Small Bits of News You Didn’t Know you Needed

Pilot Lets Small Plane Fly Itself
A civilian pilot left the controls of his small plane while he untangled a British Army parachutist who got tangled up in the landing gear, London's Sun newspaper reported on Saturday.
The British soldier was one of six participating in a parachuting competition at the Joint Service Parachute Center at Bad Lippspringe in Germany. The first five jumped from the plane successfully, but when the sixth — the instructor — tried to leap out and open his chute at an altitude of 3,000 feet, it only partially deployed.
The flier left his seat for about 30 seconds to reach out and cut the parachute lines that got caught on the twin propeller engine Islander's undercarriage.
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Nurse gave wrong woman abortion
A nurse who gave a chemical abortion to a patient who had only come for a consultation has been cautioned.
Ann Downer, based at the Calthorpe Clinic in Edgbaston, Birmingham, failed to check the woman's personal details before giving her the drug.
The woman was recalled when Ms Downer realized her mistake but the drug had already taken effect.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council said she could keep her job but would have a caution on her record for three years.
A spokesman said the council's conduct and competence committee heard the clinic's practice was to only call out patient's first names in a bid to protect confidentiality while in the waiting room.
Once the patient was inside a private room, other details, such as full name, birthdate and address were checked to make sure it was the person they were expecting.
Ms Downer failed to carry out an identity check and gave a drug, Misoprostol, to a woman who was due to have an initial consultation.
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Handcuffed girl, 13, steals prison van
A 13-year-old Lynwood girl being taken back to Illinois from southern Indiana in a prison transport van stole the vehicle and drove off after the lost driver stopped to ask for directions, police said. And she did it all while handcuffed and shackled.
The girl, who made it to Chicago before getting caught, was ordered held in juvenile detention Friday. It all started when the girl ran away with her boyfriend and headed to Indiana. The boyfriend was arrested there, possibly because of his age in connection with their relationship.
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Skinny Murder Suspect Escapes Through Jail Air Vent
A man charged with murder escaped from jail early Saturday by climbing through an air conditioner vent, authorities said.
The vent was less than a foot wide, and authorities said Darryl Layne Norris had been losing weight since arriving at the Waller County Jail in April.
The jail noticed the 6-foot, 160-pound man was missing after performing a routine head count.