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Judge lets cheerleaders keep Bible signs

KOUNTZE, Texas, Sept. 20 (UPI) -- A Texas judge granted a temporary restraining order Thursday to allow high school cheerleaders to display faith-based signs at football games.

The Kountze High School cheerleaders sought the ruling after administrators of the Kountze Independent School District banned them from displaying signs and banners bearing scripture quotes at football games, the Beaumont (Texas) Enterprise reported Thursday.

Kountze ISD Superintendent Kevin Weldon said the ban was imposed on the advice of the Texas Association of School Boards, which warned the school could face lawsuits if it allows the religious banners, the Houston Press reported.

Prison for 'Jack Sparrow' ferry thief

TORQUAY, England, Sept. 20 (UPI) -- A British woman who shouted, "I'm Jack Sparrow," at police officers while stealing a ferry was sentenced to 112 days in prison.

Alison Whelan, who the Torquay, England, court heard had been drunk for two days and taking hallucinogen nightshade when she and a friend took shelter on the Paignton Pleasure Cruises' Dart Princess ferry in Devon Sept. 10, 2011, was found guilty of aggravated vehicle taking and sentenced Wednesday to 112 days in prison, the BBC reported Thursday.

Whelan called an ambulance to the ferry when she feared she was having a seizure, but she cast off from the pontoon when police arrived, the court heard.

"I'm Jack Sparrow," Whelan allegedly shouted to police, referencing the character from the popular "Pirates of the Caribbean" film series.

The theft set off a chase lasting for more than an hour involving police, the coast guard and the local lifeboat service. The ferry sustained about $2,430 worth of damage from colliding with two other vessels during the chase.

Ashley Lane, operations manager for Paignton Pleasure Cruises, said the incident could have been far worse.

"The fact is that, had circumstances been different tide-wise, it could have been serious," Lane said. "She could have seriously been injured had it gone out of the river."

Sea turtle goes to sea instead of plate

TAMPA, Fla., Sept. 20 (UPI) -- An endangered sea turtle that nearly ended up on a fisherman's dinner table was released back into the wild, The Florida Aquarium said.

Susan Coy, a veterinary technician with the Tampa aquarium, said the fisherman caught the Kemp's ridley sea turtle off Davis Islands in May and placed it in a freshwater tank in his home's backyard with the intention of cooking and eating the endangered creature, The Tampa Tribune reported Thursday.

However, the man was reported to authorities by a neighbor and state Fish and Wildlife authorities brought the turtle to The Florida Aquarium's Center for Conservation team.

Coy said the 15-pound turtle, dubbed Lucky, appeared lethargic and was not eating well when he was first brought to the facility.

"We basically just gave him a lot of (care)," she said.

Coy said the animal was rehabilitated and was released Wednesday at Cypress Point Park.

Authorities said the fisherman is likely to face federal charges for keeping a sea turtle.

Botched painting restorer seeks royalties

BORJA, Spain, Sept. 20 (UPI) -- The Spanish octogenarian, whose botched restoration of a century-old fresco depicting Jesus became an online sensation, is now seeking royalties for her work.

The Spanish-language El Correo newspaper reported Cecilia Gimenez and her family are seeking royalties from the Santi Spiritus Hospital Foundation, which owns the Santuario de Misericordia Church in Borja and has been charging visitors to see the "restored" version of the "Ecce Mono" fresco.

The foundation made about $2,600 in four days from tourists seeking to catch an in-person glimpse of the painting, which online commentators have said looks more like a monkey than the Jesus it originally depicted, the Ars Technica website reported.

The church has retained lawyers to protect its revenues from Gimenez, El Correo said.