Brattleboro, Vt., doesn't have a law against public nudity. Best anyone can tell, it never needed one. But now, about two dozen teenagers have taken to hanging out in a downtown parking area without all the social stigma that clothing imparts (Yeah, public nudity, no stigma there). Some people roll eyes, others avert eyes, and some totally flip out. Rachel Brooks, 22, works across the street and her issue is the location. "If I wanted to be naked, I wouldn't sit in a dirty parking lot. I wouldn't want to get cigarette butts on my butt." That's prudent. Hannah Phillips, 15, hasn't gotten all naked, but appreciated the social statement. Assuming there is one. "People have a basic human right to be naked if they want to." Well, sure, but it's not written anywhere. And alas, Brattleboro is considering an ordinance to establish clothing requirements.
Surprise! You're actually a citizen!
Duarnis Perez was deported in 1994. In 2000, he was arrested for trying to sneak back into the United States. He was kept in jail until 2004, when something strange was discovered. Perez has been a U.S. citizen since 1988, when he was 15. He became one when his mother was naturalized. The government says it's not all that unusual for someone to be a citizen and not know it under those circumstances. What was weird is that prosecutors wanted to keep him in custody even after learning he was legal. A judge was not happy with this position, and last week said not only should Perez not be held, but he never should have been deported.
THE UNUSUAL
It's supposed to purr, not meow
A woman in Rockaway Township, N.J., was driving around town when she heard her SUV sounding a little cuter than she was accustomed. A 4-month-old kitten had crawled into a hole behind the glove box and settled in. She also resisted efforts to extricate her from the car, crawling farther back behind the dashboard. "All you saw was maybe a little bit of fur," said Dan McDonald, the town's animal control officer. Eventually, McDonald got hold of a fuzzy paw, and a vet injected anesthesia, and the kitten came out groggy, but safe.
That's not a bank
An ATM in the lobby doesn't make the building a bank. So if you're planning a heist, do a little more research than that. A man in Poggersdorf, Austria, tried to rob a municipal building before learning that there really wasn't any money in it. "At first, I thought he was making a bad joke," said Helga Aichwalder, who was on the other end of the unidentified would-be robber's air gun. He fled the building, but was arrested shortly after the incident on Tuesday.
UPDATE
Fake sextuplets
A Missouri couple pleaded guilty Wednesday to stealing from their community by faking the birth of sextuplets in order to tap their neighbors' generosity. Sarah and Kris Everson, above with their lawyer Joshuah Peter, were sentenced to four years probation and must repay about $3,700 that their neighbors gave them. "We already made our apologies," Sarah Everson said.
