Popular Exploration Site Slated to Become Cop Shop
The Michigan Central Railway Depot, long considered a prime example of Detroit's endemic blight, is the subject of a proposed bond issue to convert the 91-year-old station into a new police headquarters. The $100,000,000+ project, spearheaded by Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, would convert the derelict site, which has been abandoned since 1988, into a mixed-use office and restaurant space, with the Detroit Police occupying the majority of the building's square footage. No word yet on whether Catfish will be offered the position of concierge. (Thanks to Slappy for this item.)
Twenty-One Arrested Sneaking Into Oscars, Sean Penn not Among Them
More than a dozen people were arrested Sunday for trying to sneak into the 76th annual Academy Awards. While some of the offenders were in possession of falsified badges, some of the other accessories, such as handheld personal video cameras, were less convincingly "official". Whether or not criminal charges will be laid against the trespassers, or against Billy Crystal's fake ad-libs, has yet to be determined.
Pune Water Tunnels Discovered, Admired
Eighteenth-century tunnels constructed by the Peshwas were discovered recently in India by two water-supply workers, a friend, and a journalist after 12 years of research. The tunnels, whose existence, though not their location, was well-known, were discovered by the men after detailed study of documents and exploration of the city. Originally built by Balaji Bajiroa Peshwa, the tunnel system supplied water to the city of Pune in a time before mechanical pipeline systems existed. The five-foot high, three-and-a-half-foot-wide tunnel system runs nine kilometres from Katraj Lake to the ancient Shaniwarwada Fort. Pune Municipal Corporation is now considering the tunnels' potential viability as supplemental infrastructure to the city's modern water supply.
Electrified Manholes Discovered, Feared
ConEd workers in New York city discovered fourteen more electrified manhole and utility box covers last month, bringing the total to 124 in the city and Westchester county. The so-called "hot spots", which at more than 50 volts can easily kill someone, are being aggressively hunted down by ConEd inspectors following the death of 30-year-old Jodie Lane, who died of electrocution January 16th after falling onto a high-voltage utility box cover in the East Village. Wires inside the box had been improperly insulated, causing its cover to become highly charged.
Boy Infiltrates Skill Crane, "Really Wanted NASCAR Bear," Sources Say
7-year-old Timmy Novotny was caught in January after entering a skill crane at a Sheboygan, Wisconsin Piggly Wiggly store while his father made a telephone call at a nearby pay phone. The child crawled into the approximately 8 by 11 inch prize slot unnoticed by customers or, indeed, his father. Questioned as to his motivations, the boy later said, "I just, like, wanted to go in there." (Thanks to Harpocrates for this story.)
Canadians Daydream About Newfoundland-Labrador Link
A series of dubiously received suggestions for connecting the province of Newfoundland and Labrador to itself via a permanent link are being evaluated for financial feasibility in the Eastern Canada province. The proposal to link the two land masses, which are currently serviced via a ferry for eight months of the year and aircraft during the winter, could cost up to $1.5 billion, say officials. Proposed ideas include a causeway, an underground tunnel, or a combination of the two, to cross the 20-kilometre Strait of Belle Isle. In 1975, a similar project was proposed, with $75 million being spent to dig a hole in Labrador before the project was abandoned.
Greedy Twin Cities to Get Even More Tunnels
Work is well underway on new underground LRT tunnels at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, which is slated to open this April. The 11.6-mile LRT route, called the Hiawatha Line, will serve downtown Minneapolis along Hiawatha avenue and 5th street and connect the city to outlying destinations such as the airport and the Mall of America. Ten total stations are planned, but only one, at Minneapolis-St. Paul International, will be underground.
Greedy German Toads to get Tunnels
Berlin authorities have set aside 225,000 Euros to provide special tunnels for the safe crossing of frogs and toads as part of the construction of a new diplomatic school being built in a conservation area. An estimated 4,000 frogs and toads are projected to use the tunnels annually, said officials.
Call for Zine Submissions
Infiltration is emphatically encouraging submissions for our upcoming Stadia issue. If you've got any good letters or tales relating to your adventures or misadventures in arenas, sports fields, entertainment complexes, or the like, please email them post-haste to ninj@infiltration.org and/or liz@infiltration.org. Thank you!
Infiltration #22, Caught! Stories Volume 3, was released this winter and features an increasingly scary set of firsthand accounts of being caught exploring in the post-9/11 age. You can get a copy by sending $3 (US/CDN) cash to PO Box 13, Station E, Toronto, ON M6H 4E1, Canada.
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