John Fetterman, Pennsylvania Mayor, Officiates Gay Marriage Despite State's Ban

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The mayor of Braddock, Penn. performed his county's first gay wedding Aug. 5 in spite of the statewide ban on same-sex marriage.

Calling Pennsylvania's Defense of Marriage Act "a fundamentally unjust piece of legislation," Braddock Mayor John Fetterman said he was happy to marry John Kandray and Bill Gray, who have been together for 11 years and had obtained a marriage license in Montgomery County, CBS Pittsburgh is reporting.

The ceremony took place around 9:30 p.m. on Monday in front of the couple's family and friends, who had gathered at Fetterman's home.

“We pay the same taxes, we do everything the same, but we don’t have the same rights,” Kandray is quoted as saying. “It felt like, you know what, let’s stand up for ourselves and do this."

Meanwhile, Pennsylvania officials have filed a lawsuit alleging that D. Bruce Hanes, the register of wills in Montgomery County, violated state laws when he began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples last month, the Associated Press reported.

"I decided to come down on the right side of history and the law," Hanes said, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. More than 60 marriage licenses have reportedly been issued to same-sex couples by Montgomery County so far.

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Gateway of the Seine: Paris Mayor returns the stretch of the River to pedestrians

PARIS - Paris has returned a stretch of the River to pedestrians and just in time for summer.

Mayor Bertrand Delanoë launched the real stretch of 2.3 kilometers (1.4 miles) along the Seine River, between the bridges and soul on the left bank on Wednesday. Once a road with traffic of zoom, is now releasing stroll with sport activities, restaurants, a floating garden, a picnic spot and a children's area.

The project was launched in April 2010 and has cost about 35 billion euros ($47 million) to complete. Delanoe has made environmental concerns a priority. He brought to Paris, rent of bicycles known as Vélib, followed by a similar system in the form of electric cars.

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