Friday, August 26, 2011
oddly enough
Squirrel blamed for flag thefts from Ohio memorial
TOLEDO
Police in Ohio have discovered that small flags being swiped from a police memorial were being squirreled away.
Two Toledo officers watched Wednesday as a squirrel quickly snatched a flag off its wooden dowel and ran off with it.
Lt. James Brown told The Blade newspaper the bushy-tailed critter was too quick to catch.
Later, police noticed a squirrel hanging out on a tree branch outside a third-floor window at their headquarters building. They also spotted a squirrel’s nest made of leaves and branches — and at least two of the little flags.
Brown says at least three of the flags have gone missing in recent days.
He’s careful to point out he can’t prove all were the work of the same squirrel.
Johnstown man selling ‘Slap Shot’ convertible
JOHNSTOWN, Pa.
A Johnstown-area man is selling his 1967 Lincoln Continental convertible, which appeared in the 1976 cult classic “Slap Shot,” which was loosely based on the western Pennsylvania city’s then-minor-league hockey team, the Johnstown Jets.
Karl Scott Jr., 95, tells the Tribune- Democrat of Johnstown he’s selling the car because a stroke in April left him unable to drive.
The model is a hit with collectors because of the so-called “suicide doors,” which swing open in opposite directions on both sides of the four-door vehicle, and Scott is hoping the car’s cameo appearance in the film will increase interest in the vehicle. It was used in the movie’s final scene, a victory parade for the fictional Charlestown Chiefs.
Scott, a retired grocer from Ferndale, wants $18,000 for the car, which has only 84,000 miles on it.
Pa. school district backs off on skinny-jeans ban
CATASAUQUA, Pa.
Students in a Pennsylvania school district have gotten approval to remain fashion-forward.
The Morning Call of Allentown reports that Catasauqua Area School District approved a revised dress code this week. It allows students to wear so-called skinny jeans.
The tight-fitting jeans had been banned under an earlier dress code. But parents complained they were having a hard time finding jeans that wouldn’t be banned under the district’s definition.
Board member Patricia Snyder tells The Morning Call the district was trying to prevent students from wearing suggestive clothing. But ultimately the district determined jeans could be skinny but still appropriate.
The board also gave in to requests to back off a ban on hooded sweat shirts. Low-cut tops, leggings and ripped pants still are barred.
Associated Press