Great moments in pooper scoopering

This post should probably be titled "Only in Cambridge."  But it was in our local paper here in State College, so it qualifies.

Dog poop has bright side: Powering Mass. park lamp

By JAY LINDSAY- Associated Press Writer

September 22, 2010 5:51am EDT

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — It stinks and it's a hazard to walkers everywhere, but it turns out dog poop has a bright side.

Dog poop is lighting a lantern at a Cambridge dog park as part of a monthslong project that its creator, artist Matthew Mazzotta, hopes will get people thinking about not wasting waste.

The "Park Spark" poop converter is actually two steel, 500-gallon oil tanks painted a golden yellow, connected by diagonal black piping and attached to an old gaslight-style street lantern at the Pacific Street Park.

After the dogs do their business, signs on the tanks instruct owners to use biodegradable bags supplied on site to pick up the poop and deposit it into the left tank. People then turn a wheel to stir its insides, which contain waste and water. Microbes in the waste give off methane, an odorless gas that is fed through the tanks to the lamp and burned off. The park is small but has proven busy enough to ensure a steady supply of fuel.

AP Photo

In this Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2010 photo, Boston artist Matthew Mazzotta poses at a Cambridge, Mass., dog park next to a gas light powered by the "Park Spark" poop converter he devised, background left. Microbes in the droppings deposited into the Park Spark give off methane, an odorless gas that is fed through the tanks to the lamp and burned off.

Another classic from the archives

As I earlier promised, I will on occasion repost what I consider classic entries from my Only In State College blog that I used to maintain on my website at work, and thus are not accessible here on Blogger. Here's one from almost three years ago:

From the Centre Daily Times, 10/19/07:

"Man charged with DUI after self-incrimination

BELLEFONTE — A Howard man was bound over for trial Wednesday on DUI charges in a bizarre arrest in which state police said he incriminated himself at a traffic stop with his own portable breath test.
 
Michael Andrew McClenahan, 58, 231 Swamp Poodle Road, was stopped along state Route 150 in Boggs Township about 2:20 p.m. Sept. 15, according to a criminal complaint. He was spotted swerving by a state conservation officer, who called state police at Rockview.
 
When McClenahan got out of his car, he smelled strongly of alcohol and refused to take any field sobriety tests, police said. McClenahan then volunteered he was probably at a .12 percent blood alcohol content, above the .08 percent legal limit, police said.
 
When the trooper asked how McClenahan knew this, he pulled out his own portable breath tester, reset it, blew a .09 percent blood alcohol content and showed it to the trooper, according to court documents. He was arrested on a DUI charge."

Another candidate for the Stupid Move of the Year Hall of Fame

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Watch out Detroit -- Happy Valley is now HockeyTown!

It's an historic day here at Only in State College.  For the first time, there's a crossover with my other blog, The Itinerant Professor.  All you puckheads in Detroit, Boston, or Pittsburgh have to watch out -- Happy Valley is about to become the center of the hockey universe.  Penn State announced yesterday the largest gift in the university's history, $88 million, for the building of a hockey arena and to move the university's men's and women's hockey teams from club status to Division 1.  Woo hoo!!!

So Penn State - long known for being a cow town, or the home of The Creamery, or most notably, a football school - is going to become known as HockeyTown.  Here's how the Centre Daily Times covered the story.

Family gives $88 million | Arena to seat at least 5,000 | NHL games possible

Gift brings hockey to PSU

Gordon Brunskill

September 18, 2010 8:10am EDT

UNIVERSITY PARK — Ice hockey is returning to Penn State. After more than a half-century of waiting, and the last four decades as a club sport, the university announced Friday it would be bringing back varsity men’s and women’s programs.

CDT/Christopher Weddle

Kim and Terry Pegula, center, receive hockey jerseys and sticks from Joe Battista, left, Penn State athletic director Tim Curley and PSU president Graham Spanier after a news conference announced the university's plans to begin NCAA division I men and women's hockey at the Nittany Lion Inn on Friday, September 17,

The return comes thanks to the largest single private gift in the university’s history, $88 million from Terrence M. and Kim Pegula to fund a multi-purpose arena and establish men’s and women’s varsity programs on campus.

“It’s a new turning point for Penn State, made possible by an unprecedented act of philanthropy,” university President Graham Spanier said during a press conference at the Nittany Lion Inn. “... The Pegula’s unparalleled generosity will make it possible for Penn State to serve our region and our student athletes in exciting new ways.” 

The arena, which does not yet have a name and is expected to have 5,000-6,000 seats, will have two sheets of ice and will not only be home to Nittany Lion hockey, but also figure skating programs, public skating sessions, youth camps, high school games and recreation leagues. The university also hopes the arena will play host to NHL and AHL exhibition games.

Click to read the rest of the story.

Bad kitty

A shoutout goes to Charles, who pointed this out to me and coined the title.  From today's Centre Daily Times:

Nittany Lion mascot issued citation for public drunkenness

August 31, 2010 1:36pm EDT

The Nittany Lion mascot, Clint T. Gyory, was issued citations charging him with underage drinking, public drunkenness and criminal mischief for incidents that occurred early the morning of Aug. 1, the day after his 20th birthday.

The citations, filed by State College police on Aug. 20, say that at about 3 a.m. on Aug. 1 in the 200 block of East Fairmount Avenue, Gyory was under the influence of alcohol to the degree he endangered himself, others or property.

In particular, the citation says he broke a rearview mirror off of a vehicle and took it, and “was intoxicated to the point that he crawled into the bed of a pickup truck and passed out.”

According to the citations, a breathalyzer test measured his blood-alcohol content at .187.  If found guilty of the charges, Gyory would pay fines totaling more than $1,000.

More details will be provided as they become available.

Great moments in small town crime, redux

From yesterday's Centre Daily Times (thank you Christian Anderson and Kip Sorgen):

State College pedestrian hit by flying corncob

From CDT staff reports

July 19, 2010 5:01pm EDT

State College police cited a female driver with disorderly conduct after they said she threw a corncob at a pedestrian while driving near the intersection of Beaver Avenue and Pugh Street at 8:40 p.m. Saturday.
The airborne corncob struck the pedestrian in the head, police said. A third party reported the incident, police said.

Great moments in small town crime

From yesterday's Centre Daily Times:

Man accused of tossing horse droppings at State College officer

July 11, 2010 7:27pm EDT

A 21-year-old Manheim man was arrested after allegedly throwing horse feces at a State College police officer.   David R. Woodson, of Manheim, faces one misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct and several summary offenses, including harassment and public drunkenness.

At about 11:40 p.m. Saturday, Woodson allegedly threw a paper cup and plate filled with horse feces through the window of a marked patrol car, striking an officer in the chest.  Police say they caught Woodson after a foot chase and that his back, buttocks and hands were covered in horse feces.

Police believe Woodson may have fallen into a pile of horse feces, before deciding to throw some at a police officer.  Police used mounted patrols Saturday, with officers riding on horseback.

Read more: http://www.centredaily.com/2010/07/11/2087416/man-accused-of-tossing-horse-droppings.html#ixzz0tV0Mlwuj

Life imitating art?

From today's Centre Daily Times:

Amorous couple caught in festival tent

From CDT staff reports

July 12, 2010 8:15am EDT
State College police found two people making out inside in one of the exhibitor tents at the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts.

The couple was caught in a tent on the 100 block of West Fairmount Avenue about five minutes after midnight on Sunday. The two were charged with criminal trespass and underage drinking, both summary offenses.