ODDLY ENOUGH

ODDLY ENOUGH

Reports of dog attacks interrupt mail service

MANCHESTER, Conn.

Some residents of a Connecticut neighborhood aren’t receiving their mail at home anymore because a dog is reportedly biting the mailmen.

A notice obtained by WVIT-TV from a local post office says that, due to repeated attacks on letter carriers by a local dog, the postal service will only deliver mail in a Manchester neighborhood curbside or to the post office.

The letter explains that the move is needed so mailmen won’t have to get out of their vehicles and risk a possible dog attack.

Manchester resident Michael Varni says he’ll have to go to the post office to get his mail until he installs a mailbox on the side of the road.

Police say they have no knowledge of any incidents involving dog attacks in the neighborhood.

Police: Man grew pot thinking it’d be legal soon

ST. ALBANS, Vt.

Vermont police have arrested a man who acknowledged growing marijuana to prepare for possible statewide legalization of the drug.

St. Albans police say they came across Michael Marshall while investigating a hunting violation. Marshall fled into a house after a confrontation with police, and then consented to a search of the residence. Police say they then found and seized 13 full-grown marijuana plants and 27 smaller plants.

Police say Marshall told them he thought marijuana would be legalized soon, so he wanted to get an early start on growing it for future sale.

The possession of small amounts of marijuana has been decriminalized in the state of Vermont, but it is still illegal for recreational use.

Police issued Marshall a citation to appear in court this month.

What’s in a name? Bronx Zoo proudly displays ‘snot otters’

NEW YORK

It’s a salamander by any other name – and some of those names are comical.

The Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo is proudly displaying two Eastern hellbenders – also known as “devil dogs,” “snot otters” or “old lasagna sides.”

Eastern hellbenders have flattened heads and bodies, small eyes and slimy, wrinkly skin. They’re typically brown or reddish-brown with a pale underbelly.

There’s also a serious side to the subject. Efforts are underway to conserve dwindling hellbender populations in the wild.

Adult hellbenders can be nearly 2 feet long. Only two larger salamander species are known to exist.

Associated Press