Rent-a-goat lawn care, and more

Rent-a-goat lawn care

A rural town in Vermont has managed to shave thousands off its budget and help save the environment by replacing a lawn mower with four-legged grazers. Officials in Charlotte rented a pair of goats and a pair of sheep from a farmer to keep the town’s cemetery lawns trimmed this summer, and reckon to have saved the town $2,000 in fuel costs. Charles Russell, a town selectman, admitted receiving one complaint that the animals were soiling the hallowed ground. But, he said, “it’s not very respectful to spray gasoline and fumes all over the gravestones either.”

Town deals a blow to school bullies

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Whitney Kropp was surprised when she was named to her high school homecoming court this month. By her own admission, the 16-year-old was not one of the popular kids at school. Her delight turned to humiliation when she learned she had been voted in as a cruel joke. But after word of the mean-spirited prank spread around her town of West Branch, Mich., outraged residents decided to turn the tables on the high school bullies. Local businesses presented Kropp with a gown and a full makeover for the dance, and hundreds of locals will cheer her on at this weekend’s homecoming game. “I can prove everyone wrong,” a deeply touched Kropp said.

Failing heart heals itself

When Michael Crowe’s heart began failing last month, it seemed as if little could save the 23-year-old from Omaha. Stricken by an acute heart infection, Crowe could not live without a heart transplant—but had picked up a blood infection that made surgery impossible. Just as his family was beginning to fear the worst, Crowe’s heart began pumping blood by itself. To his doctors’ astonishment, his heart had simply shaken off the infection. Heart specialist Dr. John Um said it was not unheard of for hearts to heal themselves, but it was extremely rare. “He’s really, really lucky,” he said.