Readers ask about pitbulls, old courthouse statue

The following questions were asked recently on the Wonderline:

Q: How many pitbulls are registered in the city of York?
A: According to Theresa Johnson, dispatcher with the York Police Department (where animals are registered) there are currently 11 dogs that have been registered as pitbulls and/or pitbull mixes in the City of York.

Q: Is it true that pitbulls are banned in some countries?
A: Yes, that is true. Wonderline also found some portions of countries ban that breed of dog and places where restrictions are placed.
Pitbulls are banned in Ontario, Canada; Winnipeg, Canada; the majority of Australia; ownership is restricted in France; they are banned in Norway; the United Kingdom; Denmark; they must be muzzled in public and microchipped in New Zealand;  they are banned in Serbia; and they must be muzzled and leashed in public in Italy.

Q: What happened to the statue that used to be on top of the old courthouse and who was the statue of?
A: The statue was of “Lady Justice.”
“She was blindfolded, holding the proverbial naked sword and balance,” according to the book, “Our Illustrated,” which was reprinted by the York County Historical Association.
The statue was described as follows: “At her feet, as if symbolic of her majesty and superiority the eighth wonder of the world, electricity shed its light upon our beautiful city, above her head a pole to display the stars and stripes reaches heavenward 40 feet more, the top of the staff being in the neighborhood of 200 feet high.”
According to Nancy Beach, director of the York County Historical Society, “Lady Justice,” the statue, was struck by lightning. Beach said workers eventually took the statue down, in order to perform repair work, but the statue was deemed to be too bad off and “beyond repair.” The statue was discarded.

Q: Is there a state agency where you can file complaints when you believe a city or county has violated the law?
A: That would depend on the situation or the type of complaint. If it would be an environmental issue, it would likely have to be reported to the Department of Environmental Quality. If it was an election issue, for example — probably the Nebraska Secretary of State’s office. And Wonderline suggests the Nebraska Attorney General’s office.

Q: With all the complaints in the paper about high weeds, why does the railroad continue, year after year, to get away with not mowing their property?
A: York Chief of Police Don Klug says his department has contacted the railroad a number of times about high weeds and grass.
“We’ve primarily been contacted about the depot property,” Klug said. “We asked them to clean it up, mow, etc., and they have promptly taken care of it.”

Q: What is the depth of an Olympic swimming pool?
A: The depth of an Olympic-size swimming pool is a minimum of two meters.
Incidentally, here’s some more facts: the length is 50 meters, the width is 25 meters, there must be eight lanes with each lane being 2.5 meters. The water temperature has to be between 77 and 82.4 degrees. And the volume must be a minimum of 2.5 million liters.

Q: Was there really a town in York County, many years ago, called “Red Lion Mill?” I heard someone talking about the history of the county, and they said there was this little town, with that name, where a murder took place and then the town fell apart. Do you have any information about it?
A: Wonderline found the following information about Red Lion Mill in the historical book, “Yesterday and Today.” This information was originally part of the book, “Cradle Days in York County,” and was written by Lela Crounse in 1937.
“Early in the spring of 1878, Charles Seeley, who had a mill on the Blue River on the south edge of York County, conceived the idea of establishing another mill there. Land was secured from Nick Nye, who had secured it through a pre-railroad grant.
“After securing water rights, etc., the work was soon begun. Harry Rogers, who had a homestead a short distance west of the McFadden homestead, secured the contract for digging the race. This was done in its entirety by oxen and the limited tools, plows, spades, shovels, etc., then available.
“When the work was going nicely, another settler reported that he had secured water rights and a mill site a short distance west. He began felling a few trees which he threw across the stream, thus causing damage to the Red Lion Mill site. A lawsuit resulted, but before the case could come to trial, the main witness, Noah Martin, met a tragic death. The murderer was never apprehended and the mystery never solved. However, Mr. Seeley retained his rights and the mill was built.
“After a time, Mr. Seeley found it impossible to take care of two mills so he sent for his brother-in-law, E.O. Wright of Iowa to manage the Red Lion Mill. Under Mr. Wright’s management, the mill did a thriving business. People came from long distances to have their wheat ground into flour. The mill ran day and night, except Sunday.
“Very early, a post office was established. Then a country store, a blacksmith shop and a number of small buildings sprang up and a tiny inland hamlet came into being.
“Later, Mr. Wright sold the mill to Mr. Sambaugh and in the following years, it passed through several hands — with Case, Price and Ace Martin having owned and operated it for various lengths of time.
“Over the years, the mill was changed from the burr to the newer type roller plan. Finally, it was sold to John Bearss, who added a fifth or finishing roller, a new and better bolting system.
“One morning in early summer in 1903, the mill caught fire and burned and so the old landmark, the Red Lion Mill, so familiar to the settlers for years with its large picture in red of a bold lion with lashing tail painted on the outside wall above the loading platform, was no more.”

Q: Why has the water in the York family aquatic center been so cold?
A: Mayor Chuck Harris addressed the issue when discussing a related story yesterday. He said there have, indeed, been mechanical problems with the heater, “but it is my understanding that it has been fixed.”

Q: Now that Starlight Fruit isn’t at the Farmer’s Market, are there any other options for getting fresh fruit there?
A: Todd Kirshenbaum, executive director of the York Chamber of Commerce, says that “we have several vendors who have indicated they will have some fruits throughout the season. My best advice is to come down to the market and ask the vendors who have vegetables for sale if they will be offering some fruit
selections. As the season goes on, we will increase the variety of fresh produce as well as baked goods and crafts.”

Q: We continue to hear that the increase in gas and oil prices is a global issue. If this is the case, why are we not hearing about tremendous increases elsewhere in the world? If our prices have doubled in the past year or so, should this not be happening worldwide? Europe has been paying twice (or more) what we have for years. They should now be paying $12 to $15 per gallon. Is this happening?
A: According to reports from the Associated Press, Europeans are also being affected by the higher fuel prices. In fact, fishermen and truck drivers have staged protests over the rising cost of the fuel they need to operate their vehicles. Motorists in Paris, for example, get their gas for about 1.60 euros per liter — or more than $9.50 per gallon.
However, a strong euro blunts the rise in gasoline prices somewhat for Europeans since oil is priced in U.S. dollars. Also, most of the price at the pump in Europe is taxes, so an increase in the cost of crude has less of a percentage-based impact on the price of a gallon of gas — making it less likely to double (or triple).