Saturday, May 23, 2009

In The News

Council refuses to fix whole pothole 'because it only owned part'
Potholes along a West Midlands street have only been partially filled in by highways workers - because the council only owns half the land they stretch across.
Baffled traders watched in amazement as Walsall highways workers started filling in problem potholes outside their shops in Bloxwich, only to stop half way through the job.
Council chiefs said the small patch of land next to the pavement belongs to Walsall Housing Group (WHG) and that their maintenance workers are not allowed to carry out work on private land.
But business owners who have waited years for potholes in the street to be filled in have branded the partial repair of the craters, some measuring about two-foot wide, a "ridiculous waste of money".
Keith Clarke, who runs M&C butchers in the road, said: "I've never seen anything like it in my life.
"We've been asking for the potholes to be filled in for some time now.
"When they came to fix them, they drew white lines along the side of the pavement through the middle of some of the holes.
"Then they only filled in half the holes and when we asked, they said their department was not responsible for the other half. It's ridiculous."
"The water is gathering in the other half of the holes, so surely that will ruin the part that has been fixed. What a waste of money."
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Man Falls Ill After Sucking Snake Venom From Dog's Nose
A Hawk Springs Wyoming man says he saved his dog's life after sucking venom from a rattlesnake bite out of the animal's nose. But a nurse at the hospital in Torrington later told Bobby Jenkins that's not a good idea. Jenkins says he began feeling ill after getting his dog, Tank, to a veterinarian. He went to the hospital and received a dose of antivenin. In all, Jenkins needed four vials of antivenin at a cost of $3,500 per vial. Meanwhile, Jenkins says his dog's head swelled up to three times its normal size. Tank had been bitten after running under some equipment on the family ranch. The dog also received antivenin and both Jenkins and his dog have recovered.
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