Watercooler Stories

City allows for pot smoking tent at event

SANTA CRUZ, Calif., Sept. 26 (UPI) -- City officials in Santa Cruz, Calif., have given the go-ahead for medical marijuana patients to toke up in a tent during an upcoming event in a city park.

The Santa Cruz City Council voted 5-1 to allow medical marijuana patients a special exemption to the city's ban on smoking cannabis in San Lorenzo Park, provided they remain inside a designated tent while partaking at the Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana's annual WAMMfest, the Santa Cruz Sentinel reported.

"I think it's good. I think it's a good compromise," WAMM co-founder Mike Corral said.

The organization had originally petitioned the city to grant the entire park an exception to the pot smoking rule during the event, but that proposal was tied up in a 3-3 vote by the council.

Iowa school facing incendiary typo

DES MOINES, Iowa, Sept. 26 (UPI) -- An official at a community college in Des Moines, Iowa, says his school is struggling to deal with a handbook typo rife with controversy.

Des Moines Area Community College school president Rob Denson said nearly 10,000 copies of the student handbook were handed out with a typo reading "Black History Linch and Learn," The Des Moines (Iowa) Register said.

The "Linch" typo, which was supposed to read "Lunch," appears to refer to lynching and the typo unfortunately came attached to a reference to a minority group, Denson said.

"There's no question in my mind that it was inadvertent," the school president said.

Four accidents tied to free gas event

FORT PIERCE, Fla., Sept. 26 (UPI) -- Fort Pierce, Fla., police are blaming at least four traffic accidents on a radio station gas giveaway.

Police Capt. Greg Kirk said Wednesday afternoon's promotion by WMBX-FM and attorney Willie Gary caused four accidents and resulted in one arrest for battery, TCPalm.com said.

The gas giveaway took place during a two-hour period. The first 102 people to reach a specific gas station were eligible.

Kirk said police were unprepared for the more than 3,000 people who tried to reach the station in time for the giveaway.

"We would have redirected traffic and had more officers there, that's for sure," he said.

Kirk told TCPalm.com that more than 30 police officers were used to control traffic in the area during the publicity stunt and St. Lucie County Fire Rescue were also on hand as a precaution.

Toronto offers cameras for guns

TORONTO, Sept. 26 (UPI) -- Toronto police are hoping gun owners can be persuaded to exchange gunshots for photographic shots in an upcoming gun amnesty exchange.

Beginning Oct. 22 in partnership with the 26-store chain of Henry's Cameras, those who turn in weapons to the police will receive a digital Nikon camera and lessons on using it, the Globe and Mail reported.

Henry's marketing director Max Payne said the type of camera depends on the gun, with a handgun or assault rifle being traded for a Nikon Coolpix S52 worth about $400 and lesser cameras being exchanged for shotguns and rifles.

The program is called "Pixels for Pistols" and police said, as in previous amnesty programs, owners shouldn't transport the weapons to police stations but rather call for an officer to pick them up.

The last city amnesty in November 2005, which offered tickets to Toronto Raptors NBA games, netted 261 guns and 1,500 rounds of ammunition, the Globe said.

Sgt. Chris Boddy said he was cautiously optimistic about the coming amnesty.

"Most gun amnesties turn in very few crime guns," he said. "The point is, every unwanted firearm that we can get off the street makes things a little bit safer."