Scottish SPCA helps silly cow remove head from ladder

An animal charity has rescued a cow in South Ayrshire which got its head stuck in a ladder. Members of the public called the Scottish SPCA after spotting the bewildered beast in a field beside the Troon to Barassie road last month. An inspector contacted the farmer who owned the Belgian Blue bullock and helped return it to the herd unharmed.

The farmer, who recently took on the lease to the land, said he had no idea how the ladder ended up in the field. Scottish SPCA Inspector Kerry Kirkpatrick contacted the farmer after being alerted to the cow's plight. He said: "When the job came through my first thought was, this is a wind up, but I arrived at the field to find the cow looking confused but surprisingly calm despite having his head wedged tightly in between the rungs of the ladder.

"The farmer's family rounded up the whole herd into a holding pen and we managed to gently pull the ladder off the cow's head.”The farmer had no idea how the ladder ended up in his field as he only recently took on the lease for the land. It may have been used to patch up a hole in the fence or it could have fallen off a passing van or lorry. Either way, it's a rescue I won't forget in a while."

Sesame Street pair Bert and Ernie 'will not marry'

The makers of Sesame Street say characters Bert and Ernie will not marry in a same-sex ceremony despite an online petition calling for the union. Campaigners say the best friends should marry as a way to encourage tolerance of gay people. Nearly 7,000 have signed the petition, with more than 3,000 joining a Bert and Ernie Get Married Facebook page.

A statement from the show's makers said: "They remain puppets and do not have a sexual orientation." But they conceded that the pair are "male characters and possess many human traits and characteristics". The confirmed bachelors have lived together for 40 years and sleep in the same bedroom, albeit in single beds.

"Bert and Ernie are best friends," the statement from Sesame Workshop added. "They were created to teach preschoolers that people can be good friends with those who are very different from themselves. The online petition states: "We are not asking that Sesame Street do anything crude or disrespectful," adding, "It can be done in a tasteful way. Let us teach tolerance of those that are different."

Commerce City fountains to be shut off during Phish concerts at Dick's Sporting Goods Park

Commerce City will shut off two water features flanking the municipal centre when Phish performs at Dick's Sporting Goods Park over the Labour Day weekend, Mayor Paul Natale said today. Natale said the move is just a precaution. The city is not worried that Phisheads will use the fountains to bathe or cool off during their three-day stay. "It's not because we think Phish followers are not the best of people," said Natale. "But we just want to avoid a challenge that may or may not come up. We are more concerned about what may be placed in the fountains."

The jam band's faithful follow Phish throughout the country, much like those who trailed the legendary Grateful Dead from show to show. Commerce City and Dick's have hosted big-draw events before, including the Mile High Music Festival for three years. But the Phish concert is the first for which camping will be allowed outside of Dick's and officials aren't exactly sure what to expect, Natale said.

The water exhibits are on either side of the city hall's main entrance. City Hall is adjacent to Dick's. One of the water features resembles the plains, with a creek. The other portrays the mountains with loud water tumbling down. Natale said the water features are typically shut down for winter maintenance in September each year.

Wildfire near Weiser burns 600 acres

Fire crews battled a large wildfire near Weiser from the air and ground Tuesday. The fire is called the Sagebrush Fire and as of Tuesday night had burned around 600 acres according to BLM. It broke out around 12:30 p.m. Kay Wyss and her family who watched as fire-fighters staged an all out battle to save her home. When NewsChannel 7 first arrived, the fire was within sight of homes but homeowners couldn't have guessed it would get as close as it did. It was an emotional and frightening experience for those residents.

"It's just been burning, yeah. It was going east and south for a long time, but then the wind shifted so now as you can see, it's up on the hill," said Wyss. "And your house is?" asked NewsChannel 7. "Up on the hill," she replied. Since just after noon Wyss had been watching a towering, spinning fire burn through sagebrush. "A lot of the flames. We were watching it swirling like a tornado," she said. Once far away from her home -- in just a few hours, she and her family saw a quick change. They watched all day as the fire came over the hills, went over and actually jumped over the road and headed right for their house. "I'm going to have to go up to the corner to see if that's my house." We followed Wyss and her granddaughters down the road. Luckily, it had not reached their home. Fire-fighters had moved into her yard, spraying water, protecting her home. "It's a little too close for comfort," she said. Meanwhile, airplanes flew overhead, dropping lines of retardant.

"Right on my house, right on my yard. Whoosh," said Wyss. Wyss's house wasn't the only house in danger. We were right outside of another house watching fames roll down the hillside toward us when suddenly an air attack in that exact place. For hours multiple local fire departments, the Payette National Forest and BLM worked to save homes, something that Wyss finds a lot of comfort in. "The fire-fighters are up there though. They'll save the house," she said. She planned to stay there overnight and says fire-fighters will be right there throughout the night watching out for everyone. BLM officials say the Sagebrush Fire was contained by noon Wednesday and there were no reports of any structures lost.