ODDLY ENOUGH

ODDLY ENOUGH

No jail for Ohioan accused of drunken strollering

MANSFIELD, Ohio

An Ohio man has been sentenced to a year of probation on charges he was drunk while he had his two young sons out in a stroller.

A Mansfield Municipal Court clerk says 24-year-old Steven Melendez pleaded no contest Tuesday to child endangering and intoxication and was found guilty by a judge.

The sentence includes $150 in fines.

A Mansfield police officer who made the arrest July 26 reported Melendez smelled of alcohol and couldn’t stand without leaning on the stroller. Police say it held Melendez’s 1- and 2-year-old sons.

There’s no phone listing for Melendez. He had told Cleveland station WJW-TV he made a mistake and would tell the judge he needed treatment, not jail.

The court clerk says the probation department will choose a program.

Colorado tea-party music duo splits over views on politics

FORT COLLINS, Colo.

A Colorado fife-and-drum duo that became a fixture at tea-party gatherings has split up over political differences.

Fife player John Weins of Johnstown said he has parted ways with snare drummer Mel Hilgenberg because the two strongly disagreed over candidates for Larimer County sheriff.

Weins and Hilgenberg performed as the Liberty Leaders, wearing tri-cornered hats and other Revolutionary War-era garb.

Weins owned the costumes and drum and says he’ll continue to perform with a new drummer.

Both members of the erstwhile Liberty Leaders told the Fort Collins Coloradoan that the duo’s breakup shows the friction between moderately right-of-center Republicans and more-conservative Republicans.

Pa. city shames owners of blighted property on Web

READING, Pa.

Property owners neglecting their homes in one eastern Pennsylvania city are getting an online shaming.

Reading Mayor Tom McMahon on Monday announced a new online “Wall of Shame” featuring blighted properties.

McMahon says the property owners’ names will be posted along with pictures and addresses. He says he’s serving notice to property owners who fail to take action on eyesore properties.

Ten properties already are facing designation as blighted, which could lead to them being torn down. Fifty other properties are listed on the site, and McMahon says they’re being targeted for blighted status by the city.

Associated Press