Watercooler Stories

School selling extra test points

GOLDSBORO, N.C., Nov. 12 (UPI) -- A North Carolina school is being accused of selling grades for a program that awards extra test points for monetary donations to the school.

Susie Shepherd, principal of Rosewood Middle School in Goldsboro, said the scheme designed by a parent advisory council offers 10 extra points on two tests of the student's choosing in exchange for a $20 donation to the school, The (Raleigh, N.C.) News & Observer reported.

Rebecca Garland, the chief academic officer for the state Department of Public Instruction, said she fears the program sends the wrong lesson about buying grades.

"If a student in college were to approach a professor to buy a grade, we would be frowning on that," Garland said. "It might even be a reason for dismissal. We're teaching kids something that if they were to do it later, they could get in trouble for."

However, Shepherd said the program does not amount to selling grades because extra points on two tests are unlikely to have an effect on a student's final grade.

She said it is incorrect to suggest "one particular grade could change the entire focus of nine weeks."

Shepherd said no donations have yet been collected.

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Bank error leads to sale of couple's home

PHOENIX, Nov. 12 (UPI) -- JPMorgan Chase & Co. officials have apologized for accidentally selling a Phoenix couple's home even though their modified mortgage payments were up to date.

Jeff and Yanthy Zerner said the new owner of the house posted a notice on the door Nov. 4 that led them to discover their property had been foreclosed, KPHO-TV, Phoenix, reported.

"I get this notice that says you have five days to vacate the property," Jeff Zerner said. "So I called the number (on the notice) and I say, 'Who are you?' and they say, 'We're the legal owners of this house. It went up for foreclosure."

Zerner said he and his wife had finished their trial mortgage modification with Chase only days before and were told they would qualify for a permanent modification.

"We paid Chase several hundred dollars, which they accepted in good faith," Zerner said. "I feel extremely ripped off."

Chase admitted the house was sold in error and apologized to the couple.

"We apologize for the confusion over the modification actions and the parallel foreclosure steps Chase takes as a precaution. We have reached out to Ms. Zerner to discuss where we go from here," Chase officials said in a statement.

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'Stripper-mobile' rounds Las Vegas Strip

LAS VEGAS, Nov. 12 (UPI) -- A Plexiglas truck giving new meaning to the Las Vegas "Strip" is drawing the eyes of passersby and the ire of county commissioners.

The "stripper-mobile," which features scantily-clad women performing pole dances in the back of the Plexiglas truck while it drives up and down the Las Vegas Strip, is slated to be a topic of discussion at next Tuesday's Las Vegas County Commission meeting, the Las Vegas Sun reported.

Larry Beard, marking director for Deja Vu Showgirls, which has run the truck up and down the Strip during the wee hours for the past 11 days, said it has already doubled business at his clubs.

"It's just a great idea that really works," Beard said.

However, critics have raised questions about the decency of the marketing technique as well as the safety of having such an eye-catching spectacle in the middle of traffic.

"You could have 10 of them out there pretty quick and a million people just staring," Commissioner Steve Sisolak said. "We have to get a handle on it before it gets too out of hand."

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Horse poop excluded from scooping law

TITUSVILLE, Fla., Nov. 12 (UPI) -- Commissioners in Florida's Brevard County voted to exclude horses from an ordinance making owners responsible for cleaning up after their animals.

After hearing from several concerned horse owners, the commission voted unanimously Tuesday to exclude horses from the ordinance, which requires owners to clean up after their animals urinate or defecate on public property, Florida Today reported.

"To stop a 1,000-pound animal, get off, hold it while you try and put the poop in a bag is just not a good idea," horse owner Wanetta Dyer of Canaveral Groves told commissioners.

"We should just leave the horses alone," Commissioner Mary Bolin said before introducing the motion to exclude the horses. "This just isn't feasible."