■ United States
Teen rescued from hot tub
A 14-year-old boy in Orlando, Florida, survived after being sucked to the bottom of a hotel hot tub, as his father breathed into his mouth for several minutes until he could be pulled out of the water. Aljuwon Pipkin, who was visiting from New Jersey, was spent a week in a local hospital after the July 13 incident. Officials said a grate at the bottom of the tub became dislodged, creating a strong suction that pulled the teen underwater. The Osceola County Sheriff's Office says he could have been immersed anywhere from five minutes to 15 minutes. "I get chills now even speaking about it," father Sharif Pipkin told WKMG-TV in Orlando last Thursday.
■ United States
Fish seizure outrages owner
Armed game wardens seized 10 exotic fish from the tank of a popular Chinese restaurant in Freeport, Maine, leaving its owner shaken and outraged. "They treated me like a criminal," said Cuong Ly, who escaped from Vietnam 25 years ago. Ly, 45, said his pet koi were like family members and their confiscation made him "want to explode inside." Two uniformed wardens and a biologist, accompanied by police, raided the China Rose last Wednesday. Maine outlawed the importation and possession of koi a few years ago. Ly was charged with importing freshwater fish without a permit.
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