Latest news with #PigeonFest
Metro
20-06-2025
- Health
- Metro
Urgent recall for cough syrup over risk of deadly food poisoning
A popular children's cough syrup has been recalled in the US due to contamination with a bacteria that can cause food poisoning and even death. Medtech Products Inc has recalled five lots of its Little Remedies Honey Cough Syrup because it contains Bacillus cereus, which can lead to two types food-borne illnesses. 'Although healthy individuals may suffer only short-term illness, exposure to high levels of foodborne B. cereus can cause death,' states the company's announcement published by the nation's agency protecting public health on Wednesday. The affected cough syrup came in 4 fluid ounce amber bottles and have an outer carton. The lot code is printed on the bottle label and at the bottom of the carton. Lots under the recall were sold across the country and online from December 14, 2022, to June 4 of this year. They have the UPC number 7-56184-10737-9. Lot 0039 has the expiration date of November 2024, lot 0545 has January 2026, lot 0540 has February 2026, lot 0450 has May 2026, and 1198 has December 2026. There have not been reports of becoming seriously sick from the cough syrup. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Toddler dies in hot car after 'dad left him to get haircut and drink at bar for three hours' MORE: Inside New York's 'Pigeon Fest' where impersonators battle for title MORE: Teen struck by lightning at famed park as freak thunderstorm hit New York City
Metro
20-06-2025
- Metro
Toddler dies in hot car after ‘dad left him to get haircut and drink at bar'
A father has been busted after allegedly leaving his 18-month-old son in a hot vehicle for several hours as he got a haircut and drank at a bar. Scott Allen Gardner, 33, is accused of leaving his son, Sebastian, in his truck on the afternoon of June 6 and going drinking inside Hanky Panky's Lounge in Ormond Beach, Florida. Sebastian 'was left helpless in a hot truck for more than 3 hours', according to the Volusia Sheriff's Office in a Facebook post. Temperatures reached 92 degrees Fahrenheit that day and medical examiners estimated that Sebastian's body temperature was 111 degrees Fahrenheit. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video An officer with the Ormond Beach Police Department tried to revive Sebastian at the scene, but he succumbed. The same officer arrested Gardner at his mother's home in Ormond Beach on Thursday. Body camera footage showed sheriff's deputies and police officers walking onto a property in an residential area surrounded by vegetation. The deputies took Gardner, wearing a blue T-shirt and shorts, into custody without incident and escorted him off the backyard. 'Honey, I love you,' Gardner's mother, Jody Thereault, could be heard saying as deputies led him away. Gardner replied, 'Love you guys!' A man who was not in the frame could be heard saying: 'Say goodbye, because you're not going to come back here again.' Gardner was handcuffed with his arms around his back in front of the vehicle, and put in the backseat. The father 'gave multiple false accounts' of what happened, police said. Gardner, of South Daytona, has been charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child as well as child neglect causing great bodily harm, and was given a $100,000 bond. A GoFundMe page for Sebastian's family set up by Melissa Camacho on behalf of Thereault states that 'we mourne the sudden and unexpected passing of little Sebastian'. It asks for prayers for Gardner and his mother. More Trending 'No parent should ever have to experience the pain of losing a child,' states the page. 'I hope they can find some comfort in the love and support surrounding them. Sebastian's spirit and bright light will forever remain in the hearts of all who knew and loved him.' The GoFundMe page had raised more than $2,800 as of Friday afternoon. Sebastian died two days before a Louisiana father allegedly left his 21-month-old daughter strapped to a carseat in a vehicle for nine hours when the temperature reached 105 degrees Fahrenheit, killing her. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Inside New York's 'Pigeon Fest' where impersonators battle for title MORE: Mum attacked police believing they were impostors who'd come to kill her MORE: Teen who murdered 12-year-old schoolgirl Ava White named for first time
Metro
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Inside New York's 'Pigeon Fest' where impersonators battle for title
A famous New York landmark was overrun with pigeons this week. The Big Apple is known for a lot of great things – the Empire State Building, world-class entertainment and famous faces. But one crucial piece of New York is often overlooked: the humble pigeon. The bird has gotten a lot more attention in recent months, thanks to a new statue installed at New York's High Line. The sculpture, a 17-foot-tall pigeon dubbed 'Dinosaur' by Ivan Argote, has brought pigeon lovers around the world to 30th Street and 10th Avenue. Cashing in on this pigeon-mania, the High Line decided to hold a pigeon pageant on National Pigeon Appreciation Day. Dozens of New Yorkers showed up in full costume, feathers and all, to compete for the crown prize. 13-year-old Athena told the New York Times pigeons were beautiful and fun to learn about: 'What's not to love?' A small pigeon in a red bow tie, along with dozens of participants and eager onlookers, took part in Pigeon Fest last Saturday. Contestants were judged by ornithologists on their impressions of pigeons – some even threw bread and attempted to peck at it. Categories included 'plumage', 'strut' and 'coo'. One contestant, dubbed 'Carrie Beakshaw' (a play on Sex And The City's Carrie Bradshaw) performed a monologue. But the crown was given to Miriam Abrahams, a volunteer at the Wild Bird Fund, which has thousands of pigeons they take care of. Her costume was incredibly lifelike, and she said she took a month to make it, even laying an egg during her performance. The bizarre festival is said to be a one-off, as the statue which brought everyone together will only be on display until next spring. But artist Argote said: 'The pigeon is an icon, somehow, of the margins, so it attracts a lot of people who are either involved with pigeons literally or feel represented by its complexity. 'It goes way beyond the work. As a sculptor and as an artist, you try to create something, but as soon as it gets into the community, it becomes more meaningful.' More Trending The love for pigeons isn't contained to just New York – in Cardiff, a dad who saved a pigeon from drowning welcomed the bird into his family and takes him for walks on a leash. Philip Weston-Thomas was on a walk around Roath Park Lake in Cardiff with his wife Rebecca and 14-year-old daughter one January when his daughter spotted the bird struggling in the freezing water. Philip jumped into action and scooped up the pigeon, which was freezing, shaking and 'on its last legs'. The family took the bird, whom they named Bobbi, home with them and nursed him back to health. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Netflix star Sara Burack, 40, killed in hit-and-run as police hunt driver MORE: Teen struck by lightning at famed park as freak thunderstorm hit New York City MORE: Donald Trump's hand mark and 'cover up' raises concerns again
Time Out
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
A massive pigeon-themed festival took over the High Line this weekend
A woman with pigeon earrings waited in line to get her face painted. At a nearby table, children crafted pigeon piñatas and drew on pigeon postcards. Representatives from NYC Bird Alliance and the Wild Bird Fund handed out informational fliers. A line formed in front of carnival-inspired games like Pin the Tail on the Pigeon and Ring-A-Wing in which players tried to land a plastic ring on a pigeon silhouette. These were just some of the booths and activities at Pigeon Fest, a day-long festival on Sunday, June 15 at the High Line, which drew a packed crowd, despite the rainy day. The crowd of eager avian admirers represent the growing love for the city's most misunderstood bird; some of the most ardent attendees even care for pigeons every day. Overseeing it all was "Dinosaur," a hyper-realistic 16-foot pigeon sculpture perched on the elevated park, which served as the inspiration for the event. Since the sculpture's installation in October 2024, High Line official say they have seen an increase in visitation to the park. "New Yorkers have opinions about everything, but they seem to really be flocking to this particular sculpture," Alan van Capelle, Executive Director of the High Line said. "And we thought, why not have a festival celebrating all things pigeon?" Sharing van Capelle's enthusiasm is Iván Argote, the Colombian artist and film director behind "Dinosaur." As an artist who works in public installation, bringing people together is an important part of Argote's work. "Dinosaur"—and Pigeon Fest specifically—represent how art can create a community for New Yorkers. "I think the sculpture talks a lot to New Yorkers because I think New Yorkers can understand very well this feeling of the funky and the strange," Argote said. New Yorkers can understand very well this feeling of the funky and the strange. Indeed, in addition to sharing information about urban ecology, embracing the funky and strange was a large part of Pigeon Fest's programming. One of the day's most anticipated events was the Pigeon Impersonation Pageant. The pageant included seven impersonators, each judged on their pigeon-ness based on four qualifications: plumage, strut, sound and stage presence. The panel of judges included Argote and a representative of Cornell's Ornithology Lab. Each pigeon brought their personality to the stage. One contestant donned a top hat for their look and laid an egg on-stage, while another wore a white feathery look with ornate gloves. Songs like Frank Sinatra's "Fly Me to the Moon" and Nelly Furtado's "I'm Like a Bird" played in the background while the contestants strutted their stuff. The crowd cheered and applauded as contestants took away pigeon-shaped gold trophies. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mickey Blank 🗽 (@mickmicknyc) At the end of the pageant, the High Line staff cleared the stage, prepping for a much different but deeply important event: a panel on building bird-friendly cities. Panelists included Qiana Mickie, executive director of the Mayor's Office of Urban Agriculture, and Christian Cooper, a science writer and birding advocate. Attending this panel was Margaret Lee, a resident of New York City who has been a long-time pigeon lover. Every day, Lee walks a mile-long loop around her apartment to feed several flocks of pigeons around Downtown Manhattan. For Lee, hearing from experts like Mickie and Cooper is an important part of Pigeon Fest. "I'm hanging out primarily here for the compassionate leaders that I am hoping for," Lee told Time Out. "It's amazing to see so many people turning out for the pigeons." It's amazing to see so many people turning out for the pigeons. At Pigeon Fest, turning out for the pigeons means many things, whether learning about bird-friendly cities or purchasing a pigeon-themed book. Rosemary Mosco, a cartoonist and science writer who published a book titled A Pocket Guide to Pigeon Watching: Getting to Know the World's Most Misunderstood Bird also attended the event. "I have had a couple of people come up and tell me that they adopted pigeons because they read my book," Mosco said. "That's all I need to hear in life." Though Pigeon Fest was a one-time only event, the High Line plans to host similar art and events, bringing people together through urban ecology. "One of the things that I think 'Dinosaur' has done is have New Yorkers think about the types of people and things we see every day but never really pay attention to," van Capelle explained. "It's really a metaphor for the different worlds that exist in the city."
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
Woman wins award impersonating a pigeon
British artist Miriam Abrahams spent four weeks building her costume and took the prize at Pigeon Fest in New York City. June 16, 2025
