Photo courtesy of CSS Play When 8 year-old Judson King decided he wanted his favorite video game character for a pet three years ago, it wasn’t just some fleeting phase based on fantastical whims like it would be for most youngsters. No, the boy’s infatuation with Sonic the Hedgehog set a chain of events in motion that would end up actually changing Kansas law….

Original post by blogs@bobvila.com (Dave)

Photo courtesy of the LA Times The devastating, 2.6 million cubic yards of toxic coal ash slurry released in a Tennessee dike burst could perhaps have been avoided if TVA officials hadn’t rejected costly fixes, a new report in the Tennessean reveals. Apparently, a review of state records shows that there was a minor blowout five years ago that spurred officials to look for a way to ens…

Original post by blogs@bobvila.com (Dave)

Photo courtesy of Fondation Brigitte Bardot Three years ago, customs agents discovered dozens of pieces of endangered baboons and monkeys hidden in a package filled with smoked fish at Kennedy Airport. (Guess huge pieces of monkey meat in fish filets are easier to spot than lead paint in kids’ toys, huh?) Monkey skulls, limbs, and torsos were all discovered in the contents, which the package’s owner, Mamie Manneh, apparently had shipped from Africa. Her defense up until now was…

Original post by blogs@bobvila.com (Dave)