Hundreds of dolphins stranded at Philippine bay

PILAR, Philippines – Dozens of Philippine fishing boats tried to stop hundreds of disoriented dolphins from beaching themselves near the mouth of Manila Bay on Tuesday, officials said.

Inspector Edgardo Bernardo, police chief in Pilar town in Bataan, said many of the dolphins were found in shallow water and some had come ashore, including three in a bad condition due to wounds.

Malcolm Sarmiento, head of the fisheries and aquatic resources bureau, said experts were studying whether an underwater quake had disoriented the animals or the pack of dolphins followed a sick leader.

"Many strange things are happening in our oceans now and we still don't have any explanation for these occurrences," Sarmiento said. - Reuters

Injured deer stumbles into Ohio vet clinic

ROSSFORD, Ohio – Workers at an Ohio pet shop are used to worried pet owners bringing their animals in to be treated in the store's clinic.

But an unaccompanied visit Saturday by a deer to the PetSmart in Rossfield was a first for the store.

Manager Trudi Urie says the wounded doe was hanging out behind the store and then ran through an open door into a stockroom.

Staff members made sure the animal couldn't enter the shop area and called police and a veterinarian.

Agustin Cuesta had the deer brought into the clinic and closed a wound on its hind leg with dissolvable stitches as assistants held it down.

He says he couldn't tell how the animal got hurt.

The door was reopened and the animal ran back into the wild. - AP

Teenager Gut turns ski world upside down

VAL D'ISERE, France – For someone who watches television upside down, 17-year-old Lara Gut has her feet firmly on the ground.

The Swiss bagged her second silver medal at the world championships on Monday, following her fine display in last week's super-combined by finishing second again in the blue-riband downhill.

"At 17 it's extraordinary," Gut told reporters. "In the super-combined I was not expecting it and it was magical because it was the first.

"But this medal is even sweeter because it's a more prestigious event and it shows I did not rob anybody."

The Gut family's strange habit of watching TV upside down, with their feet up against the back of the sofa and their heads hanging down, may have helped her.

Father Pauli and mother Gabriela, both sports instructors, came up with the idea to develop Lara and younger brother Ian's sense of balance.

"They (the parents) have developed in Lara an unbelievable sense of coordination," said Gut's physical coach Patrick Flaction.

"I have never seen someone with so much balance and energy. She's so intense in everything she does that you must always force her to put the brakes on."

PERFECT LINE

In the downhill on the tricky Solaise piste, Gut seemed to have skied the perfect run until American Lindsey Vonn beat her by just over half a second.

"The waiting was almost harder than the race itself," said Gut, adding she suffered from stomach pains all day.

"It happens to me from time to time, it's not too bad but it doesn't help to ski. To win a medal in these conditions is even more exceptional."

The young Swiss paid tribute to Vonn, saying she had skied "fantastic," but she did not seem as impressed by the American as some of her rivals.

"Lindsey is just an athlete I'm competing against," she said when asked about the competitor who also won last week's super-G.

Gut promised to be a match for Vonn for years to come.

"Two silver medals is great but it also means I can do better in the future," she said.

Gut takes part in the giant slalom on Thursday, a discipline that has been Vonn's weakness this winter.

To continue excelling she needs to banish as many thoughts from her mind as possible.

"The more I think the worse I ski," she said. - Reuters

Man accused of hiding pot in babies' diapers

MINQUADALE, Del. – A Delaware man was accused of giving new meaning to the phrase "dirty diapers." New Castle County police said a 26-year-old man was smoking pot and planning to sell it when probation officers stopped by his house for a routine check. The man tried to hide the marijuana inside diapers that were intended for two infants inside his home.

Police found 45 grams of the drug in one diaper and 34 grams inside another. Police also found prescription pills and drug paraphernalia.

The man was charged with possession with the intent to deliver marijuana and other drug offenses. He's also charged with two counts of unlawful dealing with a child.

The man's brother and another man face the same charges. - AP

Police: Man hits brother with tire iron over jeans

DELAND, Fla. – Authorities said a man was behind bars for using a tire iron to attack his brother over a pair of jeans. A sheriff's office report said a 23-year-old man and a 25-year-old man were arguing Thursday night over the pants. The argument escalated and punches were thrown.

The 23-year-old man then got the tire iron from a truck and struck his older brother in the back of the head and took off running. Authorities said he returned home and told deputies he felt bad about hitting his brother.

The 23-year-old was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. He was taken to jail where he was being held without bail Friday. - AP

Women try to have woman accused of affair deported

BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Three women believed a 28-year-old woman was having an affair with one of their boyfriends and came up with a plan to get rid of her by having her deported. A Bellingham police spokesman, Lt. Steve Felmley, said two of the women shoved the victim in a car Friday and took her to a Border Patrol station.

A Border Patrol agent, Michael Bermudez, on Monday said they took no one into custody and called police to deal with the women. The police spokesman said they don't ask crime victims whether they are in the country legally, so the 28-year-old is free.

Meanwhile, the three women are being investigated for unlawful imprisonment.

Felmley said, "I don't think this plan is working out the way they thought it would." - AP

Man calls 911 after clerk refuses to sell beer

ZEPHYRHILLS, Fla. – Authorities said a 40-year-old man was arrested for calling 911 to complain about a convenience store clerk. The man was charged with disorderly conduct and released on bond according to jail records.

Officials said a convenience store clerk called 911 early Saturday morning and told the dispatcher that a customer was threatening her because she would not sell him any more beer.

Minutes later, the man called 911 and was "abusive" to the dispatcher. - AP

Police find 22 dogs in station wagon with owner

POTTSBORO, Texas – North Texas authorities seized 22 dogs found crammed inside a station wagon with their owner. The owner locked the car doors and refused to come out when a constable tried to serve her a warrant early Monday, said SPCA spokeswoman Maura Davies.

The two puppies and 20 dogs were taken to a shelter until a judge decides who gets custody, the SPCA said. They were in the car along with a pot of water, blankets and waste. Davies told The Dallas Morning News that officials "could smell ammonia from urine a few feet away from the car."

The owner does not face charges. She was not coherent and the SPCA said they contacted Adult Protective Services about the woman.

Pottsboro is about 70 miles north of Dallas. - AP

Man calls 911 after eatery runs out of lemonade

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. - Authorities said a man, 66, was arrested after calling 911 on Saturday to complain that a fast food restaurant ran out of lemonade. After a drive-through employee failed to respond to the man's threat of contacting the police, the irate diner called 911, a police report alleges. - AP