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New Jersey bear caught in Connecticut

GREENWICH, Conn., June 8 (UPI) -- Connecticut wildlife officials said a black bear that wandered over the border from New Jersey will be relocated to a state forest.

Conservation Director Denise Savageau said the bear, which was tranquilized and removed from a Greenwich back yard, was found to have a tag placing its origins in New Jersey, the Greenwich Time reported Thursday.

"Bears don't know borders," Savageau said. "That's just where the bear happened to be tagged and born. That doesn't mean it's going to stay there."

Savageau and Dennis Schain, a spokesman for the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, said wildlife officers have not revealed the bear's exact age or its sex.

The bear, which police said did not pose a threat to humans or animals, will be placed in a state forest, Schain said.

Peanut butter results in graduation bans

SACRAMENTO, June 8 (UPI) -- A California high school said about 30 students were banned from graduation ceremonies for a prank involving peanut butter.

Peter Lambert, principal of C.K. McClatchy High School in The Sacramento City Unified School District, said the seniors were banned from walking at the Friday graduation ceremonies after redecorating the school Sunday night with peanut butter, spray paint, toilet paper and eggs, the Sacramento Bee reported Thursday.

"That was an immediate factor because I knew several of our students have peanut allergies," Lambert said.

He said he called the families of the allergic students and warned them not to come in to school Monday, but at least one student did come in and suffered a "bad allergic reaction."

The principal said the mess left by the students will cost more than $5,000 to rectify.

Lambert said the school's resource officer is involved in the investigation.

"If you're destroying property at the school and the dollar amount is so high that it takes several people to fix it, and the school is having to pay a lot of money, then it may go criminal," Sacramento police spokesman Sgt. Andrew Pettit said.

Students given Breathalyzer tests

ST. CHARLES, Minn., June 8 (UPI) -- Some parents of graduates at a Minnesota school said they were outraged to learn all students had been given Breathalyzer tests at the graduation rehearsal.

Jim Welp said he was surprised when his son, Alec, called him Friday morning to say he and the 72 other members of his graduating class had been given the alcohol breath test during graduation rehearsal Friday morning, the Winona (Minn.) Daily News reported Thursday.

"When he said that right away I knew, they can't do that," Welp said.

He said he questioned school administrators and they insisted they had the right to test the students.

"They said they did, I said you don't, I said you have to have probable cause," he said.

Officials said a group of about 20 students had smelled of alcohol.

"I said you can't test them all because some of the students have alcohol," he said.

Superintendent Mark Roubinek said teachers feared for the safety of intoxicated students driving home from the rehearsal.

"It was a bad situation, it would've been a terrible situation if some kids would've gotten hurt or killed," Roubinek said. "In our discussions and working with them, we moved on to the next stage."

Officials said all of the students, including those who tested positive, were allowed to walk at graduation. Several parents said they plan to raise the subject at a June 11 school board meeting.

MLB-drafted student to walk in graduation

CHARLOTTE, N.C., June 8 (UPI) -- A North Carolina high school student will be allowed to graduate after missing the rehearsal to accept a contract with the Boston Red Sox, officials said.

Ty Buttrey and his family said they missed Tuesday night's rehearsal for the June 12 Providence High School graduation in Charlotte because the student was on the phone working out a deal to play for the Major League Baseball team, WBTV, Charlotte, reported Thursday.

Principal Harrill Tracey said Wednesday morning the family erred in assuming Buttrey would not be allowed to walk in the graduation.

"The parents assumed that (Buttrey) would not participate in the ceremony without having a conversation with the principal prior to the rehearsal," she said. "I have worked with several families who contacted me prior to rehearsal to accommodate extenuating circumstances including a college athlete and a rising college freshman who attended an orientation. Graduations are a milestone and should be a memorable event for all families. I look forward to meeting with the (Buttrey's) parents to discuss the matter at hand."

The family met with Harrill Wednesday afternoon and the principal decided to allow Buttrey to walk in the graduation ceremony.

"No decision had been made prior to this meeting and Ms. Harrill never told Ty or his parents that he could not walk," a school representative said Wednesday evening. "She communicated her decision directly to Ty and his mother at today's meeting."