Imagine if your neighbors owned a pair of enormous dogs, over 100 pounds each, that were originally bred to hunt lions in Africa. Then imagine these dogs were locked up after being declared "potentially dangerous" for biting several people, and one of the owners hid the animals from authorities after they were ordered to be euthanized. Finally, imagine that those neighbors want those dogs to come back home. That is the nightmare that neighbors in a New Jersey community are dealing with, and they are begging authorities not to give the dogs back.
Leaf vacuum trucks ordered off the streets in two cities
After one death and one serious injury, the Wisconsin State Patrol has ordered Oshkosh and Neenah to park some of their leaf collector trucks because the front-mounted vacuum collectors block the driver's vision. Earlier this month a 43 year-old Neenah pedestrian was hit by a leaf truck and critically hurt, and last November, an 18 year-old man was killed when the driver of a leaf vacuum truck whose vision was obstructed by the device struck him in Sheboygan. The State Patrol warned municipalities about the problem last year but it seems the message didn't stick. When the trucks were spotted on the streets again this year, the Patrol banned them.
Dog in mauling case gets its own attorney
The Constitution guarantees a right to counsel in a court of law but does that right extend to dogs? A judge in Effington County, Georgia has appointed an attorney for a pit bull named Kno, who is accused of attacking and severely injuring a 5 year-old boy this last summer. Judge William Woodrum says he made the appointment "in the interests of justice." The lawyer will also represent the dog's owner, without charge. The county attorney says the dog doesn't need a lawyer but the judge stands by his decision.
Death haunts Wisconsin motorcycle riders
It appears that 2012 is shaping up to be a very bad year for Wisconsin motorcyclists. Three-quarters of the way through, the death toll already stands at 102. Even if there are no more fatal motorcycle accidents this year, the number of bikers killed will be fourth highest in the last 26 years. And it's not the new riders or reckless young people who are dying. Officials say the average age is 48, up from age 30 just ten years ago.
