Eight years ago, Rebecca Willis did a dance at the community center in Marshall, N.C., that left witnesses feeling that the only recourse was to ban her from ever setting foot in the establishment again. Then 56, she gyrated and simulated naughty acts while wearing an unfortunately short skirt, court documents say. She called her dance "exuberant." The town called it obscene. When she was banned, she fought back. "(Town officials) said they'd burn the place down before they let her come back," said Willis' attorney, Jon Sasser. "So we decided to see if they'd put a monetary price on the right." So this week, for $275,000, Willis has agreed to accept the ban.
Law & order
Hey, why is that water heater there?
Police in Memphis have instituted a new, unofficial policy that has them stop anyone walking down the street wheeling a water heater on a dolly. It has already paid off. When they saw Kenneth Bolden, 52, pushing a tank down the road, they stopped to question him. The Commercial Appeal says he took off running. The police caught him and drove him around the neighborhood and told him to tell them where he got it. Eventually, he pointed at a house. And since the back door was kicked in and the place where a water heater should be was empty, they believed him. He is being held on burglary and evading arrest charges.
Man has gator, but it's just a little one
In California, it is apparently a pretty big deal when someone walks into a bar with an alligator on a leash. Because a man and his 3-foot pet gator — we'll call him Albert — went for a drink at Johnny's Saloon in Huntington Beach, and there was a big fuss. Police and animal control were called. But by the time they got there, the man and Albert were in the car. Officers followed them home, where they found another gator. Alligators are not native to California, if you can imagine, and are not legal pets. So they were impounded.
Careful, kids
Town makes call for quick change
The British are very, very worried about the safety of children. Earlier this week, we brought you the story of public pools that would no longer make flotation devices available to kids because the devices might spread germs. Now comes the story from the county of Cambridgeshire. There, it is tradition to toss coins to children. This will not stand, the Daily Telegraph reports. A council officer said that the two-pence coins are far too dangerous once airborne and should instead be gently rolled to the assembled kids. Motion carried ... very, very carefully.
Compiled from Times wire services and other sources by staff writer Jim Webster, who can be reached at jwebster@sptimes.com.
News
