Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - Jun 15, 2017

Idle gossip & unconfirmed rumors:

Congratulations to MALCOLM-JAMAL WARNER, who's become a father. The NY Daily Newsreports a friend of Malcolm's told them the mom is an attorney from Bridgeport, CT, and that she and Warner are "very much in love" and the baby is about a week old. This would be Warner's first child.

On, off and way-off-Broadway:

If you're coming to New York City to see BETTE MIDLER in "Hello Dolly," don't buy a ticket for a Tuesday night. That's when DONNA MURPHY plays the lead role as of this week. Bette will continue to do seven out of the eight performances a week, including the matinees. (Marino)

The Airlines:

Complaints against airlines have gone up 70-percent in the US since that passenger was dragged out of his seat on a United Airlines flight by airport security officers.
A new report from the U.S. Department of Transportation said yesterday 1,909 complaints were filed in April --up from 1,123 complaints in the same month last year.
Most of the complaints were filed against American Airlines (324), followed by Delta Air Lines (297) and United (265). Spirit Airline had the highest rate of complaints.

Off the beaten path:

Remember that guy in Rhode Island who upset neighbors when he paved a local access road with smelly unwashed clamshells?
Residents of Tiverton are breathing a sigh of relief today after officials ruled those rotting clamshells had to be removed. Heavy equipment operators are already hard at work peeling up the shells, which were causing an unbearable stench. State environmental officials ruled the shells were a biological hazard because they still contained meat, which had started to rot.
The shells have to be gone by the end of the week or the property owner could face fines and even a lien on his home. It's unclear why he paved the road with them to begin with. (Still)