UPI NewsTrack Quirks in the News

Man wants to name bar Buck Foston's

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., June 28 (UPI) -- A New Jersey man said he has hired a constitutional lawyer for the potential fight over the planned name of his new bar -- Buck Foston's.

Larry Blatterfein of New Brunswick, a lifelong fan of Boston Red Sox rivals the New York Yankees, said the name is "all in fun" and designed to "engender an emotional response," the Boston Herald reported Tuesday.

However, he said Mayor Jim Cahill, an avowed Red Sox fan, is attempting to prevent the name by withholding a liquor license.

Blatterfein said he has hired a constitutional lawyer for a potential First Amendment court battle.

State wont prosecute dead jury-skipper

GEORGETOWN, Mass., June 28 (UPI) -- Officials in Massachusetts said they will not allow an application for a criminal complaint against a dead man for skipping jury duty to go forward.

State Deputy Jury Commissioner John Cavanaugh said his office will take action before a criminal complaint is issued for Michael Wylie, a Georgetown man the application accuses of failing to show up for jury duty while he was in hospice care a few months before he succumbed to cancer in 2006, The (North Andover) Eagle-Tribune reported Tuesday.

"According to the files, we got a telephone call that said (Wylie) had a medical condition that prevented him from serving," Cavanaugh said in explaining the mix-up. "But we required a doctor's letter, and we never received one.

"Given what we now know, we will make an attempt to independently obtain documentation to confirm his death from the (Georgetown) town clerk before the hearing and stop that process," Cavanaugh said. "But this could have been settled if someone in his family had faxed us a copy of his death certificate years ago."

Steve Schubert, who is engaged to Wylie's widow, Cindy, said the state should start taking advantage of recent technological advances.

"In this electronic age, there has to be a simpler way to confirm someone's dead than requiring their families to pay for and send in death certificates," Schubert said. "I'm a forensic accountant. They could have done a viral search and come up with his death certificate online."

Kid tries to call contest, gets sex line

SEAL BEACH, Calif., June 28 (UPI) -- A California father said his 11-year-old son tried to enter a Cartoon Network contest and a single digit dialing error took him to a phone sex line.

The Seal Beach father, an employee of The Orange County (Calif.) Register, said his son, Nico Collins, dialed after the number flashed on the screen at 8:15 p.m. Monday but he accidentally dialed 1-800-556-1600 instead of 1-800-566-1600 and heard a recording of a female voice tell him to dial a second number, the Register reported Tuesday.

"Hey there sexy guy," a female voice said when Nico called the second number. "Welcome to an exciting new way to go live one-on-one with hot, horny girls waiting right now to talk to you."

The father said the call was on speakerphone and he quickly told the boy to hang up.

"It was a kind of embarrassing thing," said Nico, who was trying to win a trip to the Bahamas for his family.

The father said he explained the situation to AT&T and he will not be charged for the calls.

N.Y. lesbian couple plan fifth wedding

BUFFALO, N.Y., June 28 (UPI) -- A New York state couple said their upcoming wedding under the state's new same-sex marriage law will be their fifth ceremony.

Madeline Davis and Wendy Smiley of Buffalo, who have been together for 17 years, said they have previously had a religious wedding in Buffalo, a pagan ceremony in Cherry Creek, N.Y., a civil union in Vermont and a wedding in Ontario, Canada, The Buffalo News reported Tuesday.

"We have called ourselves wives for quite a long time," Davis said.

The couple said they plan to wed once again in late July to be among the first to take advantage of the new gay marriage law approved Friday by the New York State Senate. The law is expected to take effect July 24.