Watercooler Stories

Attorney hired to get kids in first grade

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn., April 18 (UPI) -- Two Minneapolis families have hired an attorney to try to get their kids admitted to first-grade at their local public school next fall.

The families wanted their children to attend first grade at Lake Harriet Community School, which is located just blocks away from where they live. It is a popular school that is already stuffed with kindergartners, so the school district closed admission to new first-graders next fall, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported.

Attorney Phillip Trobaugh told the district in a letter that it's duty-bound to admit children who live within the school's attendance area, the newspaper said.

"Some people might say that's one more sign of the apocalypse," Trobaugh said of his involvement. "I would see it as lawyers being used in another way to help problem-solve."

Jackie Turner, the Minneapolis student placement director, said she is used to getting phone calls from parents after they hear where their students are placed but it is the first time she's heard from a lawyer, the newspaper said.

Students given buckets for toilets

INGLEWOOD, Calif., April 18 (UPI) -- Parents say the principal of a Inglewood, Calif., elementary school forced children to use buckets for toilets during a recent school lockdown.

Principal Angie Marquez of Worthingon Elementary School imposed the lockdown March 27 when nearly 40,000 middle and high school students across Southern California staged walkouts to protest immigration legislation, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The newspaper said some students were barred from using the restroom and were forced to use buckets placed in classroom corners or behind teachers' desks.

Tim Brown, director of operations for the Inglewood Unified School District, said the principal's order was an "honest mistake."

"When there's a nuclear attack, that's when buckets are used," Brown told the newspaper. The principal "followed procedure. She made a decision to follow the handbook. She just misread it."

Brown said the school district planned to update its emergency preparedness instructions and give more explicit direction to principals and teachers during emergencies, the newspaper said.

House fire uncovers marijuana stash

AKRON, Ohio, April 18 (UPI) -- Firefighters fighting a house fire in Wadsworth Township, Ohio, say they found more than $700,000 worth of marijuana plants growing in the basement.

Officials say the find explained why the homeowners got into their vehicle and drove away after firefighters arrived, the Akron Beacon-Journal reported.

"They beat feet," Wadsworth Fire Chief Ralph Copley told the newspaper. "It seemed so strange to me. If it were my home burning, I'd want to be there."

Michael Barnhardt, acting director of the Medina County Drug Task Force, said the basement of the new home was outfitted with an elaborate growing system. Investigators removed 239 plants, worth more than $700,000 based on a maximum estimated street value of $3,000 per plant.

Barnhardt said it looked like the 239 plants were only part of the planned crop.

Homeowner Lan Le and an unidentified companion are being sought by federal investigators, the newspaper said.

U.S. stamps to feature Disney lovers

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla., April 18 (UPI) -- The U.S. Postal Service is paying tribute to springtime romance with a series of 39-cent stamps featuring Disney characters.

The stamps will be unveiled Friday at the Disney's Epcot Center Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., and available at post offices nationwide on Saturday, the USPS said in a news release Monday.

The new stamps will feature Cinderella and Prince Charming, Belle and the Beast, Lady and the Tramp and Mickey and Minnie Mouse.