UPI NewsTrack Quirks in the News

Man has 'faith in people' thanks to girl

PITTSBURGH, Aug. 26 (UPI) -- A Pittsburgh man says he has renewed "faith in people" thanks to an 11-year-old girl who returned his lost wallet to him with its contents intact.

Michael Chosky said that after he lost his wallet during a trip to the beach, he couldn't forget the idea of having lost $1,000 in cash and all his credit cards in one moment, Pittsburgh's WTAE-TV reported Tuesday.

"It's like getting hit in the stomach," Chosky said. "It wasn't a great ride home -- alone with your thoughts in the middle of the night."

But then he received a call from 11-year-old Rowan Short, who had found his wallet and whose mother used its contents to contact Chosky's wife.

Chosky told WTAE-TV that the girl's family went to the effort of mailing him his wallet and refused to accept $500 for their troubles.

"It renews your faith in people; The money was secondary -- $1,000 is $1,000. Just that these people did this was overwhelming," Chosky told the TV station.

Woman off hook for registering dog to vote

TACOMA, Wash., Aug. 26 (UPI) -- Charges have been dropped against a Seattle-area grandmother who registered her Australian shepherd-terrier mix to vote.

Jane Balogh of Federal Way, Wash., reached a plea agreement last year that required her to perform 10 hours of community service at the Tacoma Rescue Mission and to pay $240 in court costs. On Monday, a judge dismissed charges of making a false or misleading statement to a public servant.

Balogh said she registered her dog under the name Duncan M. Donald to demonstrate how easy voter fraud has become. She used a utility bill in the dog's name as identification for voter registration and to obtain an absentee ballot.

She did not vote in the dog's name and returned the ballot signed with a paw print.

Balogh said she was sad that no politicians have been in touch with her about her demonstration.

"I'm a nobody. I'm just a plain old lady who loves her country and nobody is responding," Balogh said. "What does it take to get somebody to listen?"

Deputy seeks trailer, finds alleged theft

OCALA, Fla., Aug. 26 (UPI) -- A Marion County, Fla., sheriff's detective said he caught an alleged thief after calling a number listed on a for sale sign on the back of a travel trailer.

Detective Thomas Tingue said he phoned the number on the sign because he was interested in purchasing the trailer traveling ahead of him on Interstate 75 but the owner told him over the phone that the vehicle had been stolen, the Ocala (Fla.) Star-Banner reported Tuesday.

Tingue said he confronted the driver towing the trailer, identified as Tommy Allan Behringer, 50, and the suspect was later arrested and taken to the Marion County Jail on charges of grand theft.

The detective said Behringer told him that the trailer's owner, Jody Mann, had asked him to drive the trailer to North Carolina. However, the Sheriff's Office report said Mann confirmed to authorities that the vehicle had been stolen.

Parents: Pitcher pulled for being too good

NEW HAVEN, Conn., Aug. 26 (UPI) -- The parents of a New Haven, Conn., Little League pitcher who was banned after batters had a hard time hitting his pitches said they plan to take legal action.

Leroy and Nicole Scott said their son, Jericho, 9, was kicked out of the league by officials who said his pitching was too fast and accurate for players from other teams, the New Haven Register reported Tuesday.

John Williams, an attorney for the family, said he is planning legal action to have the pitcher reinstated and the team allowed to go on to the playoffs after an 8-0 season. League officials attempted to disband the team after coach Wilfred Vidro refused to pull Jericho Scott from the pitcher's mound.

"This is a terrible, terrible thing happening to these kids," Williams said. "Not only does it spoil their summer and their childhood, but it tells them it's more about winning than doing your best. Everything we value children in athletics for, this is the antithesis."

The team's 13 players and their families have resolved to continue as a team and parents said they are planning fundraisers to help pay for Williams' help.

League attorney Peter Noble said the decision to pull the pitcher was made after parents from other teams raised concerns that the boy's talent was preventing their children from playing freely.