Watercooler Stories

Man ticketed for 100 mph twice in hour

ALEXANDRIA, Minn., March 28 (UPI) -- A North Dakota man was ticketed twice within an hour for speeding at least 100 mph in neighboring Minnesota, police say.

The Minnesota State Patrol said Monday Murat Ayamba Ndikum, 31, of Grand Forks was pulled over the first time shortly after 6 p.m. March 13 for allegedly doing 100 mph on Interstate 94 near Alexandria, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported. Within the hour, he was stopped a second time on the interstate near Barnesville, this time clocked at 106 mph, the patrol said.

The speed limit on the interstate is 70 mph along those stretches, the newspaper said.

Ndikum allegedly told the second trooper he finds it difficult to keep track of his speed.

The Star Tribune said the average cost of a speeding ticket in Minnesota is about $120 for 10 miles over the limit. Those caught racing 20 mph over face double the fine and hitting 100 mph can cost them their licenses for six months.

 

Mayor shelves gallows plans

MEDORA, N.D., March 28 (UPI) -- The mayor of a North Dakota town said he has withdrawn his application to build a gallows for staged hangings.

Medora Mayor Douglas Ellison said Monday he is withdrawing his application submitted to the Medora Planning and Zoning Commission last week after said panel members found the idea offensive, The Dickinson (N.D.) Press reported Tuesday.

"Some people were kind of upset," Ellison said. "I think the people that were quick to criticize, I think just did not understand what I had envisioned."

Ellison said the gallows would have had a safety harness to absorb the impact from the mock-hangings, which he said would only be staged with himself as the hanging victim.

"If even a minority of visitors finds such an option offensive, I owe it to my hometown to remove the potential irritant," he said.

 

Boy, 13, spends hours in tree

ELYRIA, Ohio, March 28 (UPI) -- Authorities in Ohio said a 13-year-old boy became stuck while climbing a tree and spent more than 2 hours trapped 30 feet above the ground.

Elyria Assistant Fire Chief Ron Brlas said firefighters responded to a call just before 7 p.m. Monday and discovered the boy had climbed high into the tree and soon realized he was unable to climb back down, WEWS-TV, Cleveland, reported Tuesday.

Brlas said a firefighter climbed up the tree to cut branches out of the way so the basket of the truck could reach the boy.

The boy was brought back to the ground about 9:20 p.m., after spending more than 2 hours in the tree.

Paramedics said the boy was checked out and found to be uninjured.

 

100-year-old reading tutor going strong

NORTH OGDEN, Utah, March 28 (UPI) -- The oldest reading tutor in Utah said she does not plan to let her 100th birthday stop her from working with children.

Gaitha Woosley Butterfield, who is known as Grandma Butterfield at Green Acres Elementary in North Ogden, said having topped the century mark last Wednesday will not slow down her twice-a-week volunteer efforts teaching children at the school to read, The Salt Lake Tribune reported Tuesday.

Butterfield the key to her longevity is "just living the good life."

"I'm doing pretty great. I feel about 50 and that's a good age," she said.

Butterfield said she hopes to keep working with the Green Acres second-graders for a long time to come.

"I have them read for me and I read for them," Butterfield said. "I learn a lot from them and they learn a lot from me. You learn so much when you're reading."