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Lawyer files appeal for pastry gun maker

BALTIMORE, March 19 (UPI) -- An attorney for the 7-year-old Maryland boy suspended for biting his breakfast pastry into a gun shape said he is seeking to have the boy's record expunged.

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Robin Ficker, the attorney hired by J.B. Welch, father of Park Elementary School student Josh Welch, said he filed an appeal Thursday with Anne Arundel County schools Superintendent Kevin Maxwell to have the two-day suspension from March 1 expunged from the 7-year-old's record, The Baltimore Sun reported Tuesday.

Ficker said keeping the suspension on the boy's record could hurt him later in school.

"Who knows what doubt he's not going to be given the benefit of later?" Ficker asked.

Bob Mosier, a spokesman for Anne Arundel County Public Schools, said the appeal is being reviewed.

"Park Elementary has taken the worst possible interpretation of Joshua's actions," Ficker wrote in the appeal. "The chewed cereal bar looked no more like a gun than the puzzle pieces of the states of Idaho, Oklahoma, or Florida. ... There is no evidence that any other student was frightened by the pastry."

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Firefighters rescue pregnant cow

HOMESTEAD, Fla., March 19 (UPI) -- Rescue workers in Florida said they gave assistance to a pregnant cow that became stuck in a drainage ditch.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Capt. Jeffrey Fobb said the Sunday call in Homestead was a rare occurrence for the fire department, The Miami Herald reported Tuesday.

"This is the first cow that we've had in years and it took a team to get her out," Fobb said. "It takes cooperation from a bunch of different parts of the fire department."

Veterinarian Zachary Franklin was also called to the scene to help free Miguel Hernandez's cow from 5 feet of mud in the drainage ditch.

"I don't know how the cow got into the canal," Franklin said. "The owner went looking for his cow -- she is due to have a calf in two or three days -- and he couldn't find her. There was no way for her to climb out. She needed help."

Fobb said firefighters attached a special harness to the 900-pound cow and used a crane to lift her to safety. Franklin said the cow seemed unharmed by the ordeal.

"She lay down and stood right up," Franklin said. "She was bright and alert and went right back to eating."

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See-through yoga pants an issue for maker

NEW YORK, March 19 (UPI) -- As the stock price of clothing manufacturer Lululemon Athletica drops, the company says it may recall its accidentally produced see-through yoga pants.

Lululemon stores reported a sales increase of 11 percent in the current quarter, but its stock price dropped 4 percent on news its iconic black yoga pants have "a bleeding dye issue," The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.

The result is pants that are "sheer, very sheer, as in see-through," the newspaper said, noting nearly 20 percent of the new clothes may have to be recalled, taking a big bite out of revenue projections.

The wealth management firm D. A. Davidson and Co. pointed out the see-through pants issue exposes problems with the company's supply chain, as well as the exposure customers get when they wear the pants, reporting "the combination of rapid growth [of Lululemon] and very high quality standards can cause strain on the supply chain."


Germany's 'worst neighbor' facing charges

FRANKFURT, Germany, March 19 (UPI) -- A German man dubbed the country's "worst neighbor" for antics including nudity, verbal harassment and urination is facing multiple charges.

The 75-year-old Frankfurt man, identified only as Gunter D. and dubbed "Terror-Gunter" and the "country's worst neighbor" by the Bild newspaper, has been repeatedly caught urinating in potted plants, calling his neighbors "prostitutes," writing lewd graffiti in his building's public areas and being nude in view of his fellow residents, The Local.de reported Tuesday.

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Local prosecutor Doris Moller-Scheu said Gunter is facing charges of disturbing the peace, damaging property and making threats.

The man said he has not done any of the things outlined in the accusations.

"I've not done anything or offended anyone," he told Bild.

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