The risks of streaking

From Tuesday's Centre Daily Times:

Mifflin Streaker sues PSU, alleges police assault

WILLIAMSPORT — A Penn State student who participated in the 2008 “Mifflin Streak” claims he suffered serious injuries when “blind-sided” by a university police officer and then assaulted.

Christopher Ferry, of West Chester, is seeking more than $150,000 in compensatory and punitive damages in a lawsuit filed Friday in U.S. Middle District Court.

He claims he was one of approximately 1,000 people who participated, on May 5, 2008, in what has become an annual event, and that he was assaulted for no reason as he entered the Pollock quad.

The Mifflin Streak, held the Sunday before spring finals, involves up to several dozen students who take part by running nude or in various states of undress, and hundreds more who turn out to watch. Ferry was nude, according to the court complaint.

The suit contends the university, by allowing it, condones the event.

Ferry alleges Officer David E. Bjorkman, who was wearing dark clothing, jumped out of a concealed location and knocked him to the ground. Ferry claims he staggered to his feet in a startled and dazed state in severe pain when he was viciously tackled a second time. . . .

You can read the full CDT story here.

More on the crow menace

In an earlier post I described the massive crow problem we have here at Penn State.  This was an e-mail sent to the College of Education listserv today:

The Office of Physical Plant (OPP) crow relocation program will begin tonight  (7 Dec 09) at 5:30 p.m. and continue until 9:00 p.m.  The campus community can expect to hear loud noises in the early evening as university employees launch anti-crow pyrotechnic noisemakers called "bangers" and "screamers".  These activities will continue Monday through Friday night until the crows move to less problematic locations.  Pyrotechnic operations may continue for several weeks until this objective is met.
 
This year’s preferred roosting location is a stand of trees east of the Visitor’s Center.  Small groups of highly trained OPP employees will be conducting the relocation operation and will be wearing distinctive green safety vests.
 
Once the crows have vacated a location, crow effigies will be hung to dissuade the crows from returning.  Light towers will be erected in the targeted relocation woods east of the Visitor’s Center to make the area more appealing to crows.  
 
No crows will be harmed in this operation.  The public can expect some disturbance from the noisemaking activities and possible crow infestation if the crows attempt to re-roost in populated areas.   Crows are currently roosting in areas around Ag. Science and Industries, Ag. Administration, East Halls, and Nittany Apartments.  Occupants and residents of these buildings may experience the loudest noise as the harassment effort gets underway.  
 
In addition, The College of Agricultural Sciences is employing propane cannons at two locations, the Dairy Barns and the Organic Materials Processing and Education Center (OMPEC).  These cannons produce a loud bang to scare crows away from those locations.  The cannons may be used for most of the day, seven days a week throughout the rest of the fall and winter.  
 
Last year about 3,000 migrating crows landed on our campus causing unsanitary and unpleasant conditions.  Our goal is to discourage this mass roosting and the accompanying sanitary problems.  Physical Plant is partnering with Penn State researchers and the USDA Wildlife Services to relocate the migrating crows.  Penn State will also work closely with the Borough to jointly find solutions to this continuing problem.  For further information please contact Paul Ruskin, Physical Plant Communications Coordinator at 863-9620 or at pdr2@psu.edu.

My favorite part is the part about the "crow effigies."

Just one more tragic hunting story

 

From this morning's Centre Daily Times:

 

Friday, Dec. 04, 2009

Man admits to shooting woman, 55, in accident

Sara Ganim

A Boalsburg man has admitted to mistakenly shooting a woman while hunting for turkey in May.  Donald D. Lansberry pleaded guilty to both charges brought against him after the hunting accident and is scheduled to be sentenced in January.

The state Game Commission said Lansberry mistook 55-year-old Elizabeth Strickler for a turkey when he failed to identify his target before shooting his rifle and didn’t help the woman after hearing her screams.

In June, the Game Commission charged Lansberry, 53, with two misdemeanors, saying he violated a basic rule of hunting by not identifying his target, and didn’t immediately render aid after the accident.

It happened around 6:45 a.m. May 13 on wooded land owned by Biddle Farm that borders the Tussey Mountain Ski Area in Harris Township.  Lansberry told police he saw something blue moving through the brush “like a turkey would,” and fired his shot. Lansberry said he heard screaming, but “didn’t know” why he didn’t go to help, court papers say.

The subhead in the print edition of the paper made it an even better story: "Hunter mistook victim for turkey, didn't render aid."