What the Hell Theater - 7/14

A Florida woman is suing her bank, claiming it's ruining her credit rating by refusing to recognize that she is not dead. Wrenella Pierre said she obtained two mortgages from JPMorgan Chase Bank after building her Oviedo home in 2007, and her family received a letter of condolence from the bank for her "death" in November. Pierre said the bank also notified credit-reporting agencies of her death. She said the bank failed to correct the mistake despite her repeated requests. "I don't know why the bank made this type of disastrous mistake," said William Pierce Howard, Pierre's attorney. "There is no possible way to have credit extended when you're deceased." Chase spokeswoman Nancy Norris said the bank is investigating how the error was made.

An Arizona sheriff known for his crime raids in the Phoenix area says he called off his plan to have jail chain gangs pick up trash outside Major League Baseball's All-Star Game. Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said he wanted the focus to be on the children and the national pastime instead of his chain gang. The sheriff had planned to have three chain gangs decked out in striped jail garb posted around Chase Field during last night's game. One was to be made up entirely of undocumented immigrants convicted of drunken driving. Arpaio regularly uses his chain gangs to draw publicity for his tough-on-crime message. The sheriff also placed chain gangs near the 2008 Super Bowl.