MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) _ A college student accused of shoving a pumpkin pie into the face of a shopping-mall Santa Claus has been charged with misdemeanor assault.
Clint Westwood, 22, said he "lightly smooshed" the pie into the man's face Wednesday and shouted, "What do you think of that, Santa?"
Westwood, a drama student at the University of Montana, was charged Friday.,”University of Montana drama student charged after mall Santa gets a pumpkin pie in his face
MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) _ A college student accused of shoving a pumpkin pie into the face of a shopping-mall Santa Claus has been charged with misdemeanor assault.
Clint Westwood, 22, said he "lightly smooshed" the pie into the man's face Wednesday and shouted, "What do you think of that, Santa?"
Westwood, a drama student at the University of Montana, was charged Friday. He said he videotaped the encounter and plans to include the clip in an upcoming film.
He said that after the pie ruckus, he expected to approach Santa for a signature on a film-release form, but police arrived first.
"It's a good thing he didn't wait around, because I think Santa would have laid him out," said Sgt. Travis Welsh of the Missoula Police Department.
Westwood said he and companions had waited for a girl about 15 years old to finish sitting on Santa's lap before the pie hit his face, "but then we just decided it would be funnier if she was still sitting there."
Brady Corp. CFO to resign at the end of the year
MILWAUKEE (AP) _ Brady Corp. chief financial officer David Mathieson has resigned from the label maker to take a similar position with RSC Holdings, Inc., which rents commercial construction equipment.
The Milwaukee-based company said Monday that Mathieson, 53, will resign effective Dec. 31. He was also senior vice president and had been with Brady since 2001.
Mathieson will be senior vice president and chief financial officer for Scottsdale, Ariz.-based RSC.
Brady chief executive officer Frank M. Jaehnert will take over the CFO duties until a successor is named.
Brady Corp. also makes signs and safety devices and has more than 8,600 employees around the world.
Vera vs. Vera: Vera Wang and Vera scarf company settle suit
MILWAUKEE (AP) _ A lawsuit over the use of the name Vera has been settled between sleek urban designer Vera Wang, and a company reviving bright, floral scarves by Vera Neumann, whose fans included celebrities like Marilyn Monroe.
The trademark fight was set for a federal jury trial in New York next week. But the case has been settled, according to Susan Seid, who is relaunching Neumann's designs as The Vera Company. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
At stake were millions of dollars and the branding of two fashion icons, one known in contemporary worlds for her dark, elegant colors, and one whose heyday hit in the 1950s and '60s, with carefree, whimsical designs.
Attorneys for Wang had sued The Vera Company, which owns the rights to Neumann's trademarks and designs last January. They wanted to protect certain trademarks pending for Wang's new line of clothing at Kohl's department stores, called "Simply Vera Vera Wang" but commonly referred to as "Simply Vera."
The Vera Company countersued, saying the phrase "Simply Vera" could confuse shoppers as the Neumann brand relaunches at boutiques and select department stores across the country. They didn't object when Wang's last name was included. The company added Menomonee Falls, Wis.-based Kohl's to the suit and estimated damages could have exceeded $20 million if Wang and Kohl's use the names, according to court filings. They even said that, if they won, they would have asked that all uses of the Vera Wang trademarks in question be removed immediately from Kohl's stores and relabeled.
But the case was settled amicably for both sides, Seid said.
Doyle calls on Legislature to pass smoking ban, autism coverage
MADISON, Wis. (AP) _ There's no reason why the Legislature can't vote next week to ban smoking statewide and force insurance companies to cover autism, Gov. Jim Doyle said Monday.
Even though Doyle called on the Legislature to pass both proposals, that is highly unlikely to happen next week given strong opposition to each and where the bills are in the process.
One of the biggest sticking points with the smoking bill is what to do with taverns. They don't want to be included in the ban, which would apply to all bars, restaurants and workplaces.
Senate Majority Leader Russ Decker, D-Schofield, has said he wouldn't bring the bill up for a vote until there is a compromise.
There is no proposal in the Republican-controlled Assembly. Its leaders are waiting to see what happens in the Senate before acting.
Two senators working on reaching a deal – Roger Breske, D-Eland, and Fred Risser, D-Madison – met on Monday and promised to talk again Wednesday. Breske, who wants an exemption for taverns, said he and Risser agreed not to talk about their discussions for now. One possible solution would be to phase-in the exemption for taverns.
Doyle said Wisconsin must act quickly to avoid becoming the "ashtray of the upper Midwest." Both Illinois and Minnesota have recently passed comprehensive smoking bans.
Doyle held news conferences Madison, South Milwaukee and Oneida to turn up the heat on the autism and smoking issues, both of which he has been advocating for a long time.
Requiring insurance companies to cover autism treatment, which advocates say is crucial in order for families to get services they need in time to have a dramatic impact on their children's development, was in Doyle's budget submitted in February. However, it was removed during the negotiations and opposed by Republicans.
A separate bill is before the Legislature's budget committee. It won't be acted on in the Senate until after it has a hearing, said Decker's spokeswoman Carrie Lynch.
Even in the unlikely event that happens before next week, the proposal faces an uphill battle in the Assembly. Assembly Majority Leader Jeff Fitzgerald, R-Horicon, opposes mandating autism coverage because it could lead to higher insurance rates, said his spokesman Jim Bender.
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