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City council or not, you have to stop the car

By TIMES WIRES
Published December 20, 2006

Among the perks to being a City Council member in Fergus Falls, Minn., is not immunity from traffic stops. The honorable Brian Sterling Gullickson was making his way down the road early Sunday when police noticed expired tags. Lights and sirens did not seem to persuade Gullickson to pull over. As the chase was under way, Gullickson called 911 and told the dispatcher that he was not planning to pull over and that the cops "had no idea who he was," according to the report. Upon stopping, everything was fine. Well, after the cops tasered the reportedly tipsy Gullickson, then pepper sprayed him before cuffing him and hauling him off to jail. Once he was in jail, though, no more problems.

He can stand judge's sentence

Ragheem Smith, 29, had to run into the Bi-Lo grocery store in Union, S.C. He parked in a handicapped space and got the steep ticket you get for getting caught doing such a thing. He could've gotten a fine for $325. He told Magistrate Jeff Bailey he couldn't afford that. He could've gotten 30 days in jail. He told Bailey if he missed that much work, he'd be in real trouble. So Bailey decided to sentence him to a public apology. Smith had to stand in front of the store with a handmade sign that said "I am not handicapped. I just parked there, sorry." Whew, said Smith. "That was better than having to pay a lot of money. I know I won't do it no more."

There's really nothing to see

In Florida, we have stories about terrible things happening to kids who poke alligators with a stick. In Texas, there is now a cautionary tale about checking out the insides of crude oil storage tanks. The short story: If you really need to see inside one, bring a flashlight or something noncombustible. Do not open the hatch, look inside and light a match. Two teenagers in Springtown didn't know that sage piece of advice, and only one got away from the explosion alive. The explosion caused a fire that spread over four acres.

So it's like the Probation Army

The Salvation Army of Greenwood, Ind., was having trouble getting a bell-ringer for every kettle it had, so they enlisted the help of parolees. "When you're out there ringing the bell and wishing people a Merry Christmas, you're giving back to the community," said Richard Hartman of the Salvation Army. Most of the "volunteers" are reaching the end of community service sentences for stuff like public intoxication and drug possession. And while there is general trust and good will surrounding the project, the collection kettles are chained and locked. "So they just can't grab a bucket and walk away with it," Hartman said. Peace on Earth!

[Last modified December 20, 2006, 00:23:44]