ODDLY ENOUGH

ODDLY ENOUGH

Driver in doghouse after ‘walking’ pet

LONDON

An English dog-owner has been fined after taking his pet for a stroll while driving next to him in his car.

Prosecutors said Paul Railton was spotted driving at low speed along a country lane in December, holding his dog’s leash through the car window as the animal trotted alongside.

Railton pleaded guilty recently to not being in proper control of a vehicle.

His lawyer, Paul Donoghue, said 23-year-old Railton acknowledged “it was a silly thing to do, and there was an element of laziness” while exercising his lurcher.

Railton was ordered by magistrates in Consett, northeast England, to pay a $100 fine, plus costs.

He also received three penalty points on his license and, because of existing points, has been barred from driving for six months.

Mexican official fired for painting teen

MEXICO CITY

A mayor in central Mexico says he has fired one of his town officials for spray-painting the buttocks of a teenage boy as punishment for graffiti tagging.

The mayor of San Juan del Rio in Queretaro state says police caught the 13-year-old tagging a wall recently and turned him over to the official.

The official’s job is to impose penalties for petty crime.

Mayor Gustavo Nieto said that he fired the official because he should have notified the boy’s parents so they could pay for the damage and not punish the teen personally.

He did not identify the employee.

Topeka renames itself ‘Google, Kan.’ (sort of)

TOPEKA, Kan.

Topeka’s mayor says the city shall temporarily be referred to as “Google, Kansas — the capital city of fiber optics,” in an effort to persuade the Internet giant to test an ultra-fast connection in the state capital.

Mayor Bill Bunten issued the proclamation Monday after no city council members objected to the monthlong change.

Bunten says the proclamation is mainly for fun.

He also said that he hopes it will set Topeka apart from other cities vying for Google’s fiber-optics experiment, including Grand Rapids, Mich., and Baton Rouge, La.

Google didn’t immediately respond to a phone message seeking comment.

City attorney Jackie Williams says Topeka cannot legally be temporarily renamed but that the proclamation asking for it to be referred to as “Google” was OK.

Associated Press