Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe Charges against Kobe Bryant dropped DENVER, Sept. 1 (UPI) -- Sexual assault charges against basketball star Kobe Bryant were dropped Wednesday at the request of the prosecution. Advertisement The Colorado judge presiding over the trial, which was in its jury-selection phase Wednesday, agreed to dismiss the felony charges, although the civil case filed by the alleged victim will continue. The dismissal was "with prejudice," meaning charges cannot be re-filed. Bryant had been charged with raping a Colorado hotel employee last summer. She recently told Eagle County prosecutors she was no longer willing to testify during the trial. The woman's name and allegations about her personal life had become public during the months leading up to the trial, possibly resulting in her decision not to take the witness stand. The dismissal means Bryant will most likely be able to play for the Los Angeles Lakers during the coming season, and that the victim's civil lawsuit might be settled out of court. Advertisement Starting schoolers less stressed LONDON, Sept. 1 (UPI) -- A British educational psychologist says nurseries and child care givers have helped reduce the number of children suffering anxiety problems over starting school. David Webster says schools are also getting better at helping children settle in to their new routine, the BBC reported. But Webster, who is president of Britain's Association of Educational Psychologists, warns starting school can still be a "scary experience" for some youngsters. Beginning primary school is one of the traditional rites of passage for children. But for the current intake of pupils, this is no longer as likely to be such an emotional watershed as might once have been the case, Webster said. United beefs up cockpit security CHICAGO, Sept. 1 (UPI) -- Chicago-based United Airlines is installing steel barriers that can close off front aisles to protect crews when the cockpit door is opened in flight. The barriers go beyond requirements for reinforced cockpit doors mandated by the Federal Aviation Administration after the hijackings of four planes by suicide-terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001. "We've always been intent on taking security an extra step with a secondary barrier to prevent unauthorized access to the cockpit and protect passengers and crew members from potential harm," a United spokesman told the Chicago Tribune. Advertisement While toughened cockpit doors are designed to resist bullets and grenades there is concern when pilots must leave the flight deck to use the bathroom or get meals. United has received FAA approval to begin installing barriers onboard its Boeing 757 aircraft that would keep someone from easily getting beyond the galley and forward lavatory. The barriers, which resemble a metal child gate, will be installed on all 97 of United's 757 aircraft in October. Police find juvenile tattoo ring BAILEYVILLE, Maine, Sept. 1 (UPI) -- A tattoo of the number 420, which reportedly has to do with smoking marijuana, led police to a juvenile tattoo ring in Baileyville, Maine. A 17-year-old was questioned and police were seeking anyone who may have been marked by his crudely built tattooing machine, the Bangor Daily News reported Wednesday. The investigation began a few months ago when a woman found 420 tattooed on her 13-year-old son's ankle. "It supposedly represents 'it's time to go smoke a joint,'" Baileyville School Resource Officer Shawn Newell said. "I don't know why anyone in their right mind or stable mind would want to have 420 tattooed on their arm or ankle knowing what it means." Advertisement Police said the high school student built a primitive tattoo machine using batteries, a stripped down electric razor and black India ink. The teenager said he loaned the machine to friends who tattooed themselves.
