Weekly Daily Brickbats Archive 2009 July 8-31

Vera and Henry Jones say the typical suburban yard provides little habitat for birds and other animals and requires too much water. So they began replacing their Ottawa, Canada, yard with tall grasses, wild flowers, and lots of perennials. City officials have now cited them for failing to mow their grass and for having weeds and undergrowth. The city says that if the two don't mow, officials will do it for them and send the couple a bill.

Snohomish, Washington, officials have settled a suit brought by the ACLU on behalf of Shirley Scheier, an art professor who was detained and handcuffed by police for photographing power lines. The city decided to settle after federal judge rejected their plea to dismiss the case and ruled the officers had violated her Fourth Amendment right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure. Despite that ruling and despite the $8,000 settlement, city manager Larry Bauman said the officers acted appropriately.

Royal Newfoundland Constabulary Chief Joe Browne says the department will apologize for detaining Dane Spurrell. Police saw Spurrell walking along the road and assumed he was drunk because of the way he walked. He was not drunk. He is autistic.

Walter Healey, a retired employee of the New York Tax Department, has pleaded guilty to identity theft. He accessed the personal information of more than 2,000 people and used the information to get around 90 credit cards that he used to ring up some $200,000 in charges.

In Washington's West Valley School District, kindergarten teacher Sue Graham has been reprimanded for sending a bag of human feces home in a student's backpack. She attached a note to the bag saying she found it in the floor of her classroom.