Watercooler Stories

Police bust lemonade stand in Pennsylvania

CHESTER, Pa., July 20 (UPI) -- The deputy police chief in Haverford Township, Pa., says a police officer's decision to shut down a lemonade stand run by children was a misunderstanding.

Deputy Chief John F. Viola said the officer shut down a lemonade stand run by seven children because the young entrepreneurs were allegedly peddling their refreshments to residents by visiting their homes, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

Viola said the lemonade stand visit by the officer, whose identity was not released, was prompted by a call from a concerned neighbor.

"We all sold lemonade when we were kids," Viola said. "We all went, like, who calls (police) on kids?"

Viola said laws against peddling without a license in Haverford Township do not apply to children under age 16.

The deputy chief defended the responding officer in the July 10 mix-up, saying he was simply acting on available information.

"The police officer would have no way of knowing this on the street," Viola told the Inquirer.

Single seniors turning to online dating

WASHINGTON, July 20 (UPI) -- More single senior Americans are looking for love online, experts say.

Online Dating Magazine editor Joe Tracy said the increase in seniors using computers to find the right romantic partner follows increased marketing by online dating groups targeting the age demographic, The Washington Post reported.

"They're seeing their sons and daughters use online dating and have success with it," Tracy said. "And we've been seeing online dating services really target the senior citizens and baby-boomer market."

University of Washington sociologist Pepper Schwartz, who is studying relationships, said online dating services help expand seniors' potential dating prospects from local churches and senior centers.

Schwartz told the Post such additional dating options are vital to seniors' lives since their urge to find the perfect someone has not decreased with age.

"Neither love, nor romance, nor adventure are the private property of the young," she said.

Postal worker stole kids' birthday money

SACRAMENTO, July 20 (UPI) -- A former mail sorter in California who stole money from children's birthday cards has been sentenced to five months behind bars.

Before he began working for the U.S. Postal Service, Dean Hudson was a loss-prevention specialist at Wal-Mart, The Marysville (Calif.) Appeal-Democrat reported Saturday.

Once he completes his prison term, Hudson, 29, must spend five months in home detention. At a hearing in Sacramento, U.S. District Judge Edward Garcia also ordered Hudson to pay $2,944 restitution.

Hudson worked at the Olivehurst sorting facility. Postal inspectors began an investigation after residents of Chico, Calif., complained about mail arriving that had been opened.

Investigators said Hudson had opened at least 1,000 cards. Once he had pulled out any enclosed bills, he would place the envelopes upside down on the sorting belt so the machinery would not jam.

Hudson pleaded guilty May 5.

Scout billed for mountain rescue

CONCORD, N.H., July 20 (UPI) -- An Eagle Scout who survived two nights high on Mount Washington in April has been billed more than $25,000 by New Hampshire for the cost of rescuing him.

The state Fish and Game Department said its investigators have determined Scott Mason, 17, was negligent, the Boston Herald reported Saturday. The department told him to pay $25,234 within 30 days.

Mason, a resident of Halifax, Mass., got lost during a solo hike in April. Mount Washington's weather has been described as the worst in the world with snow, high winds and low temperatures possible almost any day of the year.

Mason survived by building a shelter and using hand-sanitizer as fuel for a fire.

Maj. Tim Acerno, head of law enforcement for Fish and Game, said the state has sent bills for 40 of 131 rescues for the year ending June 30 but acknowledged Mason's was the highest. Acerno said the scout was reckless and negligent for hiking an "aggressive" trail in bad conditions.

Immediately after Mason was found, Acerno had more praise, describing his hike to the Quincy Patriot-Ledger as "ambitious."

"Once he was lost, he did everything right," Acerno had told the Patriot-Ledger.