Watercooler Stories

Fire designers sacked over snowman

ROCKPORT, Mass., June 13 (UPI) -- The Rockport, Mass., Firemen's Association said the designers of an annual July Fourth bonfire were fired after they ignored a warning not to burn a fake snowman.

Tim Giarrosso and Rickard York were told by the association in 2004 not to use snowmen in the Independence Day fire after residents complained about a 12-foot inflatable snowman that went down in flames atop the blaze, WCVB-TV, Boston, reported.

However, the two men ignored the warning and last year's fire was topped by a plywood Frosty the Snowman, leading the Firemen's Association to fire Giarrosso and York as designers of the bonfire.

Teacher stripped to punish pupils

SUDBURY, England, June 13 (UPI) -- A substitute teacher in Sudbury, England, has been banned from teaching after he took off his shirt to punish unruly students, Suffolk county officials said.

Suffolk County Council banned the teacher, whose name was not disclosed, from teaching in any of its 357 schools after the incident at Sudbury Upper School and Arts College, the Daily Mail reported.

Students in the class, which is mainly comprised of 13- and 14-year-olds, said the overweight teacher attempted to control the unruly crowd by threatening to remove his shirt.

"He was quite overweight and it was a sight that nobody really wanted to see," one of the students said. "Everyone thought he was joking and people carried on messing around -- but then he really did take his shirt off."

A number of students recorded the incident on cell phones and a video of the teacher removing his shirt was posted on YouTube.

A Suffolk County Council spokesman said the teacher has been banned from the district.

"As soon as the head teacher was made aware of the incident, the supply teacher in question was asked to leave the school premises immediately. ... He will not be allowed to teach in Suffolk again. I don't know whether there will be any more professional disciplinary action against him," the spokesman said.

Streaker fights lewdness charge

BELLEFONT, Pa., June 13 (UPI) -- A university student in Bellefonte, Pa., claimed after her arrest for streaking that her naked run did not qualify as criminal under the law.

Penn State student Elizabeth Burke, 20, claims her participation in the "Mifflin Streak" -- an annual tradition of running down Mifflin Road just after midnight to kick off finals week -- did not violate laws against open lewdness because the act did not "affront or alarm" anyone, as the law requires for prosecution, the State College (Pa.) Centre Daily reported Thursday.

"Just because a person doesn't approve of the streak, that doesn't make it a criminal act," said Burke's attorney, Stacy Parks Miller. "Have we lost our senses of humor?"

Centre County District Judge Thomas Jordan found enough evidence supporting the open lewdness charge to refer the case to trial.

Seven other students were arrested for participating in the streak, but Burke is the only defendant who has not accepted a plea bargain or sought to have the charges dismissed through the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program.

City: Bikini ban accidental

KANAB, Utah, June 13 (UPI) -- City officials in Kanab, Utah, said a rule banning bikinis at a public pool set to open July 4 was an oversight that will be amended.

Kanab City Councilwoman Nina Laycook said the ban on bikinis for the ladies and Speedos for the gentlemen was an accidental side-effect of copying the dress code from the city's parks and recreation policy manual, The Salt Lake Tribune reported.

"We were so engrossed with safety and health issues we overlooked the wording (about swimming attire)," she said. "We are addressing that now by amending the policy."

Council members said the policy will likely be revised at the body's June 24 meeting.

Laycook said that while bikinis and Speedos will almost certainly be allowed under the new rules, she supports some restrictions on swimming attire.

"My recommendation is going to be no thongs or string bikinis," she said.