oddly enough

oddly enough

Conn. man punched self to fake assault, police say

FARMINGTON, Conn.

Connecticut police say a man punched himself in the face, tore his shirt and threw his wallet and keys in a river to convince police he had been assaulted.

Farmington police said Monday that Daniel Vagnini was arrested after reporting that he has been assaulted then admitting he made up the story.

According to police, the 22-year-old Farmington man sped through a stop sign and nearly crashed into a car. Police say they later found his car and heard Vagnini in the woods. He told police he had been drinking in Hartford and was assaulted and blacked out.

Vagnini was charged with reckless driving, evading responsibility and driving under the influence.

The Associated Press left a message at a phone listing for Vagnini. It was unclear if he had an attorney.

GOP candidate advances due to luck of the draw

BAINBRIDGE, Pa.

In the end, one central Pennsylvania election wasn’t decided by votes but by the number four.

That was the winning numbered ball drawn by Gina Mariani, a candidate for supervisor in Conoy Township.

Mariani had tied with opponent George Rhoads in last month’s Republican primary. So election officials decided to draw lots for the nomination.

On Friday, each candidate picked a numbered ball out of a basket; the lowest number won. Mariani drew a four, and Rhoads drew a nine.

Rhoads says he’s glad the issue has been resolved. And even though she won, Mariani says there should have been a runoff election.

About 3,200 residents live in Conoy Township in Lancaster County.

Court rules parking lot a highway under NY law

ALBANY, N.Y.

When is a village parking lot a highway? When New York’s highest court says so.

A Court of Appeals ruling Thursday means Margaret Groninger can’t sue Mamaroneck for her slip and fall on ice in its parking lot.

The village says it neither received prior notice about that icy defect nor caused it, and therefore it can’t be sued.

Lower courts agreed.

Groninger says state law lists only six municipal locations that require advance notice of defects: sidewalks, crosswalks, streets, highways, bridges and culverts.

Four judges say this parking lot serves the “functional purpose” of a highway, “open to the use of the public for purposes of vehicular travel.”

Three dissenting judges say that’s so obviously untrue “as hardly to merit serious discussion.”

Associated Press