Around the World in 90 Seconds

Photo by Minnesota Historical Society

Today I’m doing something different. In searching small town news lately, I’ve come across a handful of too-good-to-pass-up stories about small towns outside of the U.S. So instead doing my piece on one small town in America, today I’m giving you snippets from around the world. Enjoy the trip.

Two Humps or One?
Did you know that two-hump camels are found only in the Ladakh region of India? The small town of Deskit has built an entire tourism industry on the backs of these dromedaries. Literally. About 50 visitors a day come to the town to see and ride the camels. But that could be coming to an end. Because of a shortage of basic amenities, the camels are dying out. Thirteen died on one safari farm last year. Deskit townspeople are worried that if something isn’t done soon, their livelihoods will become extinct along with the two-hump camel.
Read the Article ® Double-hump camels on verge of extinction in Ladakh

No Smoking. Period.
Smokers who are banned from buildings, buses, and businesses usually take to the streets to sneak a smoke, but if a small town in England has its way, those will be off limits, too. Stony Stratford (population 12,000) is the first town in England expected to ban smoking on the streets and in any public place. Nonsmokers applaud the move; smokers lament that they will have no place left to smoke. I think that was the idea.
Read the Article ® British town to ban smoking on streets

Unlikely Allies
It’s boom time in Löcknitz, Germany (population 3,027), and the town has its neighbors from Poland to thank for that. Löcknitz is in one of the poorest regions of eastern Germany and was struggling to survive, when Poles working in Szczecin, Poland discovered the town and its cheap housing. With Szczecin only twenty minutes away, Polish workers are happy to drive a few miles to save 85 percent on housing costs. And German shopkeepers are happy to have their business. They say politics makes for strange bedfellows. So does affordable housing, as it turns out.
Read the Article ® A Polish lifeline for an ailing German town

Crossed Legs
When the women in Barbacoas, Colombia (40,000) want something, they know how to get it. In this case, they want a new road. The one they’ve got is in terrible shape—it takes more than 10 hours to travel to the nearest town 35 miles away—and it’s been that way for 20 years. The women are fed up, and so last week they went on a sex strike. Called the “Crossed Legs Strike,” the men in the town aren’t “gettin’ any” until the women get a new road. Something tells me it’s not going to take another 20 years to get that road fixed.
Read the Article ® Women refuse sex until their road is fixed

War of Words

“If I wanted the best scores in the state, I can move to Falmouth.”

Kenneth Smith, Millinocket School Superintendent

  Photo by David Jakes

A while back I wrote a piece about a little school in New York that found a novel way to fill its classrooms: woo foreign students (A Tale of Two Cities). It turns out the idea wasn’t so novel after all. Small schools around the country are doing the same thing. But when a school in Millinocket, Maine (population 5,322) set its sights on students in China, it set off a war of words.

Here's what happened. Looking to boost its numbers, Stearns High School (enrollment 200) turned its charms on China and its 1.3 billion people. Stearns set an ambitious goal by its standards—persuade 60 Chinese students to come give the small town school a try. The campaign caught the attention of an ex-Pat American living in China. He fired off an editorial about the scrawny school and its “run-of-the-mill” academic offerings. He scoffed at the thought of Chinese parents sending their students to such a school. The Millinocket school superintendent shot back his own editorial, casting dispersions on the character of the columnist and defending its humble school. Stearns might not be the best school in the state, he said, but its teachers are dedicated and its students have pride. A columnist from The Atlantic caught wind of the dueling commentaries and jumped in the fray, taking aim at the Chinese newspaper that published the piece. A blog in written by another American living in China picked it up from there, adding that it’s downright unfair for a big newspaper in China to pick on a little town in Maine.

When the dust settles, what it all comes downs to one question: do kids from China want to come to a small town in the United States to get an education? Probably, yes. I know kids here who jump at the chance to study abroad. It’s more than book learning and grades. It’s learning about foreign customs and cultures, and learning how to get along despite, or because of, your differences. Now, if the adults could just learn the same lesson.

Read the Article ® Chinese newspaper slams Millinocket; student recruiting effort sparks cold war of words

Follow-up: The columnist who wrote the original piece in the Chinese newspaper wrote a second piece, this time in the Maine Opinion, the newspaper folks in Millinocket read. He didn’t take back what he said, but he did say he’d visit Millinocket to see if there was more to it than meets the eye.
Read the Article ® Is a Millinocket education a good buy for Chinese families?

Whistle Stop

“The Russians have never invaded Boerne.”

Gary Miller, Police Chief of Boerne, Texas

You know the old saying: “You don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone.” It’s true. In my case, that means silence. Sweet, blessed silence. I work at home and I’m used to being surrounded by the sounds of silence while I putter in my office. But my husband was laid off work recently and my son graduated from high school last month, and the house is no longer silent. It’s filled with the sounds of lawn mowing and television and music and chit-chat.

Residents in Boerne, Texas (population 10,639) say it’s too quiet in their neck of the woods. Everyday since 1948 they’ve heard the town siren sound off at noon. The siren was installed back in the days of Civil Air Defense to warn against invasion. It hasn’t seen a lot of action but it’s done its job, says the Boerne police chief: Boerne’s never been invaded by Russians. The siren did see a little action during the flood of 1997, sounding one long, continuous wail to warn residents. Problem is—most folks didn’t know what it meant. They were only familiar with the noontime toot.

But the town siren went silent a few months ago. The police department, which was responsible for pushing the siren button everyday at noon (or thereabouts, if they were busy), got new digs and no one was left to sound the alarm. The police chief welcomed the quiet, but residents and shopkeepers missed the old bell. So it’s been taken down, cleaned up, and fixed with a new, automatic timer that will sound the alarm everyday at noon on the dot. The town soon will have its noisy neighbor back.

Back here at home, things are about to get a lot quieter. My husband got called back to work starting next week, my son got a job working full-time as a lifeguard, and I’m getting my peace and quiet back. Maybe I’ll find, like the residents of Boerne, that silence is not golden . . . but I don’t think so.

Read the Article ® Downtown will soon hear noon siren's wail again

“Phil-ing” a Need

“When the tornado hit, this trip went from

being whimsical to necessary.”

Phil Campbell, Coffs Harbor, Australia

  AP Photo

This spring when tornados cut a swath through the South, the small town of Phil Campbell, Alabama (population 1,057) was not spared. An EF5 tornado with winds 210 mph ravaged the town, leveling houses and killing 28. After the storm, residents faced the heartrending task of picking up and putting it all back together again. But they didn’t face it alone. The town has a fan club, and all of the members go by the name of Phil Campbell.

Phil Campbell, Alabama was settled in the 1880s and named after the railroad engineer who put a train depot in the town. For the last 15 years or so, Phil Campbells from across the country and around the world have come to visit their namesake, sometimes by themselves and sometimes as a group. The town keeps a guest registry of all the Phils who’ve visited.

This year, the town’s 100th anniversary, was supposed to be special. A celebration was slated and Phils from around the world made plans to attend. All that changed with the storm. The Phils didn’t want to celebrate in the aftermath of the tragedy, but they didn’t want to stay away, either. So 18 of them from England, Scotland, Australia, and across the United States showed up to help. They pitched in to clean up the community center where the Phils first held a picnic in 1995. And with the help of friends and Phils who couldn’t travel to Alabama, they’ve raised $40,000 to help with the rebuilding. Faced with devastation all around them, townsfolk in Phil Campbell, Alabama have found a fulfilling friendship with their namesake neighbors.

Read the Article ® Phil Campbells bring support to tornado-stricken namesake town

Click on the link below for an NPR interview with the mayor of Phil Campbell, Alabama, and Phil Campbell from Brooklyn, New York, who organized the Phils’ relief effort and fundraiser.

Phil Campbell celebration turns into fundraiser for twister-ravaged town

To Bridge or Not to Bridge

“I didn’t hear anybody bragging about what a

beautiful bridge it was, because it’s not.”

Mike Hefner, Resident of Crouch, Idaho

Crouch, Idaho (population 176) has a one-lane bridge, and folks there want to keep it that way. A brand spanking new and bigger bridge is planned, with two lanes for traffic and two lanes for bikes. Townspeople say it’s ugly—it will destroy the character of their small town. A new bridge is needed, folks agree, but they want to keep it small. A petition against the bridge design has been making the rounds, and 555 people have signed it. But anyone who’s ever built knows that change doesn’t come cheap. The bridge is no exception. The cost to redesign tops $300,000. And that’s money the county doesn’t have, especially now. It’s in the middle of bankruptcy proceedings and fighting to keep its head above water.

In Iowa, people from Ankeny (population 36,161) to Woodward (population 1,473) have a new bridge, and they are tickled. Spanning the Des Moines River, it runs half a mile and connects two sections of the High Trestle nature trail. The bridge is an artsy thing: 13 stories high with 41 steel bands that form a contemporary arch. It’s the crown jewel in the 25-mile walking, jogging, and biking trail. And the trail costs about as much as the crown jewels: $15 million. People in the area say it's worth it. The trail is attracting newcomers to their small towns and new customers to their businesses.

The folks in Idaho and Iowa might have two different viewpoints about their bridges, but they share a common vision. Both want to preserve the charm of their small towns and both know that a bridge is one way to get there.

Read the Articles
·        Small Idaho town doesn’t want new bridge
·        Trailhead Project (The original Des Moines Register story about the Iowa bridge, “New Bridge Finally Connects Ankeny-to-Woodward Trail” is no longer available online, but here’s a link to the Madrid, Iowa Trailhead Project page. It has some great photos of the bridge and the High Trestle Trail, and some background information about the trail.)

Info Masters

“If it’s public information, then it should be on the website.”

Shawn O'Neil, Selectman Chairman

Danville, New Hampshire

The town of Danville, New Hampshire (population 4,387) has nothing to hide. It made the news earlier this month when it started publishing on its website lawsuits brought against the town. Not many towns­, large or small, do that. So why Danville?

As it turns out, this town is all about disclosure. Town leaders say that if it’s public information, it should be on the website. They’re not kidding. I clicked on the Danville website, and it is a treasure trove of all things Danville. 

It’s all there: Danville TV, which includes video of the meetings of the budget committee, school board, and board of selectmen. Services provided by the town: auto registration, dog licensing, library services, mosquito control, stormwater management, tax rates & tax collector, trash collection, and inspections of every kind—building, plumbing, and electrical. The website boasts some big names, too: Google calendar of events, Twitter feed of police calls, and AccuWeather.com weather report and forecasts. And don’t forget the committees, all the committees: budget, conservatism, forestry, planning, recreation, website, and zoning. Back up: a website committee? 

That explains it. While scrolling through Danville's website I was scratching my head trying to figure out who does this. What kind of small town has the time and talent to gather all that information and put it into a neat little digital package? And there it was: a website committee. A team of techies.

This is one town that lives by the maxim “Knowledge is power.” And it found that it doesn’t hurt to know a good techie, too.

Fun fact: I discovered “Danville” got its name from early settlers, at least three of whom were named Daniel. But I didn’t get that from the town’s website. I got that from Wikipedia. Go figure.

Read the Story ® A who's who of sue
Go to ® The Official Website of Danville, NH

Penny for Your Thoughts

“Do you take cash?”

Jason West, Peeved penny protestor

Do you sometimes wish you had nerve? You know, as in “What nerve!” Jason West of Vernal, Utah (population 9,216) has nerve. He’s been tussling with his doctor’s office since December over a $25 bill. He says he paid it; they say he didn’t. So last month Mr. West did the only thing he could do: he paid the bill . . . in pennies. 2,500 of them.

The doctor’s office appreciated the payment but not the method of delivery. The police were called and Mr. West was charged with disorderly conduct. The police insist it’s not because he paid with pennies but because he made a pretty mess with his pennies. It’s true: pennies were strewn across the desk and on floor. Mr. West says he didn’t intend to make a mess, but pennies are round. They roll.

For his penny antics, Mr. West received a $140 fine and his day in court. If he’s found guilty and has to pay, you have to wonder how he’ll do it. Mr. West says he has respect for the courts and won’t pay with pennies. Maybe that means nickels next time?

Read the Article ® Peeved patient proud of penny protest

Bank on It

“I get along good because I don’t have many wants.”

June Gregg, Loyal Customer of Huntington National Bank

How long have you been with your bank? Me, I changed again last month. My small town bank was bought out by a big city chain, and I decided it was time to switch. I’m not alone. This year almost 9 percent of us did that, up 1 percent from a year before. Banks spend a lot of coinage trying to woo customers like us.

But none of that matters to June Gregg of Chillicothe, Ohio (population 22,193). Miss Gregg has been with her bank for 98 years and she’s not going anywhere. In 1913, her father deposited $6.11 into Savings Bank for his then 1½-year-old daughter. In the 1980s, Savings Bank was bought out by Huntington Bank and Miss Gregg got a new account number, but other than that not much has changed over the years. The bank Miss Gregg trusted with two gold pieces she received for high school graduation in 1930 is the same bank where she tucks away her retirement savings today.

Huntington Bank threw a party for Miss Gregg last week to celebrate her 100th birthday. Miss Gregg says she wouldn’t consider banking anywhere else—she likes it there. Banks have a word to describe a customer like Miss Gregg: Priceless.

Read the Article ® Ohio woman has stuck with same bank for 98 years

Made in Americus

“I thought I could make a profit.”

Jae Lee, President of Georgia Chopsticks

These days everything is made in China, right? From flip flops to furniture and appliances to American flags. Everything, that is, except chopsticks. In a happy bit of irony, those are made by a company in Americus, Georgia (population 16,304) and shipped to China.

China and its 1.3 billion people go through a ton of chopsticks, literally. They typically toss their chopsticks after each use, and the country doesn’t have enough wood keep its citizens supplied. Americus does. In fact, the poplar and sweet gum trees ideal for making chopsticks grow like weeds around Americus, which also has a bumper crop of willing workers. With local unemployment hovering around 12 percent, Georgia Chopsticks is having no problem filling its 150 spots. The company opened only last year and is cranking out 2 million chopsticks a day. At full capacity, that number should shoot up to 10 million a day. And the company is expanding its shipping to an inland port town to make exporting easier. 

You know what they say about Chinese takeout. An hour later and you’re hungry for more. With the Chinese appetite for chopsticks, that’s money in the bank for Americus.

Read the Article ® Americus’ cool coup: Chopsticks for China

Cop Controversy

“My opinion is, we needed help.”

Darrell Wolf, City Councilman

Zeeland, North Dakota

Zeeland, North Dakota is no stranger to controversy. In this town where the average age is 57 and almost half its 86 residents are over 65, people have strong opinions. The latest conflict started over the gear inside an ambulance. Who owns it? Folks can’t agree. The disagreement led to spatting between neighbors and charges of corruption. To get to the bottom of things, the mayor and town council went looking for help, and that’s when the trouble really began.

The mayor and town council tried the sheriff’s department and state attorney’s office, but no luck. Taking matters into their own hands, they created the Zeeland Police Department. There aren’t any cops, but the mayor and council did appoint a reserve officer to sort out the ambulance mess—no pay and no gun but full powers to investigate and arrest. Problem is, the Zeeland Police Department is illegal. It isn’t licensed and it isn’t allowed to appoint reserve officers.

This left the town in a pickle. The reserve officer, Darrell Graf, was on the job and eager to do his duty. The state told Mr. Graf to stop. He declined. Citing the authority vested in him by the mayor and town council, Mr. Graf stayed on the job, expanding his duties to include an investigation of a sexual assault and a squatters case. He even stopped in a gun shop, asking about law enforcement discounts. To stop the reserve cop gone rogue, last week the state filed charges against Mr. Graf for impersonating a police officer. 

The town wants things to get back to normal. A council member says all they want is to make sure someone responds to 911 calls. Which brings us back to the ambulance. No word yet on if they ever got that one settled.

Read the article ® Elderly N.D. man accused of acting as police officer

Flag Day

I Pledge Allegiance

to the flag of the United States of America

and to the Republic for which it stands,

one Nation under God, indivisible, 

with liberty and justice for all.

Happy Flag Day! It’s one more sure sign summer is here—the flags are flying. And today is their special day. The Stars and Stripes was made the official flag of the United States on June 14, 1777, but it wasn’t until June 14, 1916 that the flag was given its own day. And that’s thanks in large part to a school teacher from Waubeka, Wisconsin (population 4,986). 

On June 14, 1885, Bernard Cigrand brought a 10-inch flag to Stony Hill School and assigned a flag essay to his students (who were still in school on June 14th!). From those humble beginnings, Bernard made it his life’s mission to see that the whole nation took a day to honor the red, white, & blue. His efforts paid off when President Wilson signed a proclamation declaring June 14 National Flag Day. The town of Waubeka holds a big shindig each year to celebrate. Leading up to the big day they sponsor a flag essay contest for kids, and this last weekend they put on a parade and family fun day.

Here are a few fun flag facts to ponder when flying your colors today:
·        The first flag, with the 13 stars and stripes, is called the Betsy Ross flag, although it’s not clear that Betsy Ross actually sewed the first flag. Some historians doubt the story, especially considering that it was first told by her grandson in 1870, almost 100 years after the fact.
·        The current version of our flag was designed by an 18-year-old high school student, who got only a B– for his efforts. When his design was accepted by Congress as the official design, the teacher bumped his grade up to an A.
·        There are six U.S. flags on the moon.
·        About 50 million U.S. flags are sold each year.
·        A flag expert is called a vexillologist.
·        Frank Bellamy, of Mount Morris, New York (mentioned in my earlier story Friday Feature: Mount Morris, New York) wrote the Pledge of Allegiance in 1892.
·        The largest Flag Day parade is held in Troy, New York—it draws 50,000 visitors each year.
·        The oldest continuously running Flag Day parade is in Fairfield, Washington, which held its first parade on June 14, 1910.

Movie Night

“We just don’t want to see it close.”

Glenn Peterson

President of Viborg Development Corporation

I grew up in the 1960s and 70s. It was the age of the Beatles, mini skirts, and super 8 home movies. Movie night was a big deal in our family. Dad would set up the projector, turn out the lights, and with a click and a whir, our lives would play out on the big screen (or bedsheet): ice skating in the park, Christmas at the cousins, and graduation celebrations. But almost without fail, movie night would be cut short when the film caught fire or the projector jammed.

The folks in Viborg, South Dakota (population 782) know our pain. For 98 years they’ve enjoyed movie night at the Lund Theater on Main Street. With a click and a whir, moviegoers have been treated to the latest action flick or romantic comedy. But all that came to an end last month when the film projector at the Lund stopped working. This might not seem like a big deal. The price to get a replacement projector is $4,000. That’s not bad, but the price for converting to digital, which will be required for all movie theaters by 2013, is $75,000 to $80,000. Ouch. Townsfolk aren’t willing to accept that they’ve watched the last picture show in town. They’ve set up a Friends of the Lund Theater fund and are collecting donations. Organizers figure they’ll raise the $4,000 in no time, but the big ticket price for digital will be tough to come up with.

My sister recently had all our super 8 home movies converted to digital. The quality is a heck of a lot better and we never have to worry about the film burning or the projector breaking. This should be a good thing. Maybe I miss the tension of not knowing when the movie will end, and maybe I take technology for granted, but somehow digital movie night just doesn’t seem like such a big deal.

Read the Article ® Raising money to keep the Lund Theater open

Critters

“What kind of problems will we have with chickens?”

Gail Howe, Mayor of Pateros, Washington

Animals are in the news—small town news, at least. Here’s a roundup of stories that’ve moseyed across my desk lately.


Chicken Out
No chickens allowed. That’s what voters in Pateros, Washington (population 624) said after a quick vote last month. Lots of towns, and even big cities like Chicago and New York, have been rewriting the rules to allow homeowners to keep a few hens for fresh eggs. But not the folks in Pateros. They say their on-call animal control officer is busy enough keeping an eye on dog owners who run afoul of the law; she doesn't have time to run herd on a bunch of chickens, too. One family in town does have chickens, but it’s no big deal. Part of their property sits outside city limits so they’ve set up a nice little place in the country for their hens.
Read the Article ® Pateros says “no” to small-town chickens

Groundhog Day

No hitchhiking allowed. That’s what one driver in Whitehall, Pennsylvania (population 13, 397) said after giving a ride to an uninvited guest: a groundhog. Actually, the young man screamed when he saw the groundhog, but the message was the same. The groundhog, which wasn’t discovered until the next morning, chewed up one seat and pooped throughout the car. The hairy hitchhiker was big news in Whitehall: it got the attention of the neighborhood (maybe it was the scream), took two calls to the police, took another call to the Fish and Game Commission, and even scored a visit from the mayor. The groundhog was last seen sharing a photo op with the mayor before being carted off.
Read the Article ® Driver doesn't dig hitchhiking critter


 Gone to the Frogs
Frogs welcome. The folks in Milton-Freewater, Oregon (population 6,319) have been been overrun by frogs. At first there was alarm, and then frustration. But six years ago, when someone changed the welcome sign from “Welcome to Milton-Freewater” to “Welcome to Muddy Frogwater,” instead of getting hopping made, town leaders thought, what the heck—let’s go with it. The town now holds a Logs to Frogs carving contest in July and The Muddy Frogwater Festival in August. Sounds like a “ribbeting” good time.
Read the Article ® The city that's gone to the frogs

Boomtown

“Oh, it’s a busy town anymore.”

Sandy Anderson, Resident of Chester, Montana

Chester, Montana (population 900) doesn’t get it. The whole country is in a recession: unemployment up, housing market down. Despair is supposed to be on the rise, hope hitting rock bottom. But not in Chester. This small town is booming. Folks are moving in. Empty houses have been rented and hotels are full. And why? Jobs.

Chester is located in the heart of Montana's farm country. Up until this year, it was struggling like many small towns. But after suffering years of drought, the last couple of seasons have been good to farmers. Their yields are up, along with demand and market prices. And the icing on the cake? Not one, but two grain elevators are being built in Chester this year to handle the bounty. With the elevators come jobs, workers, and a market for local materials. Five new businesses have opened, the local bakery is working longer hours, and a couple of long-standing establishments are getting new digs.

A lot of people blame our country’s sour economy on companies sending jobs offshore. Again, not in Chester. It turns out the new grain elevators are being built by two international companies. Instead of sending jobs out of the country, they’re bringing jobs home to Chester.

Read the Articles:
·        A big boom in a small town
·        International changes for Chester, Montana

Take This Job and . . .

“We’d really like to get someone in here

who could stay for the long haul . . .”

Penny Pearson-Burke, Resident of Prosperity, South Carolina

In these times of high unemployment and uncertainty, it seems everyone is either looking for a job or hanging on tight to the one they have. Right? Not really. At least a couple of small towns are having a heck of a time keeping their top spots filled.

Prosperity, South Carolina (population 1,055) is unlucky in law enforcement. The town has had three police chiefs in three years, and they’re on the lookout for another one now. One police chief stepped down in 2009 amid charges of misconduct, another left last week as a “personnel matter,” and the police administrator who oversees the chief and would be on the hook for the interim job is out on medical leave. The town administrator and some county deputies are keeping an eye on things while the town ramps up another search. Good thing—turns out Prosperity has a relatively high crime rate for a small town. Maybe word’s gotten out that Prosperity is police chief poor.

But a small town in our neighbor to the north has it even tougher. In Bridgetown, Nova Scotia (population 972) the mayor and entire town council walked out last week. The reason? The town has deep financial problems and town leaders are stumped about what to do. The problems stem from a $1 million upgrade to the town’s water system and an insufficient tax base to pay the bill. The mayor says they’re all stepping down so someone with more expertise can take over. It isn’t the first time the mayor’s spot has had to be filled on the QT—the current mayor took over after the previous mayor quit halfway through his term. In this latest crisis, it looks like Bridgetown is in over its head, and all the folks at the top are throwing in the towel.

Read the Articles:
Small town looking for third police chief in three years
Bridgetown’s leaders step down amid growing financial problems; police investigating town’s books

Creepy Crawlies

“I’m not laughing at anything on the inside.”

C. R. Carter, Mayor of Weston, Missouri

What the heck is going on? Last year it was dead birds falling from the sky. This year it’s snakes. But these snakes aren’t dead. They’re alive and slithering and creeping people out.

Near Rexburg, Idaho (population 17,257—yep, the same town that was featured in yesterday’s texting story), there’s a house that’s literally crawling with snakes. For some reason—nobody knows why—the snakes picked this house for their winter home. Each year thousands of snakes slither through the yard, up the walls, and in through the foundation to hibernate, breed, and reproduce. They’ve starred on TV’s Animal Planet, chased out two families, and stuck the bank with a house no one wants—no one but snakes, that is. Looking at the big picture, I guess that isn't too surprising: the house is located in the Upper Snake River Valley, after all.

And then there’s Weston, Missouri. It’s bad enough having a house infested with snakes, but what about an entire town? Weston is home to about 1,700 residents . . . and just as many snakes. The trouble started three years ago when the town put in a new bridge and used rock to hold the creek bank. Turns out that rock is a reptilian refuge. For now, most of the snakes are bunking down in the park next to the creek, but townsfolk worry the problem will only get worse as the snakes breed and reproduce. They’re right—ask a couple of homeowners in Rexburg, Idaho. 

For a bit of an “eww” factor, here’s a video of the snake house in Rexburg, Idaho:

Read the Articles:

Foreclosing on a bunch of snakes

Snakes invade Weston park

OMG: Ban on Texting While Walking

“I have a lot of friends that when they text, they cannot think.”

Holli Loar, BYU-Idaho student

I’m one of those people who have a hard time chewing gum while walking, so I’d fit right in in Rexburg, Idaho (population 17,257). Town leaders there recently passed a law banning texting while walking. Correction: the law actually bans only texting while crossing the street. Common sense might suggest texting and walking in traffic don’t mix, but why did Rexburg feel compelled to pass a law? The town can’t cite any accidents—just some close calls—and there are no national statistics on texting while walking. Still, town leaders say the law will ensure the safety of its citizens. Critics argue it will ensure fat coffers for the town: fines are $50 for first offense and $150 for subsequent violations. Rexburg, home to BYU-Idaho, stands to make a pretty penny on the university’s 15,000 texting-addicted students. But students say the town might be on the right track. A hit to the pocketbook gets the message across and hurts a lot less than getting hit by a two-ton truck.

Read the Article ® $50 fine: Texting while walking