Costco waffle fight; bear in playground; wild frat boys

COOLIDGE, Ariz. — The Coolidge City Council will not pursue a proposal that would allow prayers before their meetings, specifically only Christian prayers.

Members unanimously voted Monday night to back away from the proposal. The council members then unanimously voted to allow any religious group within the city to offer a prayer before a council meeting, according to the Arizona Republic.

"We want to move Coolidge forward," said Mayor Jon Thompson. "Now we have a legally defensible position and everyone will have a seat at the table."

The city received widespread criticism last week after it voted to amend a resolution so that it no longer allows prayers from a variety of faiths before council meetings. The amendment was proposed by Councilman Rob Hudelson, a Baptist pastor, who voted to abandon the resolution Monday.

"History will look back on us and say, 'There is a City Council who stood for Christ and Christ alone,'" he said before casting his vote. "For that, we should never be ashamed."

Attorney Denis Fitzgibbons warned the city was opening itself up to lawsuits by only allowing Christian prayer.

Coolidge Pastor Byron Sanders of Fairhaven Baptist Church asked for the prayer measure that was later narrowed by council members. He attended the Monday night vote and said it was a relief the council decided to return the resolution to its original intent.

"Christianity has always been inclusive," he said. "Christians settled in America to give everybody an opportunity."

The U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision last year in Town of Greece v. Galloway saying communities could not discriminate against minority faiths in allowing prayer before meetings.

EUGENE, Ore.  — Results from a survey on campus rape and sexual misconduct show that at least 20 percent of women from 27 universities, including the University of Oregon, have reported being assaulted while in college.

The Register-Guard reports that the Association of American Universities survey provides data gathered last spring from public schools like University of Arizona and UO, as well as private schools such as Harvard and Yale.

More than 3,000 of the 150,000 participants in the survey were from UO.

The report found that 24 percent of undergraduate women at UO reported experiencing nonconsensual sexual contact through force, which was slightly above that of the national rate of 23 percent.

UO offers a sexual wellness presentation to incoming students in an effort to teach students about sexual assault.

ARLINGTON, Wash.— The Arlington City Council has adopted new restrictions on the tethering of animals amid community outcry over a dog frequently seen outside.

KCPQ-TV reports that many in the community are up in arms about a black Labrador named Blaze who they believe is being mistreated. In response to the vehement outcry, the City Council adopted new restrictions on tethering Monday.

The city says Blaze's owner is not breaking any laws.

The new laws include regulations on the size and length of the tether and the types of collars that can be used when a dog is tethered.

The law restricts the tethering of animals between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. and requires that the animal have access to clean water and shelter.

CORONADO, Calif.  — San Diego County authorities say police officers were among at least six people stung when a bee hive fell out of a tree in Coronado.

Police spokeswoman Lea Corbin says thousands of honeybees swarmed late Monday afternoon in a residential neighborhood.

She said the bees were "very aggressive."

A bee removal service used smoke to calm them and then a vacuum.

Police issued an advisory about two hours later saying the area had been reopened to pedestrians and vehicle traffic.

BURBANK, Calif. — A 24-year-old man has been charged with elder abuse after authorities say he punched a 78-year-old man over free Nutella waffle samples at a Los Angeles-area Costco store.

Prosecutors say Derrick Gharabighi, of Burbank, was charged Tuesday.

They say he was hoarding samples of the waffles at the Burbank Costco on Sunday morning when the 78-year-old told him to take just one.

Prosecutors say Gharabighi then punched the older man in the face.

Police say the senior citizen was hospitalized with a 1-inch cut and swelling above his eye.

Gharabighi was to appear in court Tuesday. No phone listing could be located for him and no information was available about an attorney who could comment on his behalf.