Retiree stuck in muck after rescuing duckling

Doylestown, Pa. (ap) — A duck stuck in muck up to his neck was rescued by a 73-year-old man in hip waders who then became stuck himself and had to be extracted by emergency personnel.

Because of low water levels, the pond that ensnared the duckling had turned into a muddy quagmire. When Walt Lutz heard a mother duck frantically quacking near the pond on his property last month, he decided the duckling needed rescuing.

The retired account executive for Honeywell pulled on his hip boots, grabbed a shovel and waded through the muck to free the duckling. But soon Lutz also found himself stuck in the thigh-deep muck.

Using 10-inch-wide planks, police and ambulance personnel formed a frame around Lutz, attached a belt to him and pulled him out.

Time capsule saved by senior’s memory

Green Brook Township, N.J. (ap) — A time capsule buried in the cornerstone of an elementary school 66 years ago has been saved from oblivion, thanks to a man who remembered the ceremony.

Rens P. Eelman, 74, was 8 years old when the small metal box was put in the cornerstone of the Irene E. Feldkirchner Elementary School in 1938. When part of the building was scheduled to be demolished, Eelman accompanied Committeewoman Melonie Marano to look around the school.

It was during the tour that Eelman remembered the time capsule.

“I seem to remember from my memory, they talked about something with the time capsule,” Eelman said. “I was there at the dedication when they laid the cornerstone.”

Workers removed the cornerstone and found the capsule where Eelman said it would be.

“It’s very, very exciting because this box is a mystery box,” Marano said. “What’s in this box, nobody knows.”