Offbeat

Storefront bubble machine prompts legal
wavering
BEAUFORT, S.C. “”mdash; The city of Beaufort had
burst Janet Mark’s bubble, but now the downtown shopkeeper is
bubbly again. Mark, owner of Carolina Stamper, was told to shut
down the bubble-making machine on her storefront sign. Mark had
been making tiny bubbles for five years ““ with only one
complaint from someone whose car got pelted with the floating suds.
The 1998 ordinance that city officials said Mark was violating
prohibits “permanent moving signs, windblown signs or devices
to attract attention, all or part of which move by any means,
including fluttering, rotating or otherwise moving devices, set in
motion by movement of the atmosphere or by mechanical, electrical
or other means.” The city just recently began cracking down
on violations. Mark was told to unplug her bubble machine or face a
$1,000-a-day fine. But after three bubble-free days, City Manager
John McDonough had a change of heart, saying the ordinance was
unclear on bubble machines. “The section (of city code) that
enumerates prohibited signs really does not specify bubble machines
as prohibited,” McDonough said. The city “will withdraw
the courtesy summons” threatening the $1,088 fine. The city
will continue to look at the sign ordinance, but for now, the
bubbles are back on. “For five years people have been telling
me they love it. Every day,” Mark said.

Court orders return of pot SANTA CRUZ “”mdash; A
judge ordered police to return a stash of weed to two men. Police
pulled over Leo Beus on Sept. 22, 2003 because his car had tinted
windows. Beus, 47, and his friend, Jon Balesteri, 54, had purchased
18 ounces of marijuana a day earlier at the Oakland Cannabis Buyers
Club, said their attorney, Ben Rice. They didn’t have their
medical prescriptions with them, but police allowed them to go home
and retrieve them, Beus said. However, their more than $3,000 worth
of marijuana was confiscated for evidence. Beus and Balesteri were
charged with transporting and possessing marijuana for sale, but
the charges were later dropped.

Reports from Bruin wire services.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *