Georgian man in shock after getting $1.4 mn speeding ticket; officials clarify the situation
SAVANNAH (Georgia), Oct 16: A Georgian man was left reeling after receiving a $1.4 million speeding ticket, but city officials say the figure was just a placeholder, not the actual fine. Connor Cato tells WSAV-TV in Savannah that he received the citation after getting pulled over in September for driving 90 mph (145 kph) in a 55 mph (89 kph) zone. He called the court thinking the figure was a typo but says he was told he either had to pay it or appear in court in December. Savannah officials say anyone caught driving more than 35 mph (56 kph) above the speed limit has to appear in court, where a judge will determine the actual fine. The figure Cato received reflected a “placeholder” that was automatically generated by e-citation software used by the local Recorder’s Court, said Joshua Peacock, a spokesman for Savannah’s city government. The actual fine cannot exceed $1,000 in addition to state-mandated costs. (AP)
Football coach whose team called
‘Nazi’ during game had to quit
BROOKLYN (OHIO), Oct 16: An Ohio high school football coach says he was forced to resign by his school district and intended no harm to opposing players after he and his team repeatedly used “Nazi” as a game call in a Sept. 22 match. In an interview with The Associated Press Thursday, former Brooklyn High School coach Tim McFarland said he never meant any offense by using the term and that it “didn’t even occur” to him that it could be taken as anti-semitic. But the team’s use of “Nazi” has been largely criticised as such, especially given that the plays were called during a game against Beachwood High School – a school based in a largely Jewish Cleveland suburb. Peter Pattakos, McFarland’s lawyer, balked at the idea of the word Nazi being deemed antisemitic and said it is not a slur. Pattakos said “Nazi” is often used in football what is known as a “blitz.” (AP)
