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Man battles airline via Facebook

REDMOND, Ore., Aug. 5 (UPI) -- An Oregon man's Facebook post about the alleged treatment of a disabled man by Alaska Airlines employees went viral, prompting a response from the airline.

Passenger Cameron Clark, a concert promoter from Bend, was so angered by what he called "the worst of humanity," detailed what he witnessed at the Redmond Airport Friday on Facebook, KTVZ-TV reported.

Clark wrote: "standing in line at an @alaska airlines ticket check in, in redmond oregon, i watched as a disabled/mentally and physically challenged couple were left standing in the front of a line by the ticket attendant ... who didn't say a word- no "final call, redmond to seattle"-- no "if you are flying to seattle, it's too late to make this flight," etc-- nothing."

In his post, Clark said multiple Alaska Airlines employees failed to give the man, who told Clark he had Parkinson's disease, any extra assistance, causing him to miss a flight to see his daughter in Bellingham.

The post went viral and public outcry prompted the airline to quickly rectify the situation.

Alaska Airlines wrote on its Facebook page Saturday that it refunded the disabled man's ticket and was able to get him on a flight to a different location for him to meet up with his daughter.

Clark praised the airline for "doing the right thing" and said in his experience, the airline "has an outstanding track record."

However, later Saturday, the airline posted another update, saying the customer "arrived late and didn't request or assistance or let us know of any disabilities," and that at the time of the incident he was "exhibiting signs of inebriation and smelled of alcohol."

Clark disputed the turn of events, saying, "I stood right next to him for 15 minutes, and we spoke to each other within inches of each other. I smelled absolutely nothing."

"It's unreal what they are doing now," Clark said.

1-room school is Mich. couple's cozy home

RIVES TOWNSHIP, Mich., Aug. 5 (UPI) -- The owners of a one-room schoolhouse converted into a home in Michigan say "people just love it."

The Wilbur schoolhouse in Rives Township served as a school for 100 years until it was closed in the late 1950s and converted into a home in the mid-1960s, MLive.com reported Saturday.

Then, in 2006, Jeanne and Merle Perrine bought the home and decided to gut it and restore it to its original one-room space.

The schoolhouse now features an opened kitchen and living area, with a new bedroom and bathroom added in the back, Jeanne Perrine said. The space is filled with relics from the 1800s, such as the school's original black slate chalkboard, potbellied stove and photos of former students.

Perrine said many locals come by to check the new space out.

"People just love it," Perrine said Friday. "People want to come in and see it, especially if they went to school here."

Swedes urged to leave baby seals alone

HALLAND, Sweden, Aug. 5 (UPI) -- Police have downplayed the presence of seemingly abandoned seal pups that have folks living along the coast of southern Sweden concerned.

The seemingly helpless babies turning up on various beaches has prompted several calls to police from alarmed beachcombers, but the phenomenon is not unusual, officers said.

""There's nothing strange at all about seal pups being on their own at this time of year," said Magnus Bartholdsson of the Halland police force. "Either the mother is out fishing, or she's rejected the pups because they're old enough to get by on their own. The will be just fine as long as nobody touches them."

People were being advised to give the babies a wide berth so the mother seal won't be frightened off. "People don't understand that mamma seal is out fishing, and that she doesn't dare return to her pup because people are standing too close by, watching them," Police Officer Stefan Dahlhielm told the TT news agency.

Internet appeal for implants pays off

MIAMI, Aug. 4 (UPI) -- A Florida plastic surgeon said he recently helped out an Ohio bartender who had taken to Internet panhandling to raise money for breast implants.

Dr. Michael Salzhauer rode to the rescue of Krissy Lane, whose yearning for a better profile led her to post a now-viral video featuring her posing in a bikini with a sign reading, "Not Homeless: Need Boobs."

"I think it was her unique approach, being honest that this is what she wants," Salzhauer told WSVN-TV, Miami.

Salzhauer performed the $6,500 procedure Friday, ratcheting the 37-year-old Lane up from an A cup to a C. There were no complications and Lane said she was looking forward to a new life.

"I know it'll make me feel better," she told a television reporter prior to the surgery. "I'll feel more confident."