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Jail for mailman who sold pot in uniform

PORTLAND, Ore., Oct. 1 (UPI) -- A former mail carrier in Oregon has been sentenced to 18 months in jail for selling marijuana while on the job.

Ronald Richard Berkan, 48, was given the jail sentence, which is scheduled to begin in December, after he pleaded guilty to distribution of marijuana to an underage person, The (Portland) Oregonian reported Wednesday.

His arrest followed an 11-month investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Postal Service that was launched after a bartender reported a uniformed mail carrier selling marijuana in 2006.

Berkan, who resigned from the Postal Service after pleading guilty in April, was videotaped via a camera planted in his mail truck. Investigators said Berkan appeared to sell marijuana to 10 people on the tape, but the video could not verify that he was selling the drug.

John Deits, an assistant U.S. attorney, said Berkan was identified by a 19-year-old who told police he had been buying marijuana from a U.S. Postal Service worker. The teenager said he had been buying the drug from Berkan for at least two years.

Mountain lion mistaken for large cat

CASPER, Wyo., Oct. 1 (UPI) -- A Casper, Wyo., woman said she initially thought the mountain lion resting on her back porch was simply a large house cat.

Beverly Hood said the cougar looked well groomed and she assumed it was someone's pet until it stood up and hissed at her, the Casper Star-Tribune reported Wednesday.

"I wasn't scared. I just thought, 'Whoops, I'm not going out there,'" Hood said.

She reported the 80 to 90-pound animal to authorities as a "big cat," leading Casper Police Officer Mike Ableman to the impression that he was en route to shoo away a "kitty cat." He said the dispatcher assured him he was dealing with a house cat and not a mountain lion.

Ableman said the assumption was quickly dispelled after he went into the yard.

"It stood up and looked at me, and I ran back in the house," he said.

Wyoming Game and Fish Department Warden John Lund shot the mountain lion twice with a tranquilizer gun and took it into custody.

"Based on the animal's age and its behavior," he said, "we feel we are going to relocate this lion in suitable lion habitat away from people or livestock."

Box of rocks leads to postal evacuation

DALLAS, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Dallas authorities said a package that sparked the evacuation of a U.S. post office bulk mail center was found to be nothing more than a box of rocks.

Dallas Fire-Rescue spokeswoman Sherrie Lopez said crews were called to the facility shortly before 7 a.m. Wednesday after a worker handling a 30-pound box of "concrete-type rocks" that had cracked open reported dust and a burning sensation in his throat, the Dallas Morning News reported Wednesday.

Some 700 postal workers were evacuated from the building while crews checked the box of rocks for radioactivity, flammability, biohazards and unusual pH levels. Lopez said all of the tests came back negative.

Work resumed at the bulk mail center shortly after 8 a.m., officials said.

AKC: Lady, Bear most popular dog names

NEW YORK, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- The American Kennel Club said in New York that Bear and Lady top the list of the most popular names for dogs in the United States.

The AKC said a review of 2007 registration statistics found Bear, Blue, Max, Duke and Buddy were the most popular names for male dogs while Lady, Belle, Princess, May and Rose were the most popular for female dogs.

"Traditionally names based on a puppy's physical appearance or personality, such as 'Spot' or 'Sassy,' have been popular with dog owners,'" said AKC spokeswoman Lisa Peterson. "Today we are seeing human names, such as 'Jack' and 'Molly,' and names that reflect a pet's stature in the home, such as 'King' and 'Princess,' gain in popularity as more people consider their dog a valued member of the family."