He’s Made a Contribution to Postal-Impressionist Art

The postmaster who found a stolen Claude Monet painting worth $175,000 won’t be able to collect the $17,500 reward because he was simply doing his job at the time. Steve Reutter, spokesman for the St. Paul Fire & Marine Insurance Co., which paid a $175,000 claim after the theft, said Postal Service rules prohibit Charles Polley from collecting a reward “for things done in the line of duty.” Polley said: “I really didn’t expect it.” The painting, “Fishing Boats Under the Cliffs of Etretat,” was stolen from the Fisher Community Center at Marshalltown, Iowa, on March 19, 1987, and was recovered this month when Polley found it in a mail drop box in LeGrand, Iowa. Reutter said the company will make a donation to a Marshalltown charity in Polley’s name. The Fisher Foundation, which operates the center, will keep the insurance money to build a new gallery. The insurers said they will probably auction the painting.

--Jessica McClure, the Texas toddler who was rescued from a well last year, will have a chance to show off her throwing arm when she tosses out the first ball of the Texas Rangers’ opening game on April 4 at Arlington, near Dallas, against the Cleveland Indians. Jessica fell into the abandoned well in the backyard of her aunt’s house in Midland, Tex., and was trapped more than 58 hours before rescue workers pulled her to safety Oct. 16, 1987. After her ordeal, doctors had to amputate the little toe of her right foot because circulation to the foot was impeded while she was wedged into the well. Jessica will be 2 years old on Saturday.

--Acting Arizona Gov. Rose Mofford had a little trouble fitting Mickey Mouse ears over her trademark beehive hairdo, but that didn’t keep her from joining in events in Phoenix recognizing April as cable television month. The special month was proclaimed in connection w1769236512channel and local cable distributors. Mofford and her staff sang the “Mickey Mouse Club” theme song and posed for pictures with the cartoon mouse and former Mouseketeer Annette Funicello. Mofford also donned a black and red “Mickey Mouse Club” jacket with her name on it.