Tragic: Swimming pool drain pulls small intestine out of little girl
It happened when the 6-year-old sat over an open drain hole in a wading pool at the Minneapolis Golf Club. Now she’ll have to be fed intravenously for the rest of her life and will have to have a colostomy…

Is Mr. Rogers to blame for a generation that thinks it’s “special”?
One professor believes Fred Rogers is “representative of a culture of excessive doting.” He says his Asian-born students accept whatever grade they’re given, while Americans believe they deserve an A just for going to class and working hard. (Wall Street…

Update: Cops arrest man in “vampire peacock” case
John N. Potts not only went after the bird, but he menaced his stepfather with a shovel, too, telling him that “I’ll smash your face.” (Staten Island Advance)…

Deejay says he thought porn videos were cooking how-tos
Go to Dave Ryan’s page on KDWB radio’s website and you get the feeling that he’s thinking more about those videos than cooking. His slogan is “Do Dave in the Morning.” (Minneapolis Star Tribune | Need a login/pw?)…

The threat level for Staten Island birds is now red (”severe risk”)
First it was the “vampire peacock” case and now it’s the graveyard rooster killing. (Warning: This story might be too graphic for some bird-lovers.) (Staten Island Advance)…

Woman sues Snapple for claiming it’s “all natural”
Not so, says Stacy Holk and her lawyer. Their beef: “The representation that something is all natural, as far as we’re concerned, requires the product be all natural. And high-fructose corn syrup is not all natural.” (Newark Star-Ledger)…

Man beats peacock that he thinks is a vampire
He pummeled the bird in a Burger King parking lot. “He was really beating it. I just think it was sick and demented. He shouldn’t be walking around on the street,” says an employee of the fast-food eatery. (Stanten Island…

Here’s the longest story you’ll ever read about “The Simpsons”
If you’re short on time, maybe you just want to read the 10-funniest-episodes-ever list. (There’s a separate interview with ex-”Simpsons” writer Conan O’Brien, too.) (Vanity Fair)…

Here’s another case of a neighborhood feud going too far
A man involved in a feud over a ladder set his home on fire and shot himself Thursday after authorities came to his residence. (Washington Post | ABC7News/video/no-reg.)…

Woman’s hassled at McDonald’s for using her feet as hands
Born with Holt-Oram Syndrome, Dawn Larson uses her feet the way others use their hands. That freaked out some McDonald’s employees who saw Larson’s feet try to grab her drive-through order. She’s suing, claiming her civil rights were denied. (Chicago…

Couple who sued after son was taken by caseworkers awarded $2
The two-buck verdict caps a six-day trial and nearly eight-year legal battle, which helped drive changes to Utah law aimed at safeguarding parents’ rights. (Salt Lake Tribune)…

Neo-Nazi accused of murder has Hitler tattooed on his chest
On his MySpace page, Curtis Michael Allgier describes his hometown as “White Nation” and his occupation as “Silent Trades.” The page contains racist rants and swastikas, as well as claims that he flies around the country helping white people assert…

7-Eleven clerk may have been shot over US Border Patrol cap
More evidence that people shoot other people over the darndest things. (Rocky Mountain News)…

Pastor uses taxpayer funds to buy “adult-oriented” books, DVDs
His purchases included: A home theater surround-sound system; a laptop computer for personal use; iPod accessories; the books “Pleasure Beach” and “The Kama Sutra;” the CD “Sex Machine” by James Brown; and the DVDs “Ultimate Sexual Massage,” “Forbidden Games,” “Girls…

Springfields across US vying to host “Simpsons” movie premiere
Which Springfield will win is up to the public. In Springfield, Tenn., the Simpsons are in City Hall, seated on a cardboard couch. (Louisville Courier-Journal)…

Coach says Little Leaguer’s dad threatened to kill him
The father of a 12-year-old ballplayer threatened to shoot the coach for not giving the boy enough playing time, according to the coach. The man says he cursed, but denies the murder threat. My bet: We’ll be seeing more of…

Teens smoked cigarettes while jumping on oil tank
Then it exploded. “Some poor judgments were made,” says a sheriff. (Rocky Mountain News)…

Inmate abandons plan to tell a joke before his execution
“Despite all the hype about his joke, it turns out he’s not much of a comedian,” the sheriff says of Patrick Knight. “He’s simply an executed, cold-blooded killer.” Before being put to death, the murderer said: “I said I was…

High schoolers surprised to see Facebook photos in yearbook
They included scenes clearly not intended for the yearbook — impromptu snapshots at house parties and at least one image of students at what looks like a tailgate party, drinking from telltale red plastic cups. One girl says seeing her…

Man faces four years in jail for stomping boy’s pet fish
Police found the remains of an Oscar fish on the sidewalk. A 12-year-old boy told police that Anastacio Molina, 40, had removed the fish from its tank and stomped it to death outside. The story notes: “The fish was valued…