TULSA, Okla. (AP) – A transportation official is hoping an odd speed limit will get the attention of drivers, and slow them down in construction zones.
Jarry Slaughter, an Oklahoma Transportation Authority engineer, has posted speed limit signs of 17 mph at three toll plazas that are under construction.
Toll collector Vickie Fletcher said she gets at least five questions a day about the 17 mph limit.
Children find bear under house
EFFORT, Pa. (AP) – This black bear picked the wrong place to hibernate.
The animal camped out under the porch of a home where four children live – and near where 20 kids wait for the school bus.
Residents of Chestnuthill Township had suspected for days that a bear was in their midst after they saw that their trash cans had been tampered with. But it wasn’t until two children happened upon the bear on Sunday that its exact whereabouts became clear.
Pedro Sainvil owns the home where the 600- to 700-pound male bear seems to have settled in.
On Sunday, Sainvil sent two of his children, ages 8 and 9, outside to play in the snow. “After 15 or 20 minutes, they came back screaming, ‘Dad, Dad! There’s a bear under the house!”‘ Sainvil said.
The bear will be removed by state wildlife officers, authorities said.
“It’s very scary,” said Rose Marie Louis-Jacques, Sainvil’s mother. “I’m just praying that he’ll take off. It’s like a bomb under the house.”
Working for tips: Taxi driver bites
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) – A taxi driver in Denmark bit off the tip of a man’s finger in a brawl about how many people could fit in the cab, police said Monday.
The dispute started early Sunday morning, when a group of five men hailed a taxi in Odense, in central Denmark.
Police said things erupted when the 37-year-old driver insisted he could only take four passengers. It wasn’t clear who started the fight, but police say a 48-year-old man claims he grabbed the driver by the collar after the driver spat at him.
The driver, who was bruised but not seriously injured, said the man grabbed him by the jaw and punched him. The driver claims he accidentally bit off the tip off the man’s ring finger in the commotion, police said.
The 48-year-old was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. None of the men were identified in line with Danish privacy rules.
Police were investigating but had not filed any charges Monday.
MASON, Ohio (AP) – During the holidays, some people are content to deck their homes with evergreen wreaths and holly, and maybe a few strings of lights made to look like glimmering icicles.
But not Carson Williams.
He spends nearly two months hooking up 25,000 lights, then programs them to dance to Christmas music.
Hundreds of cars drive by his house north of Cincinnati every night to see the display, which also is posted on the Internet.
“So far, everyone’s been really courteous,” Williams said on NBC’s “Today” show Monday. “I told the neighbors, I told the sheriff, if they get any complaints, I’ll shut it down, because the neighbors are more important to me than the Christmas lights.”
This is the third year Williams has assembled the display, which grows every year. He often stays outside for hours, chatting with visitors and directing traffic.
“We’ve had no problems,” said Dave Hare, who lives across the street.
But the first year, it took some explaining.
“We called it the psycho house,” said Hare’s wife, Michelle. “It was just weird random flashes.”
The display runs from the day after Thanksgiving until Jan. 1.
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On the Net: http://www.PlanetChristmas.com
Odd speed limit designed to grab attention
TULSA, Okla. (AP) – A transportation official is hoping an odd speed limit will get the attention of drivers, and slow them down in construction zones.
Jarry Slaughter, an Oklahoma Transportation Authority engineer, has posted speed limit signs of 17 mph at three toll plazas that are under construction.
He said he can’t scientifically measure the effectiveness of the unusual speed limit, but he’s convinced it works.
Toll collector Vickie Fletcher said she gets at least five questions a day about the 17 mph limit.
Slaughter said the speed limits will be raised to 25 and 30 miles per hour after construction on the toll plazas is complete.
AP-ES-12-06-05 0344EST
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