Justice With a Side of Vocabulary | Smooth Reactions

• Daren Young, 30, of Kahului, Hawaii, will need a good dictionary and thesaurus for the task ahead of him. On Oct. 27, Second Circuit Judge Rhonda Loo sentenced Young, who violated a protection order taken out by his ex-girlfriend to the tune of 144 calls and texts, to write down 144 nice things about his ex -- without repeating any words. "For every nasty thing you said about her, you're going to say a nice thing," Loo commanded. The Maui News reported that Loo also meted out two years' probation, a $2,400 fine and 200 hours of community service. [Maui News, 10/30/2017]

• Tempers flared in Minot, North Dakota, before 33-year-old Cornelius Marcel Young was charged with terrorizing after attacking his fiancee's brother at a trailer park on Nov. 3. The Minot Daily News reported that Young yelled at the brother, punched him in the face and knocked him into a wall after he had turned up the thermostat in the trailer, according to a Minot Municipal Court affidavit. When the brother threatened to call police, Young brandished a knife, as his fiancee jumped on his back and bit his ear "to distract him." Two children were in the trailer during the fight but were uninjured. [Minot Daily News, 11/8/2017]