Small Town News in a Nutshell

The End

2012-05-21T09:01:00.000-05:00

After 14 months and 238 stories, I’ve come to the difficult decision to bring Small Town News in a Nutshell to an end. I have thoroughly enjoyed the time I’ve spent digging through newspapers and news services to find offbeat, fun, and feel-good small town stories to share with you. And I’m tickled to say that according to my online stats, nearly 12,000 have visited my blog and stuck around to read a story or two. For that I say “thank you!”

But my husband and I have sold our little farm in Iowa and are moving across country to Arizona to be closer to his family. When this adventure began, I thought I’d be able to keep up with my blog, but I’m finding that the packing, and planning, and working my day job leave me with precious little time to do much else. So instead of sputtering along with a story now and then, I’ve decided the time has come to do what all authors must eventually do and say:

The End

Boring and Dull

2012-05-14T10:02:00.000-05:00

“ . . . Boring is not a condition, it’s a name.”

Bob Boring, Grandson of homesteader William Boring

Photo by Basti Hirsch (Creative Commons)

It’s Monday morning. What a perfect time to talk about a couple of towns that are boring and dull, and proud of it: Boring, Oregon (population 7,720) and Dull, Scotland (population 84).

But we’re not boring, insists Jim Hart, resident of Boring, Oregon. It’s just that the town was named after an 1850s homesteader, William Boring. Explains Bob Boring, grandson of the town’s namesake: it’s a name, not a condition.

Folks in Dull, Scotland agree with Mr. Boring’s sentiment, but they can’t agree on how their tiny village got its name. Some say it came from the Gaelic word “dull,” which means meadow, and others hearken back to an ancient story about a funeral procession and the “dull” straps used to carry the coffin.

Either way, it’s not surprising that the two towns with the misunderstood monikers are reaching out to one another. Thanks to a women’s book club in Dull, they’re working on becoming “sister communities.” They plan to exchange goodwill and a good chuckle but maybe not visits just yet.

Dull book clubber Emma Burtles says she has no immediate plans to travel to Boring. She’s content with her Dull life in Scotland and doesn’t feel the need to go globetrotting to find a Boring time in Oregon.

■ Nicole, Dungca, Dull woman pushes for Boring partnership: Oregon town teams up with Scottish village, The Oregonian, April 25, 2012.

■ Dull, Boring set to become sister cities, PRI.org, April 27, 2012.

Kitty Kaboom

2012-05-11T09:21:00.000-05:00

“And when it was opened, there were three kittens inside.”

Ben Matthews, Wellston Assistant Fire Chief

Photo by Thetejon (Creative Commons)

Under the cover of night a lone figure crept up to a darkened house in Wellston, Ohio (population 5,663), slid a suspiciously duct-taped box onto the front porch and ran. Neighbor Ruby Miller saw it all. “Could it be a terrorist?” she wondered, and called police.

The police, pondering their options from afar, decided to evacuate the block, call for backup—more than two dozen police, sheriff, fire and EMT—and solicit the help of the bomb squad and its bomb-extracting robot.

With nerves on edge, the bomb squad watched its robot peel back the tape and open the box. The bomb squad peered inside. What they found wasn’t a bomb but three mewing kittens. It’s not clear who was more surprised, the kittens or the bomb squad, but it was a kitten who made a mad dash for safety under the house. What had started out as a bomb removal turned into a kitty retrieval and didn’t end until 3 am.

The police don’t regret their reaction to the suspicious package and say they’d do it again. Besides, says neighbor Donna Smith who took in the kittens, this episode points to another big problem facing the city: no cat shelter.

Yes, and just look at what that’s costing the taxpayers.

Read more → Randy Yohe, Wellston bomb scare ends up with box full of kittens, WSAZ News, May 4, 2012.

Lucky Stars

2012-05-10T08:48:00.000-05:00

“It was sitting there at my toes like an Easter egg.”

Brenda Salveson, Resident of Lotus, California

Photo by Kenneth Lu (Creative Commons)

Falling stars and wishful thinking have made Lotus, California (population 330) a hot spot for treasure hunters these days.

After a meteor shower rained down on the small town last month, thousands have come seeking their fortune, hoping to scoop up a bit of celestial bounty. But not Brenda Salveson, local resident and mom. She’s been happy to stick to her old routine, like walking the family dog in the park.

That’s where Ms. Salveson stumbled upon an odd-looking rock. Stooping down to take a closer look, she wondered, “Could this be . . . ?”

It was. Scientists confirmed that Ms. Salveson’s odd rock is actually a 17-gram piece of meteorite 4 to 6 billion years old—that’s “billion” with a B, older than our sun. They say the rock could be worth $20,000.

Ms. Salveson is pleased with her new find and thanking her lucky stars she stuck to her old routine and walked the dog in the park that day.

Read more → Neda Iranpour, Mom stumbles onto meteorite worth about $20,000, CBS13, May 1, 2012.

The Other Cheek

2012-05-07T09:42:00.000-05:00

“I don’t know what fun they get out of that.”

Ruth Bender, Lives on beach in Mazomanie, Wisconsin

Photo by Amandicacom (Creative Commons)

Quick. When I say “nude beach,” what’s the first place that pops into your mind? South of France? Caribbean island? California? Betcha it wasn’t Wisconsin.

But it could’ve been. There’s a nude beach near Mazomanie, Wisconsin (population 1,715), and that has local residents up in arms.

Public nudity is against the law in Wisconsin and so it begs the question: what’s a nude beach doing in the state? The answer: prosecutors near Mazomanie are a liberal bunch. They have a real “live and let live” attitude. If swimsuitless sunbathers aren’t doing anything illegal—apart from being naked, that is—prosecutors are willing to look the other way. And that’s made Mazomanie a natural attraction for the au naturel.

But residents say the nudists are breaking several laws. Not only are they lounging around the sand naked, they’re sneaking off into the woods to do what naked people do. And they’re doing it with drugs. Locals want it to stop.

So the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has closed the woods near the beach, hoping that’ll put a halt to elicit activities. If it doesn’t, locals will continue to protest. If they voice their concerns loudly and long enough, prosecutors may find it too hard to turn the other cheek.

Read more → Todd Richmond, Wisconsin cracks down on sex, drugs at nude beach, Chicago Tribune, April 17, 2012.

F---ing Town

2012-05-02T09:42:00.000-05:00

“All F---ingers have to agree on whether want to change it or not.”

Franz Meindl, Mayor of F---ing, Austria

Warning: Today’s story is R rated. All because of an F---ing town in Austria.

Don’t get me wrong—I have nothing against the town and its 104 residents; it’s just that the name of the town is F---ing, and has been for centuries.

Named after a sixth-century Bavarian nobleman, the town was originally called “Focko” but morphed into the modern day F-word during the 18th century. Residents lived in happy ignorance of the infamous obscenity until after World War II when British and American soldiers passed through town, and folks have been snickering ever since.

Finally fed up with the ridicule, pranksters and repeated theft of their town sign, citizens voted last month to change the name to “Fugging.” Sadly, they’re too late. The name is already taken. A town in Lower Austria changed its name from F---ing to Fugging in 1836.

So the town is stuck with its unfortunate moniker. But it’s not all bad news. Local merchants have sold a buttload of novelty postcards, Christmas cards and beer. And that has them laughing all the way to the F---ing bank.

■ Matthew Day, Austrian village F---ing to vote on name change, The Telegraph, April 17, 2012.

■ Nina Mandell, Austrian town with obscene name voting for change, New York Daily News, April 18, 2012.

■ No Fugging chance: F---ing village told they can't be renamed Fugging because name is already taken, Mirror News, April 20, 2012.

Whistle in Dixie

2012-04-20T10:13:00.000-05:00

“I just try to stay moist.”

John Ruggieri, Competitor in the International Whistling Convention

Photo by Steven Depolo (Creative Commons)

Pucker up and blow.

There aren’t many places where you can say that and not get slapped, or seduced. But you’re safe in Louisburg, North Carolina (population 3,699) this weekend. That’s because that’s where the International Whistling Convention is being held, and there’s a whole lot of puckering and blowing going on.

In its 39th year, the Whistling Convention attracts over five dozen competitors from 20 states and five countries. The whistling warblers range in age from elementary school to over 90. And their musical selections are just as wide ranging. One guy has mastered Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro” and another whistles a happy tune while performing magic tricks.

The get-together in Louisburg isn’t the biggest whistling convention in the world, or the oldest. But it is a sentimental favorite. Because what better place than a charming Southern town to whistle in Dixie?

To put a tune in your heart and a smile on your face, here’s a little whistling wonder from Japan:

Whistling Wonder

Read more → Allen G. Breed, Whistlers pucker up and blow into town, WTNH.com, April 19, 2012.

Grown-Up Gators

2012-04-19T08:37:00.000-05:00

“Now they’ve grown and they’re not cute anymore.”

Humane Department officer Tina Petix

Photo by Tim Pearce (Creative Commons)

Any Harry Potter fans out there? Remember when Hagrid hatched a baby dragonette and it quickly grew into a full-size, fire-breathing dragon with a nasty disposition?

Except for the fire-breathing part, folks in Kennett, Missouri (population 10,547) are living the story. But it’s not so funny in real life.

Fourteen months ago, a guy set up a clandestine pet shop out of a trailer in a parking lot and sold 50 baby alligators. Humane Department officer Tina Petix says that although the alligators were “cute” when they were the size of a pencil, they’re not so cuddly when they’re three feet long with big teeth, big appetites and bad attitudes. That’s why they’re illegal in Kennett.

Struggling to get the growing gator problem under control, Ms. Petix is offering an alligator amnesty to anyone willing to turn in their pets—no questions, no penalty. But so far only three alligators have been turned in.

Forty-seven to go.

Read more → Jim Salter, Grown-up gators a challenge for Missouri town, Business Week, April 6, 2012.

Quiet Life in a Small Town

2012-04-18T09:24:00.001-05:00

“The adventure is over.”

Don Sammons, Buford, Wyoming

Photo by Mark Brennan (Creative Commons)

It’s a small world. Especially for a man living alone in a small town in Wyoming.

Don Sammons moved to Buford, Wyoming in 1980. The day he drove into town in his Lincoln Continental, old-timers said he wouldn’t last six months. They were wrong. Mr. Sammons outlasted them all, bought the town and lives there today as its one and only resident.

But one is a lonely number, and Mr. Sammons decided to sell his beloved Buford so he could move closer to his son in Colorado. What had been a quiet life in a small town up until that point suddenly became big news around the world.

The story of Mr. Sammons and his one-man town was told in 84 countries. On day the town was auctioned, Mr. Sammons received offers from buyers in 46 countries. He sold to the highest bidder for $900,000. It was all over in 11 minutes.

The new owner is a man from Vietnam. When asked why he wanted to buy Buford, the man said he wanted the American dream: live a quiet life in a small town.

■ Lauren Williams, Seller of tiny town tells his tale, Daily Pilot, April 14, 2012.

■ Wyoming town with 1 resident sold to private bidder for $900,000, 680News.com, April 9, 2012.

Case Cracker

2012-04-16T09:37:00.001-05:00

“I have no idea.”

Bob Bridges, Selectman and mystery buff

Photo by Jenny Lee Silver (Creative Commons)

Here’s one for the mystery buffs. Last week officials in Milton, New Hampshire (population 4,633) cracked the case of the long-locked safe.

For generations the safe has been tucked away in Milton’s old “townhouse,” an 1815 church turned meeting hall. The safe’s contents and combination were long forgotten, and anyone who might’ve known them, long gone. Bowing to curiosity, officials called in a safecracker to unlock both mysteries.

History buffs hoped the safe held the town’s long-lost, gold-tipped Boston Post Cane, given in the past to the oldest resident. Restoration buffs hoped it held a pot of gold, desperately needed to restore Milton’s beloved townhouse.

Alas, when the safe was opened it held neither gold-tipped cane nor pot of gold. What it did hold was a treasure trove of historic city documents dating back to 1858.

Mystery solved. But city officials are still curious. Now that they know what’s inside the safe, they want to know how the safe got inside the townhouse. It’s too big for the doors and windows—they checked. Looks like they’ve moved on to next mystery: the case of the oversize safe in the too tight townhouse.

Read more → Safecracker brought in to open NH town’s vintage safe that had been locked for decades, Washington Post, April 14, 2012.

Wrong Number

2012-04-13T07:20:00.001-05:00

“It’s just kind of a thing of the past.”

K & M Telephone Co.

Photo by Daniel R. Blum (Creative Commons)

What next? Small towns across the country are losing their schools, their churches and their grocery stores, and now in Chambers, Nebraska (population 287), the phone company wants to pull the plug on the town’s one and only pay phone.

It’s not personal, says the phone company. It’s a dollars and sense decision. Last year the pay phone in Chambers brought in only a little over 3 dollars, so it makes sense to discontinue service, especially considering it cost the phone company 700 dollars a year to maintain the darn thing.

But not so fast. There’s a rule in Nebraska that requires at least one pay phone in every community across the state. The rule hearkens back to the day before cell phones, and the phone company says it’s outdated. That’s a valid point, seeing as how over two-thirds of the phone numbers in Nebraska are cell numbers.

The phone company hopes the Public Service Commission dials in on a decision soon. Because there’s one thing landline phone companies and pay phones have in common: both are struggling to avoid becoming a “thing of the past.”

Read more → Peter Salter, Company wants to pull small town pay phones, Lincoln Star Journal, April 7, 2012.

Unbeatable Blotter

2012-04-12T10:43:00.000-05:00

“Petite piles of poo prompted protests to police.”

Item in the Dutch Harbor Telegraph Police Blotter

In the unlikely town of Unalaska, Alaska (population 3,580), there lives an unassuming police officer who has the unenviable task of writing typically uninteresting police reports for the town newspaper. But this officer has an unusual way with words, and the uncommon stories she tells have become an unrivaled favorite feature in the paper each week.

Police Sergeant Jennifer Shockley has been writing the police blotter for the Dutch Harbor Telegraph for six years. When she patrols the town, also known as Dutch Harbor (of Deadliest Catch fame), she’s not only thinking law and order. She’s thinking laughs and disorder.

In Ms. Shockley’s blotter, public intoxication suspects become “extremely intoxicated and giggling louts” and a routine animal complaint turns into a protest about “petite piles of poo.”

Readers like it. On the days the blotter’s published, the newspaper’s website enjoys a huge spike in visitors. All looking for the unbeatable blotter from Unalaska, Alaska.

Read more → Alexandra Gutierrez, Small town's police blotter is a riot, NPR, April 7, 2012.

Going, Going, Gone?

2012-04-10T09:10:00.000-05:00

“There are just not enough of us in town here anymore.”

Judy Ash, Mount Sterling city council member

Photo by Timetrax23 (Creative Commons)

Mount Sterling, Iowa (population 44) is 105 years old. But making it to 106 is looking pretty iffy.

The year Mount Sterling was incorporated—1907—Teddy Roosevelt was president, Oklahoma got its statehood and the Hoover vacuum was invented. The town’s population peaked at 232 in 1910, and it’s been puttering along ever since. Until this year.

In the last election, no one ran for mayor. That’s not unusual in small towns. When it happens, townspeople usually write in a neighbor’s name during the election and talk him or her into taking the job. The problem is, at this election no one showed up to vote. Not one person.

So the city council decided it’s time to call it a day. They’re passing a resolution to disband Mount Sterling. The town will lose its name, and the county will take over day-to-day management.

If any of the residents feel strongly about saving their town, it’s not too late. All they have to do is sign a petition . . . and vote.

Read more → Tiny Iowa city prepares to disband after 105 years, KCRG News, April 7, 2012.

Here’s Your Sign

2012-04-09T08:41:00.000-05:00

“I think we should change the name to Richard Hill Road.”

Dana Haff, Hartford town supervisor

Photo by Cordey (Creative Commons)

The town of Hartford, New York (population 2,299) has a problem. One of its streets is too popular. Actually, it’s not the street so much as the street name. And it’s not so much popular as popularly inappropriate.

The street is named Dick Hill Road, which attracts lots of snickers and pranksters. The street sign has been stolen so many times that the city secures it with nuts and bolts, but the thieves steal those too, along with the post. Police say 99 percent of the time they never see the sign again. Unless, of course, the thief takes a picture.

Nineteen-year-old Justin Aldous posted a photo of his house on Facebook. Hanging in the house were signs stolen from area streets, including Dick Hill Road. The police came a-knocking and arrested the young man.

As funny man Bill Engvall would say: Mr. Aldous, here’s your sign.

Read more → Jamie Munks, Certain signs are thieves’ favorites, PostStar.com, March 12, 2012.

Sand Box

2012-04-06T08:58:00.000-05:00

“He was bulldozing it under in a sand pit.”

Corey Black, Police investigator

Photo from The Daily News

Jeffery Paul of Murray, New York (population 6,007) likes to play with trucks in the sand. But Jeffery Paul isn’t a little boy, and the trucks he plays with aren’t little toys. In fact, the trucks don’t belong to Jeffery Paul at all.

Two weeks ago police received a report of a stolen 26-foot box truck. Recently, they received a tip that a guy named “Jeff” from Murray might be involved. Going on this information, they took to the skies in their helicopter to do a little patrolling. What they found surprised even them.

There was Jeffery Paul on a bulldozer in his dad’s sand pit burying the box truck. Police moved in immediately. On the property they also found two backhoes and a car in a barn—all stolen.

Big Jeffery Paul is in big trouble.

Read more → Scott DeSmit, Police locate half-buried truck, other stolen items, The Daily News, April 4, 2012.

Sinking Feeling

2012-04-05T09:44:00.000-05:00

“I’m hoping it turns into a swimming pool.”

Teresa Moore, Resident of Winlock, Washington

Photo by Martin Luff (Creative Commons)

The folks living in Winlock, Washington (population 1,235) have sinking feeling. Literally. What started out as a small crack in their main street has turned into a 15-foot-long sink hole.

Looking to get to the bottom of things, city workers discovered that a century-old culvert that runs beneath the city to divert a creek had broken open. The hole it created is a big one. According to one official—big enough to swallow a cabin.

And the hole isn’t the only thing that’s big. The bill for fixing the sink hole could swallow up the city’s entire budget, and then some. City officials hope the state will step in to help.

If it doesn’t, one resident has a “when you have lemons make lemonade” suggestion. Since they already have the hole, she says, why not put in a swimming pool?

Read more → Big hole = big problem for small town of Winlock, KIRO-TV, April 3, 2012.

Red Hot

2012-04-03T09:05:00.001-05:00

“It’s been pretty crazy around here.”

Denise Metzger, Manager of the MotoMart in Red Bud

Photo by Lisa Brewster (Creative Commons)

Red Bud, Illinois (population 3,619) is red hot. One of the three winning Mega Millions lottery tickets was sold in this small town, and nobody knows who bought it.

The ticket, estimated to be worth $213.3 million, was sold at the local MotoMart. National and international reporters have set up camp in the store’s parking lot waiting for the winner to come forward.

Someone reported that a guy named Gary Liefer was the winner. There are two Gary Liefers in the area. One says he never bought a ticket; the other says his wife bought a ticket, but it wasn’t a winner. Both are busy fielding calls from the press and long-lost friends and relatives.

Denise Metzger, manager of the MotoMart, says she has a gut feeling the ticket was bought by a local. In Illinois where the winner may choose to remain anonymous, lottery officials say we may never know who bought the ticket.

But I don’t think so. A secret is hard thing to keep in a small town like Red Bud—especially a $213.3 million secret.

■ Maria Baran, ‘This put a small town like Red Bud on the map’: Winning lottery ticket sold in metro-east, Belleville News Democrat, March 31, 2012.

■ Janet Lonsdale and Barry Paddock, Mega dreams sprout in Red Bud, Illinois over $656 million jackpot, New York Daily News, April 1, 2012.

Happily Ever After

2012-04-02T09:24:00.002-05:00

“It’s a shame people in life can’t get along better like the goose and the donkey.”

Barbara Kirk, Bozeman, Montana

Photo by Bozeman Daily Chronicle

Once upon a time there lived a donkey, a goose and a little old lady on small farm near Bozeman, Montana (population 37,280). They were very good friends.

The goose used to have a goose partner, but she was killed by a marauding raccoon. The goose was lost without his partner and wandered about the farmyard. Until one day he struck up a friendship with the donkey named Dixie.

Dixie was a friendly donkey and liked everyone she met, but soon there was a special connection between Dixie and the goose. They ate, strolled and even napped together. They were inseparable.

Barbara Kirk, owner and friend of the donkey and the goose, isn’t surprised by the unlikely couple. Ms. Kirk believes animals often pair up in unexpected ways, but humans are just too busy to notice.

Wouldn’t it be nice, ponders Ms. Kirk, if humans were more like animals? Then perhaps they could see past their differences like race, religion and politics, and become friends. And all could live happily ever after.

Videos:

Click on the link below to see the story of the donkey, the goose and the little old lady from Montana.

Uncommon Bond

And for a fun look at more unlikely animal pairs, click on the following link for a National Geographic video:

Unlikely Pairs

More Information:

■ Mike Greener, Uncommon bond, Bozeman Daily Chronicle, April 1, 2012. [YouTube video]

■ If you’d like to see more unusual animal pairs, check out the book Unlikely Friendships, by Jennifer S. Holland (Workman Publishing, 2011).

The Wave

2012-03-30T10:00:00.000-05:00

“Everybody used to do that. . . . My father waved.”

Jay Simpson, Resident waver from Hooper, Utah

Jay Simpson giving a wave.

Jay Simpson of Hooper, Utah (population 5,660) has a fun hobby. He gets plenty of exercise, makes lots of friends, and even gets his picture in the paper. Mr. Simpson’s hobby? Waving.

Okay, I know what you’re thinking: “Waving isn’t a hobby.” The way Mr. Simpson does it is. He walks four to five miles each morning, waving to everyone he sees.

Mr. Simpson has always been a waver, but he took it to the next level after his retirement in 1989. And this isn’t just a hometown hobby. When Mr. Simpson and his wife visited England for four months, he waved to the people there. Eventually, they waved back.

Back home, Mr. Simpson is a bit of a celebrity. Folks stop to chat or to snap his photo, and he’s even gotten fan mail.

So if you’re looking for a fun hobby, you might try your hand at waving. It doesn’t cost a dime, and the goodwill you get in return is priceless.

Read more → JaNae Francis, Hooper man offers many a wave and a smile, Standard-Examiner, March 27, 2012. (Photo by Matthew Arden Hatfield/Standard-Examiner)

Bump in the Night

2012-03-28T10:04:00.001-05:00

“I’ve run out of ways to say I don’t know.”

Steve Dutch, Wisconsin geologist

Photo by Sherlock Holmes Museum

Who doesn’t love a good mystery? Well, maybe not the people living in Clintonville, Wisconsin (population 4,243) who have been shaken from their slumber recently by bumps in the night. And not the geologist who’s investigating their case. Definitely not the geologist.

Last week, residents of Clintonville were rattled awake three nights in a row by booming noises and shuddering earth. More than 600 called the police to find out what was happening. But the police didn’t know.

City officials looked into it and ruled out military activity and underground methane. They called in Steve Dutch, Wisconsin geologist, to investigate. He said the booms could be caused by a lot of things: subsurface granite cracking, groundwater movement, thermal expansion of pipes, or maybe even an earthquake.

But Mr. Dutch isn’t ready to pick just one answer. What he is ready for is for the questions to stop. When queried for the umpteenth time about the cause of the booms, Mr. Dutch curtly replied: “I’ve run out of ways to say I don’t know.”

■ Dry weather causes strange noises in small town, KSFY, March 22, 2012.

■ Amanda Crum, Residents say loud “booms” accompanied quakes, WebProNews.com, March 23, 2012.

I Quit

2012-03-27T09:08:00.000-05:00

“I quit on this date.”
Monty Collins, Former mayor of Alto, Texas

It’s true what they say: you can’t please all of the people all of the time. Sadly for the mayor of Alto, Texas (population 1,164), when it came to his city council, he couldn’t please any of the people any of the time.

Elected as mayor by a 2-to-1 margin last May, Monty Collins might be excused if he thought he had a mandate to make decisions in the best interest of his town. But the Alto city council saw things differently right from the get-go.

First, there was the decision by the city council to disband the entire police force in response to budget cuts, despite the strong objections of Mr. Collins. It was small consolation when, months later, the force was rehired.

Then, contrary to the wishes of the city council—and, as it turns out, state law—Mr. Collins leaked a document to the Texas Railroad Commission. In finger-wagging fashion, the council ordered the 78-year-old mayor to follow its orders and not to talk to the press or public.

In response, Mr. Collins did the only thing he could to please the city council. He didn’t say a word. He simply left a note that read: “I quit on this date.”

Read more → Joshua Rhett Miller, Mayor of Texas town resigns in 5-word note, FoxNews.com, March 21, 2012.

Darn Kid

2012-03-26T10:29:00.000-05:00

“The goat was laying there, looking real innocent.”

Cheryl Stein, Owner of the Ravenna laundromat

Photo by Evelyn Simak (Creative Commons)

Thanks to a 15-pound goat, Ravenna, Michigan (population 1,206) is getting its 15 minutes of fame. And both the goat and the fame have residents scratching their heads in bewilderment.

The tale of the town and goat began when the goat escaped from the Ravenna livestock sale in early March. Try as they might, no one’s been able to catch the cagey critter.

It was a small town story until the goat, which would’ve fetched about $20 at the sale, caused $300 in damage head-butting a reflection of itself in the window of the local laundromat. Since then, the story’s gone viral. Reporters from as far away as Chicago and New York have called, and even Saturday Night Live gave the goat a mention.

But Jim Nutt, owner of the town’s bowling alley, says the goat is a nuisance, not a star. It poops in his parking lot and sleeps in his bushes. Darn kid.

■ Heather Lynn Peters, Rogue pygmy goat wreaks havoc in Muskegon County's Ravenna Township, MLive.com, March 7, 2012.

■ Heather Lynn Peters, Ravenna Township residents baffled by pygmy goat notoriety, media attention, MLive.com, March 14, 2012.

Pot-Time Town

2012-03-23T12:20:00.002-05:00

“It will lead our grandchildren to perdition.”

Elderly resident of Rasquera, Spain

The little town of Rasquera, Spain (population 900) has a big problem: it’s over $1 million in debt. But town leaders think they’ve smoked out a solution: marijuana. And that has some folks fuming.

The Rasquera town council voted last month to let 17 acres of its public land go to weed. Literally. In exchange, a cannabis association will pay the town $66,000 per month in rent. The dough from the dope will pay off the town’s debt within two years. And in Spain, it’s all perfectly legal.

But to some townspeople, just because it’s legal doesn’t make it right. They don’t want to become known as the whacky tobaccy capital of Spain.

The mayor says folks should chill out. The marijuana farm will not only fill the city’s coffers, but it will provide 40 jobs in this area where unemployment is 23 percent.

Still, town leaders need to tread carefully. What today looks like pot at the end of a rainbow could turn out tomorrow to be nothing but fool’s gold.

Read more → Giles Tremlett, Spanish town of Rasquera leases land for marijuana plantation, Guardian, March 1, 2012.

Cat-o-Roundup

2012-03-21T10:15:00.000-05:00

“Feral cats are prolific reproducers.”

Aimee Christian, ASPCA

Get along little doggies; the cats are in control in Norman, North Carolina. At least that’s how it feels to the 71 people living in this small town, where free-ranging cats outnumber humans, not to mention dogs.

It all started when one soft-hearted resident decided to feed a few stray cats. Their numbers multiplied, and when the caretaker died, the herd of cats spread out and ran roughshod over the town.

Evonne Swanson figured the best way to rein in the problem was to spay and neuter the cats. She learned the state’s veterinary students were offering free pet sterilizations at a nearby town for one weekend. So Ms. Swanson spent two days rounding up cats and driving them back and forth to the clinic. In the end, 53 cats were sterilized.

Thanks to the cat wrangler, the town of Norman headed off certain catastrophe.

Read more → Kelli Easterling, Lack of spay/neuter efforts created cat colony boom, YourDailyJournal.com, February 26, 2012.

Wild Pitch

2012-03-20T11:43:00.000-05:00

“Is this the Republican convention?”

Dan Dolan, Iowa Republican running for Congress

Photo by IowaPolitics.com (Creative Commons)

In the game of politics, it takes only one pitch to strike out. Dan Dolan, a Republican from Iowa running for Congress, found that out the hard way in a roomful of Democrats in Albia, Iowa (population 3,530).

Mr. Dolan showed up at the Monroe County Courthouse at 11 a.m. March 10 to give his pitch for office. Unfortunately for Mr. Dolan, the Republicans weren’t scheduled to meet until 1 p.m. It was the Democrats who were meeting at the courthouse at 11 a.m.

With typical Iowa hospitality, the Democratic attendees listened to Mr. Dolan’s entire speech before a gentleman raised his hand and inquired, “Are you sure you’re at the right convention?”

The red-faced Republican made his apologies and beat a hasty retreat. Mr. Dolan doesn’t know if he earned any votes that day, but he says he did learn his lesson. From now on he checks to make sure he’s with the right team before making his pitch.

Read more → Rashah McChesney, GOP candidate gives pitch at wrong convention, Quad City Times, March 12, 2012.