Ioana Hociota, Grand Canyon Bride, Killed In 300-Foot Fall

The storybook romance of an Arizona couple who was wed at the Grand Canyon recently ended in tragedy, when the gorge -- one of the seven natural wonders of the world -- claimed one of their lives.

According to the National Park Service, Ioana Hociota, 24, of Tempe, was hiking with friend Matthia Kawski near the South Rim of the Grand Canyon on Feb. 25, when she suddenly cried out.


"The blood froze in my veins," Kawski told KPBS. "It was a few seconds later that I heard a dull thump. I ran back to the saddle calling for her. There was incredible silence."

Hociota had apparently lost her footing while trekking up an unmarked trail and fell about 300 feet to a rock ledge below.

"She was a good hiker, not careless, not reckless," Hociota's husband, Andrew Holycross, told The Republic.

"She didn't take chances. She was on a path I would have taken."
  
PHOTO OF IOANA HOCIOTA

Workers At Party Supply Company Far From Festive During 'Undercover Boss' Episode

Cutbacks during the crisis have been a downer. And this past Friday's episode of "Undercover Boss" provided a telling example of the national hurt:

 The nation's largest party supplies company was featured, and its CEO introduced his company with sob stories.

Sam Taylor joined the Oriental Trading Company just five months before the October 2008 crash.

And so he had little time to prepare for the national belt tightening that followed the crash, which was particularly cruel for companies representing recreational fields like party supplies. A drop in revenue led Taylor to lay off 1,000 members of OTC staff and cut free drinks for the employees, among other perks.

Police take on rising wave of Tide detergent theft

NEW YORK –  Law enforcement officials across the US have been left baffled by a crime wave targeting an unlikely item -- Tide laundry detergent.

Theft of Tide detergent has become so rampant that some cities are setting up special task forces to stop it and retailers like CVS are taking special security precautions to lock down the liquid.

One Tide thief in West St. Paul, Minn., stole $25,000 of the product over 15 months before he was arrested last year.

"That was unique that he stole so much soap," said West St. Paul Police Chief Bud Shaver.

"The name brand is [all] Tide. Amazing, huh?"

Tide has become a form of currency on the streets. The retail price is steadily high -- roughly $10 to $20 a bottle -- and it's a staple in households across socioeconomic classes.

Tide can go for $5 to $10 a bottle on the black market, authorities say, and some thieves even resell it to stores.

"There's no serial numbers and it's impossible to track," said Detective Larry Patterson of the Somerset, Ky., Police Department, where authorities have seen a huge spike in Tide theft. "It's the item to steal."