At a glance ...

Court puts leash on lawsuit filed by man bitten by dog

HOLLY (AP) — Upset about a dog bite? Sometimes it’s better to keep your hand in your pocket.

Thomas Cummings was bitten by a dog when he put his hand over a fence in Holly. But the Michigan appeals court ruled in favor of the dog’s owners, saying Cummings was trespassing, even if he was standing on the other side of the fence.

In a recent 3-0 decision, the court said “no reasonable juror” could conclude that Cummings had permission to put his hand over the fence, especially after the dog was running around and growling at him.

The owners said the dog was “uncomfortable with strangers.”

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Area insurance agent sentenced to prison for  embezzlement

GROSSE POINTE (AP) — An  insurance agent has been sentenced to at least six years in prison for embezzling more than $800,000 from elderly clients.

Paul Garceau Jr. of Grosse Pointe Park had pleaded guilty to embezzlement by an agent of greater than $100,000 and two counts of embezzlement by an agent of between $50,000 and $100,000. 

WJKB-TV reports the state attorney general’s office says Garceau embezzled nearly $801,000 between 2008 and 2015 from 12 elderly clients in Wayne, Macomb, Oakland and Livingston Counties.

Prosecutors say Garceau convinced them to withdraw funds from legitimate investments, saying he would reinvest the funds in opportunities with higher returns, but instead spent the money on himself or his embezzlement scheme.

Garceau has agreed to pay about $613,000 in restitution.

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Farmhouse for free, but buyer must move it off owners’ land

ELLSTON, Iowa (AP) — Bargain hunters beware! A four-bedroom farmhouse in southern Iowa listed online for free comes with a catch: The new owner must move the building from the current owners' land.

Roger and Linda Dolecheck say in a Craigslist ad that the Ringgold County home will be torn down this winter if no one takes up their offer.

The Des Moines Register reports that the Dolechecks have been trying for years for sell the house where they raised their four children. The two-and-a-half-floor farmhouse is assessed at $52,700, even after the Dolechecks invested $150,000 in repairs.

It also has historic value as the home to landmark hybrid corn innovation in Depression-era Iowa.

Roger Dolecheck says he just needs to find somebody who would like to live in an old house with character.

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Oldest polar bear in US celebrates 37th birthday

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Zoo has thrown a birthday party for 37-year-old Coldilocks, the oldest polar bear in captivity in the United States.

The zoo says they celebrated her birthday Thursday with a peanut butter, honey, raisin and fish cake. Guests at the party braved a cold, icy day to sing "Happy Birthday" to the bear.

Zoo officials say the average lifespan for polar bears in captivity is 23 years. They credit Coldilocks' long life to the care she receives from her keepers and veterinary staff.

Coldilocks lived with her partner Klondike for more than three decades before the bear died in 2015 at age 34.

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