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A whale of a tale 

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. — Call this bobcat Jonah. 

Workers at the Science Center of Connecticut got a surprise Wednesday morning when they came across an 8-month-old bobcat that had been placed inside a whale statue that sits in front of the building. 

The 20-inch bobcat was left in a pet carrier in the belly of the 60-foot statue. A note attached to the box said the animal was not relating well with humans. 

“What a way to start the day, to have to take a bobcat out of a whale,” said Hank Gruner, the center’s vice president of programs and exhibits. 

Bobcats are not a serious threat to humans, said Paul Rego, a wildlife biologist for the state Department of Environmental Protection. They are native to the area around Hartford, and sightings are not uncommon, he said. 

Initially very agitated, the animal eventually calmed down and workers placed it in an outdoor cage. 

“Given his surroundings, he’s doing well,” said Gruner, who said that inappropriate pets are frequently abandoned to the center. It is illegal to possess a bobcat in Connecticut. 

The science center will assess whether the animal is healthy, and whether it will remain at the museum or be given to another agency which can better care for it, he said. 

The itchiest city  

SIDNEY, Neb. — People in this western Nebraska city were left scratching their heads over a recent bit of recognition. 

This city of about 6,000 people has knocked Denver out of the top spot as the “itchiest” city in the nation, according to the Lanacane Dry Itchy Skin Index. The February study placed Goodland, Kan., second, followed by the Colorado cities of Colorado Springs, Denver and Pueblo. 

“It’s a safe bet you won’t see us putting up a sign saying, ’Welcome to the itchiest city in America,”’ Sidney City Manager Gary Person said with a laugh. 

The itch index was created by the University of Delaware’s Center for Climatic Research and Lanacane, a manufacturer of lotions and skin cremes. The itchiest cities are usually in mountainous areas and the high plains, where dry winds and heavy use of heating systems rob skin of its moisture. 

A dry climate has its advantages, Person said. The lack of humidity makes for mild summer evenings and winters don’t seem as bitter.  

Kryptonite banned  

NEW YORK — The creator of Superman has decided it simply can’t allow Kryptonite to be sold on store shelves. 

DC Comics filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Manhattan on Wednesday to try to stop a hair company from marketing a green hair gel called Kryptonite. 

The comics company sued Wella Corp. for unspecified damages, claiming that the gel’s name infringes on the name given to an element from Superman’s home planet, Krypton, that weakens the hero. 

According to the suit, DC Comics first used the word “Kryptonite” in a 1943 Superman radio show. It said the word gained particular fame in a 1945 radio episode when the Scarlet Widow obtained a chunk of Kryptonite and gave it to several fellow villains to use against Superman. 

Leila Meresman, a Wella spokeswoman, said the company would not comment on the Kryptonite lawsuit. 

The possible effect on the man of steel notwithstanding, the company said in its online advertising that Kryptonite gel offers humans “extreme styling” and an “acrylic shine.” 

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MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Legislators tired of worrying about the state budget enjoyed a perfect diversion, zipping around in the Capitol on a battery-operated scooter. 

Segway, maker of the Segway Human Transporter, wants the Legislature to regulate it like a bicycle when it is operated on roads, but like a wheelchair when it is operated elsewhere. 

The company offered lawmakers rides Wednesday to show what they mean. 

“This would be perfect for meter maids,” said Sen. Roger Breske, 63, who tested out the two-wheeled scooter. “Man, they could write tickets like crazy.” 

The Democrat from Eland rode forward and backward across the marble floor outside his office on the scooter, which uses gyroscopes to detect shifts in a rider’s weight and move in that direction. The 85-pound scooter has a top speed of about 12 mph. 

The Assembly and Senate were expected to vote Thursday on measures to regulate the vehicle. The proposals would give the rider the same rights as a pedestrian, said Matthew Dailida, a lobbyist for Segway. 

Rep. Dan Schooff was among those eager for a ride. 

“We’re going to have to outlaw it unless I can ride it,” Schooff said, before taking the scooter on a spin around the Capitol rotunda.