Watercooler Stories

School settles guinea pig suit

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., March 12 (UPI) -- A Michigan university settled a lawsuit filed by a student who was barred from keeping her guinea pig, a service animal, in her dorm room.

Grand Valley State University agreed to pay $40,000 to be divided by Kendra Velzen, the Fair Housing Center of West Michigan and the plaintiffs' attorney nearly a year after the suit was filed in March 2012, WOOD-TV, Grand Rapids, Mich., reported Tuesday.

The lawsuit said Velzen was denied a service animal exception to the housing rule in the "pet free" Calder Residents dorm, despite having a letter outlining her need for a support animal from her medical provider. Velzen has a heart condition that requires the use of a pace-maker and takes medication for severe depression, the lawsuit said.

GVSU said in denying the request that the Americans With Disabilities Act does not list a guinea pig as a trained service animal.

The school agreed to pay the settlement amount as well as allow Velzen to bring her guinea pig or a similar animal if she chooses to live on campus in the future.

Bear cubs found in box at roadside

LONG CREEK, S.C., March 12 (UPI) -- A South Carolina man said he and his family approached a roadside box they suspected might contain puppies and instead discovered a trio of bear cubs.

Brandon Poole of Long Creek said he and his family were driving in their truck when they spotted the box and decided to investigate, WBTW-TV, Myrtle Beach, S.C., reported Tuesday.

"I thought it was little puppies in that little box, so I got closer to it, I noticed I heard squealing so I thought it was baby pigs. I got closer and picked one up. It was three baby bears," Poole said.

Poole, who said he had previously worked at a wildlife ranch but had never held a bear in his hands before, took the cubs to the firehouse where he works as a volunteer firefighter.

"I put them in the truck with us and got up here to the firehouse and called the game warden because I couldn't let them freeze that night. It got real cold. They could have died," Poole said.

He said the incident was thrilling for his young daughters.

One of the cubs was taken to the historic Charles Towne Landing in Charleston, S.C., while its siblings were taken to the Appalachian Bear Rescue in Knoxville, Tenn.

"It felt good, I'm kind of trained to save lives and help, so it felt real good to me," Poole said.

Investigators said they do not know how the bears ended up in the box at the side of the road.

Man falls into golf course sinkhole

WATERLOO, Ill., March 12 (UPI) -- Illinois sinkhole experts said a man who fell into a sinkhole on the golf course was the first confirmed case in the state.

Mark Mihal, 43, said he fell through the ground on the 14th hole at the Annbriar Golf Course in Waterloo while playing a round Friday, The (St. Louis, Mo.) Post-Dispatch reported Tuesday.

"I was standing in the middle of the fairway," Mihal said Monday. "Then, all of a sudden, before I knew it, I was underground."

Mihal was rescued by golfing companion Ed Magaletta and general manager Russ Nobbe, who brought a rope and a ladder.

Philip Moss, a geologist who examined the sinkhole, said it was the first confirmed case of someone falling into a sinkhole in Illinois.

"This guy just really was in the wrong place at the wrong time," Moss said.

Moss said sinkholes are common in the St. Louis area because the Limestone bedrock can dissolve in rainwater.

"It's a gradual process that creates a void in the soil," Moss said. "Over time, [the void] migrates upward through the soil to where the soil arch gets too thin to support the weight of what's over it, and it collapses."

Las Vegas dubbed 'Trashiest' destination

LAS VEGAS, March 12 (UPI) -- Las Vegas was chosen as the list topper for America's Top 15 Trashiest Spring Break Destinations, which also included six cities in Florida.

Coedmagazine.com said it looked at criteria including "Girls Gone Wild" shoots, number of strip clubs, number of Hooters restaurants and looseness of local liquor laws to compile its list, which was topped by Las Vegas, followed by South Padre Island, Texas, and Daytona Beach, Fla.

The list also included Myrtle Beach, S.C.; Orlando, Fla.; Lake Havasu, Ariz.; Miami.; Panama City Beach, Fla.; Key West, Fla.; Fort Myers, Fla.; Scottsdale, Ariz.; New Orleans and San Diego.

Andy Newman, who handles media relations for the Florida Keys Tourism Council, told The Miami Herald he does not consider Coedmagazine.com to be a credible outlet.

"How do you take a website seriously such as this, let's take a look at the headlines: 'Meet the Man Who Sells Property on the Moon' and 'Porn Stars Before and After the Makeup.' Please!" he said.

Coedmagazine.com included a disclaimer of sorts in its list: "But remember, what really makes Spring Break trashy is you."