Small Bits of News

Mom awarded $85,000 after daughters see porn on motel TV
A Nashville mother who sued a California motel after her two daughters, 8 and 9, were exposed to a porn film on television was awarded $85,000 by a jury. The motel owner argued that guests were encouraged to tell the front desk to block access to the adult channel. » Article here

Riot squad called after man lights up in pub
It wasn't exactly the dramatic finale one cricket fan was expecting. Having gone to his local pub to watch England play India, John Vaughan was enraged when the channel was switched over to football just as the cricket was reaching its thrilling conclusion.
So Mr Vaughan lit up a cigarette in protest. When he refused to extinguish it, staff pressed a panic button behind the bar. And a few minutes’ later six riot police officers wearing protective gear stormed the pub.
Mr Vaughan had been watching the one-day international at the Copper Pot pub in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, last month. The game was about to finish when the channel was switched to the England versus Israel Euro 2008 football qualifier. Mr Vaughan said yesterday: "The cricket only had ten minutes left, but the football wasn't even going to start for another 45 minutes."

Woman Yelling Obscenities Could Face Jail Time
SCRANTON, Pa. — A woman who allegedly shouted profanities at her overflowing toilet within earshot of a neighbor was cited for disorderly conduct, authorities said.
Dawn Herb could face up to 90 days in jail and a fine of up to $300.
"It doesn't make any sense. I was in my house. It's not like I was outside or drunk," Herb told The Times-Tribune of Scranton. "The toilet was overflowing and leaking down into the kitchen and I was yelling (for my daughter) to get the mop."
Herb does not recall exactly what she said, but she admitted letting more than a few bad words fly near an open bathroom window Thursday night.
Her next-door neighbor, a city police officer who was off-duty at the time, asked her to keep it down, police said. When she continued, the officer called police.
Mary Catherine Roper, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union in Philadelphia, took issue with the citation.
"You can't prosecute somebody for swearing at a cop or a toilet," she said.