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Town fights dog poo with DNA tests

VERCELLI, Italy, Sept. 23 (UPI) -- Officials in Vercelli, Italy, say they will catch those who don't pick up after their dogs by tracking down the offending pooches through their DNA.

Antonio Prencipe, the city's environment minister, said saliva tests will be carried out on all of the dogs in town to create a database of doggy DNA so authorities can track pet owners to fail to stop and scoop, ANSA reported Tuesday.

Prencipe said a laboratory in Milan is charging the town $19 per test of canine fecal matter.

"I receive constant complaints about dirtiness, and if signs and requests aren't enough we'll try with genetics. I want a clean city," Prencipe said.

He said offending owners will be fined by authorities.

Prencipe said he would be willing to gather the fecal samples himself "if it will mean being able to walk on streets and pavements free from poo."

City bans upholstered furniture outside

LINCOLN, Neb., Sept. 23 (UPI) -- City fathers in Lincoln, Neb., have voted 5-2 to ban indoor furniture -- including couches and recliners -- from outdoor porches.

The city council approved the ordinance Monday and Rick Hoppe, an aide to Mayor Chris Beutler, said it is not likely to be vetoed, the Lincoln Journal-Star reported Tuesday.

The ordinance would take affect Oct. 7.

Councilmen Jon Camp and Ken Svoboda said in voting against the ordinance that they consider it "government overreach."

Camp said the city already fails to enforce multiple housing ordinances. "Why would the addition of upholstered furniture be any different?" he asked.

However, Councilman John Spatz said the aesthetics of the city's neighborhoods is an important issue.

"This is worth our time to discuss," he said. "I think this is a piece of a bigger puzzle."

School board rules for box cutter student

BLAINE , Minn., Sept. 23 (UPI) -- A local school board in Minnesota has voted to allow a teenager who was suspended after a box cutter was spotted in his car to return to his classes.

The Anoka-Hennepin school board ruled Monday that senior Tony Richard, 17, should be allowed back in Blaine High School despite the district's zero-tolerance policy regarding weapons on school property. Richard had been suspended and school administrators had urged the board to expel him, the Star Tribune in Minneapolis reported Tuesday.

A security guard checking parking passes Sept. 5 spotted the box cutter in the cup holder of Richard's car. Richard said he used the tool at work in his capacity as a member of a Cub Foods clean-up crew.

The board ruled 5-1 to reinstate Richard, but put him on probation until Nov. 10, when the first quarter of the school year ends.

Ferrari left running an easy target

SALT LAKE CITY, Sept. 23 (UPI) -- A Ferrari left running with the keys in the ignition in front of a Salt Lake City car dealership was an obvious target for a thief on the prowl, police say.

Investigators wrote in charges filed Monday that the 50-year-old suspect admitted taking the car from the Steve Harris Import dealership Sept. 18, The Salt Lake Tribune reported Tuesday.

"He had planned to steal a Maserati, a Porsche or some other car like that, and ... he noticed ... employees had left a running Ferrari parked in the lot, and ... he got in an drove away," police wrote.

The man was later stopped by officers and also allgedly admitted stealing a $1,860 diamond ring from Paul Thomas Jewelers.