oddly enough

oddly enough

Lawsuit: Amusement park lets chimpanzee smoke cigarettes

NEW ORLEANS

An animal-rights group is suing to get a chimpanzee named Candy out of an amusement park where, it says, she smokes cigarettes and is given soft drinks instead of water.

The federal lawsuit says Candy is in an inadequate cage at the Baton Rouge park and should be moved to a sanctuary.

The Animal Legal Defense Fund sued in Baton Rouge on behalf of two women who have campaigned to get Candy moved from the Dixie Landin’ park.

The lawsuit says the women have seen visitors throw lit cigarettes into Candy’s cage for the chimp to smoke.

Attorney Carter Dillard says the lawsuit is the first filed under a new federal rule that requires captive chimps get the same protection as wild chimps.

Park owner Sam Haynes did not immediately respond to a request for a comment.

Man arrested in soap/cocaine mix-up sues in Pennsylvania

ALLENTOWN, Pa.

A New York man who spent 29 days in jail after Pennsylvania state police mistook homemade soap for cocaine has filed a lawsuit.

The (Allentown) Morning Call reports Alexander Bernstein says he had to pay thousands of dollars in court costs and missed Thanksgiving with his toddler before the charges were dropped. He’s seeking damages exceeding $150,000. State troopers and the field test manufacturer are named in the suit.

Bernstein was a passenger in a Mercedes-Benz police pulled over for speeding near Allentown in November 2013.

Troopers smelled marijuana, searched the car and found packages the driver said was homemade soap, but tested as cocaine. Lab tests later showed it was soap.

The driver was charged with marijuana possession and speeding.

State police declined to comment.

Santa obliges dad of sleeping boy with snoozing photo

EVANSVILLE, Ind.

When Donnie Walters took son Zeke to have his picture taken with Santa Claus, the 6-month-old boy couldn’t stay awake while they waited in line.

So Santa obliged Walters and posed asleep with the snoozing child resting on his belly.

Walters posted the photos of the sleeping pair on Facebook. The photos taken last Tuesday at Evansville’s Eastland Mall and posted the next day have been liked 371,000 times and shared more than 195,000 times.

Walters tells USA Today that “everyone has been very kind.” He says most comments referred to how much the pictures have brightened people’s day.

Associated Press