LANCASTER, Pa. — Firefighters were too big to rescue a kitten from a storm drain in south-central Pennsylvania, but a 6-year-old girl’s size proved to be just right. Lancaster Township firefighters responded when the girl, Janeysha Cruz, and her friends saw the trapped kitten Tuesday afternoon. The girl’s mother called 911 and then gave firefighters … Read more
QUINCY, Ill. — A western Illinois couple recently celebrated the birth of their 100th grandchild. Leo and Ruth Zanger of Quincy have 53 grandchildren, 46 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild. The birth of great-grandson Jaxton Leo on April 8 made the number 100. Leo Zanger tells The Quincy Herald-Whig (http://bit.ly/1G76kb1 ) that “the good Lord has … Read more
PITTSBURGH — The cookies may be smiling, but the restaurants are not. A Pennsylvania chain says in a lawsuit that the smiley face cookies made by a Chicago-based baker are “confusingly similar” to its own trademarked treats. Homestead-based Eat’n Park seeks to block additional cookie sales by Chicago American Sweet & Snacks Inc. The Eat’n … Read more
NORRISTOWN, Pa. — Authorities say a man living in a suburban Philadelphia assisted-living facility has lost his housing subsidy after officials found a prostitute underneath his bed. Uri Monson tells The Intelligencer in Doylestown (http://bit.ly/1cpH33U) the man, believed to be in his 70s, paid prostitutes using profits earned from peddling alcohol to fellow residents. Monson … Read more
MOUNTAIN HOME, Ark. — An Arkansas veterinarian has kept a dog from going out with a bang after the animal ate 23 live rifle rounds. Benno, the 4-year-old Belgian Malinois, had surgery last week to remove the .308 caliber ammunition from his stomach, The Baxter Bulletin (http://bit.ly/1QoyXHL ) reported. Owner Larry Brassfield said Benno has … Read more
By GEORGE JAHN, Associated Press VIENNA — Some Vienna pedestrian traffic lights are suddenly not only red or green. They’re also gay or straight. And Austria’s right-wing Freedom Party is livid. Over the past few days, the city started setting up lights at pedestrian crossings that show pairs of figures instead of the usual stick … Read more
PARKER, Ariz. — A Phoenix couple has claimed responsibility for putting two fake skeletons sitting in lawn chairs in the Colorado River in far west Arizona, authorities said Friday. The husband and wife approached the La Paz County Sheriff’s Office earlier this week and revealed how the skeletons in their closet ended up at the … Read more
PATERSON, N.J. — A paternity case involving a set of twins had a surprise ending worthy of a daytime TV talk show: The girls have different dads. A judge ruled Monday in a paternity case that the man from whom the twins’ mother sought child support has to pay for only one of the children. … Read more
BOISE, Idaho — Authorities are looking for a teen who wanted a date with Destiny and hoped to get it by spray-painting a prom proposal on an Idaho cliffside. The Idaho Statesman reports (http://bit.ly/1GYk3Us ) that the message “Destiny, Prom?” was painted in large pink and blue letters on the side of the Black Cliffs, … Read more
MAYWOOD, N.J. — A northern New Jersey man lit his kitchen table on fire by adding lighter fluid and gasoline to a birthday cake recipe so he could post a video of the fiery result on YouTube. Maywood Police Chief David Pegg told the Record newspaper (http://bit.ly/1bZR8o3 ) Monday the man was trying to record … Read more