ODDLY ENOUGH

ODDLY ENOUGH

Tax collector tries to squash Idaho pumpkin stand

LEWISTON, Idaho

An Idaho family that operates a roadside pumpkin stand is scared out of its gourd after a state tax collector showed up and tried to squash the business.

The Lewiston Tribune reports the Idaho State Tax Commission has called for the closure of a family’s pumpkin stand in Lewiston, a mill city along the Snake and Clearwater rivers.

Dan and Kami Charais told the newspaper that a Tax Commission employee informed them the stand was in violation of laws and had to shut its doors.

The couple says their 4- and 6-year-old children had been carving out a niche for themselves in the local jack-o-lantern market to raise money for school sports, they say.

A Tax Commission representative told the newspaper that even goods sold at roadside stands are taxable and that the stand did not have a proper permit.

Library book returned to Virginia college 35 years late

WILLIAMSBURG, Va.

A novel checked out in 1975 from the College of William & Mary library is back in the stacks.

The long-term lender is alumnus Pat Harkin, who found the book of Leon Uris’ “QB VII” in a box. He says he planned to return it for the past several homecomings, but he finally made good on his intentions Friday.

The library caps its fees at $35. Otherwise, the overdue fee could have hit $1,400 at today’s dime-a-day late fee.

To atone for his late return, Harkin told the Daily Press of Newport News he made a cash donation to the library. He says it was more than the $35 overdue fee but less than the $1,400 he might have owed.

Police: Stolen sewer grates posing hazard in central Pa.

MOUNT WOLF, Pa.

Police say thieves in one central Pennsylvania community are taking storm grates right out of the ground, causing a hazard to people, pets and cars.

Officers with the Northeast Regional Police Department in York County aren’t sure who has made off with about five of the heavy steel grates in Mount Wolf and East Manchester Township.

Chief Bryan Rizzo tells The York Dispatch that pedestrians and animals could be hurt or vehicles could become stuck if they encounter an uncovered drain.

Rizzo says the 150- to 200-pound grates likely are being sold for scrap. They cost about $230 each to replace.

Associated Press