the show." Simpson's Qommittee website clarifies drag performers' rights and realities, as well as Florida's laws on drag shows open to all ages versus shows for adults only. It also tells performers how to protect themselves if they're targeted by government officials and to keep performing and keep showing up at drag shows. "This intimidation campaign wants us to self-censor out of fear," Simpson said. "We will not give them that victory."
