The New Jersey FurBQ, which has run since 2005, has been 'permanently' cancelled after allegations of 'simulated sex' between fursuiters and the presence of alcohol were raised at a town-hall meeting. Reports of the events have since appeared in local media.

The event, typically held bi-annually on the weekends of Memorial Day and Labor Day, was a fundraiser for the Twin “W” First Aid Squad, and was held May 26 on the grounds outside their premises, attracting "almost 200", including over thirty fursuiters. A few weeks later, organizers announced that there would be no further instances of the event.

An article in the Times of Trenton relates the allegations; those concerning alcohol were commented on by the major of West Windsor Township. The matter has also been raised by a local Fox affiliate, using footage appropriated from a furry fan.

80 donors have since given almost $3000 to the squad – ten times the amount reportedly raised at the FurBQ itself. However, this is a small fraction of the funds formerly donated by the township, and now at risk.

Emphasis: No evidence has been provided to substantiate the claim of inappropriate activity; the media reports are based on claims by town officials, and now-withdrawn FA journals.

Alan Berlin, known in the furry community as Alan T. Panda, has been sentenced to six to twelve years in prison. In May, he had been convicted of trying to arrange a sexual encounter with a 15-year-old boy.

Through online chats, Berlin had attempted to arrange a meeting with the boy, with the aim of having sex in a shed in the boy's back yard. During sentencing on Tuesday, Berlin stood by his claim that he did not know that the boy was a juvenile, and thought that he was chatting with "another adult furry who was pretending to be a juvenile dolphin".

Judge Todd A. Hoover countered that Berlin was lying, and that it was "evident from the sado-masochistic (chats)" that Berlin knew the boy was underage. Hoover ordered Berlin to serve eight years on probation after completing his prison sentence, which begins on June 8. He must also register with police for life as a sex offender.

During his court appearance, Berlin stated that he had "given up his furry role-play". Defense attorney William T. Tully said he would discuss with Berlin the possibility of an appeal.

Staff of 3D role-playing chat simulation game FeralHeart (successor to Impressive Title) have taken it offline for a week, from 24 January 00:00 UTC until 31 January 00:00 UTC.

Owner and founder Razmirz posted a thread on their forums explaining the suspension:

The reason for this is the increasing number of complaints regarding the game/forum. I don't refer to the ones about the game not working. I'm referring to complaints from users parents.

The winners of the tenth annual Ursa Major Awards for the best anthropomorphic/"funny animal" literature and art first published during 2010 have been announced at a presentation ceremony tonight at Morphicon in Columbus, Ohio.

See also: Last year's winners, the 2010 nominees and other UMA coverage.