Odds and Ends

LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE, Calif. - A high school production doesn't debut until June, but it's already getting some bad reviews.

Students at La Canada High School plan to stage a production of the satirical comedy, "Bat Boy: The Musical."

The play is about a half-human, half-bat creature who faces alienation and bigotry. The off-Broadway production touched on several dark themes, including incest, rape, bestiality and murder.

Some concerned parents have asked the school board to cancel the play, but supporters say that amounts to censorship. The school board hasn't taken action yet.

Principal Michael Leininger said he told the 200 people at a recent board meeting that the play had already been toned down.

"Obviously, you are not going to have a rape scene in the middle of a high school play," he said.

---

WAUKESHA, Wis. - Girl Scout cookies aren't free.

One scout group has filed small-claims lawsuits against people who failed to pay up.

Christine Slowinski, communications director for the Girl Scouts' Great Blue Heron Council, said the legal action Thursday came only after several efforts to collect the money from sales of cookies in the annual fund-raising campaign over the past two years.

The amounts owed by two couples and three other women ranged from $301.42 to $1,485.68.

"We call many times before taking this step," Slowinski said. "We send them letters. When all else fails, this is our last resort."

Form letters that preceded the legal action read, "Please note that nonpayment for Girl Scout cookies represents fraud," and advised the non-payers to arrange a repayment plan.

---

FAIRFIELD, Conn. - Man's best friend has a new friend in Fairfield - the fire department.

Firefighters have 15 new oxygen masks for dogs and cats that can be used to treat animals overcome by smoke inhalation during a fire.

"A pet's part of the family. I know, I have a dog and it's part of the family," Fire Chief Richard Felner said. "We're here to take care of families and their pets. That's what we do."

The Best Friends Pet Resort chain donated the masks. The company has given about 450 sets of masks so far to fire departments in 11 states.

The masks come in three sizes, one for cats, one for small dogs and one for big dogs.

---

CHICAGO - FBI agents didn't have to go far to find the alleged Bandaged Bandit.

Some agents spotted Keith Washington walking into a federal courthouse, where he was checking the status of a lawsuit he had filed against a former employer.

Washington is hard to miss - police say the man suspected in 13 bank robberies weighs 320 and has a shaved head and severe scars on his face. He was dubbed the Bandaged Bandit because he would sometimes wear bandages on his face.

The FBI says agents followed Washington and spent six days investigating to make sure they had the right man. He was arrested Thursday on charges of robbing a bank of $670 in February.