This 'Two for Tuesday' is "Jump for jelly beans day"

Dimora’s Attorney: Sentence ‘Grossly Unfair’

 Jessica Dabrowski Fox 8- Former Cuyahoga County commissioner Jimmy Dimora’s attorney blasted the ex-official’s prison sentence, calling it “enormously unfair” and said it would be appealed. Federal Judge Sara Lioi sentenced Dimora on Tuesday to 28 years in prison for running a criminal enterprise while in office. Lioi also imposed three years of probation following Dimora’s prison term. Dimora’s attorney, Bill Whitaker, who addressed the media after the ruling, called it a “life sentence.” “Twenty-eight years is the largest sentence that I have ever seen for activity of this nature, regardless of whether it’s accurate or not,” Whitaker said. “It is a grossly unfair sentence, period.  That sentence will also be appealed,” Whitaker promised. Despite a victory for prosecutors, Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann Rowland underscored the lasting effects of the trial. “While the judge gave former commissioner Dimora a long prison term today, it is not a day for celebration.  We recognize that this investigation was hard on the public, and the many honest, hardworking county employees whose reputations were tarnished by corrupt officials and business people who we have prosecuted,” Rowland said.  “These cases forced all of us to ask some very difficult questions and to face some very hard truths about our county and the region we all cherish.” Assistant U.S. Attorney Antoinette Bacon followed Rowland’s sentiment with a nod to the future. “The women and men who have led this investigation have given up countless nights and evenings and weekends and holidays in pursuit of public service.  And whether their sacrifices will result in any type of meaningful change now depends on the leadership and the citizens of Cuyahoga County,” Bacon said. Dimora was convicted on 31 corruption-related crimes and one count of racketeering.  The 57-year-old has remained in custody since his conviction.

Jump for Jelly Beans

Emily Smith CNN- Jump for joy – July 31 is Jump for Jelly Beans Day! While it’s not technically National Jelly Bean Day (that’s April 22), it is the day to celebrate enjoying jelly beans – by jumping! Before you spring away from terra firm, you might need a little background here: Jelly beans are distant cousins of the Middle Eastern sweet Turkish delight, and the wedding reception favorite, the Jordan almond. The hard candy has also leaped its way into American history books. First, when Boston candy maker William Schrafft encouraged people to send his jelly beans to soldiers fighting in the Civil War. And second, when Ronald Reagan announced them as his favorite treat, saying: “We can hardly start a meeting or make a decision without passing around the jar of jelly beans.” The US president was so fond of the candy that one company even created a blueberry-flavored bean just for him. No one is really sure why we jump for jelly beans, though it’s hard to find a reason not to bound for a candy that’s been to outer space. All this begs the question, which jelly bean flavor will you be jumping for today?

 "Cheesecake day?" Yes please!

Man injured by a shark?

Julia Greenberg CNN- A man who suffered lacerations to his legs while in the water at a Massachusetts beach Monday apparently was bitten by a shark, authorities said. "It looked like a shark bite to me," Truro, Massachusetts, Fire Chief Brian Davis said of the incident at nearby Ballston Beach. "Witnesses said they saw (a) fin. They saw him go under water. He was hollering for help." The man suffered non-life-threatening injuries on the lower part of both legs, Davis said. The man was conscious and able to speak to first-responders before being taken to a Cape Cod hospital. Davis said the man was less than 25 yards from shore when he was injured. If it was a shark, "I've never seen that, not that close to shore," Davis said. The beach remained open, but Davis said National Seashore personnel would post a sign warning beachgoers to beware of sharks. He also said there were seals in the area at the time of the incident, and the seals may have been a lure to a shark. Greg Skomal, a marine biologist for the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, told CNN recently that more great white sharks are being seen off the coast of Cape Cod each year. "As we've allowed seal populations to rebound over the course of the last four decades, I believe that they've now hit threshold levels that are drawing these sharks close to shore," Skomal said.