A convicted killer is on hunger strike in a Colorado jail because he can no longer play the drums. Jonathan Kasper, 39, began his protest July 14, after prison officials, citing staff shortages and a spate of fights among prisoners, canceled rehearsals of the prison band, in which Kasper is the drummer. Five of Kasper’s band mates initially joined him on the hunger strike, but have since dropped out. “I’m very concerned,” said Kasper’s mother, Marjorie. “Jonathan has lost 32 pounds in the first week.”

After spending tens of millions on rubberized safety matting for all its playgrounds, New York City is now being sued because the matting gets too hot. At least three families have sued because their children were burned while playing barefoot on the black rubber mats, which in the summer sun can reach temperatures of up to 160 degrees. An advocacy group for park users called the city “unconscionable” for installing the mats.