Midday Roundup: Boston to hoax bomber: It's not funny

Inappropriate art. A Boston man faces charges of disturbing the peace after dropping a suspicious backpack near the finish line of the Boston Marathon Tuesday. Following yesterday’s events commemorating the first anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombing, 25-year-old Kevin Edson walked barefoot in the street in the pouring rain chanting, “Boston strong!” according to The Boston Globe. He told police his backpack held a rice cooker. Police evacuated the area and blew up the bag as a precaution, though they have since said the bag did not contain explosives. Edson’s family has described him as a performance artist who struggles with mental illness.

Disaster at sea. A ferry carrying 462 people sank off South Korea’s southern coast today, leaving more than 280 people missing despite a frantic, hours-long rescue effort by dozens of ships and helicopters. At least four people are confirmed dead and 55 injured. Most of the passengers were high school students on an overnight trip to a tourist island. Local television stations broadcast live images of the ship listing to its side and slowly sinking as passengers jumped out or were winched up by helicopters. At least 87 vessels and 18 aircraft swarmed around the stricken to assist.

Inside job. The story told by a viral photo of a toddler trapped in a claw crane machine ended with the child reuniting with his mother. Police in Lincoln, Neb., said a 24-year-old woman called 911 Monday afternoon because her 3-year-old son was missing from her apartment. Employees at the bowling alley across the street meanwhile called police to say a small boy was playing with stuffed animals inside the coin-operated machine. It was unclear how the boy ended up inside the claw crane machine. A representative from the vending machine company let him out, and he was reunited with his mother a short time later. He was not hurt. Police say the mother was not cited because she quickly reported that her son was missing, and there were no indications of neglect.

Another mass stabbing. The son of a Calgary police officer was charged in the fatal stabbing of five people at a house party. Law enforcement officials called the mass slaying the worst in the western Canadian city’s history. Matthew Douglas de Grood, a recent graduate of the University of Calgary, picked up a large knife after arriving at the party and stabbed the victims one by one shortly after 1 a.m. Tuesday, said police Chief Rick Hanson. De Grood, 22, was charged with five counts of murder late Tuesday. The Calgary attack came nearly a week after a teenage boy in Pennsylvania stabbed and wounded 21 students at his high school near Pittsburgh. Hanson said the motive for the Calgary attack was unknown.