SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) - It wasn't your usual fender-bender on a Southern California freeway. Traffic was backed up for miles yesterday afternoon after a small private plane landed on U.S. Highway 101, about a mile from Santa Barbara Airport. Officials say there was some sort of problem on the plane, but they're not sure what it was just yet. Three cars crashed into the Piper Comanche after it landed. But police report no one was hurt. The busy freeway had to be shut down so crews could remove the plane.
CLUNKER KILLER
DENHAM SPRINGS, La. (AP) - They call Randy Owens the Clunker Killer. He's a
notary for the Baton Rouge, La., based All Star Automotive Group dealerships.
But Owens is the go-to guy for putting all those clunkers out of their misery.
The government's Cash for Clunkers program requires the cars' engines be
disabled by pouring sodium silicate into them. That's where Owens comes in. He
pours the chemical into the engines and certifies the cars are goners. Owens
tells a local paper (The Baton Rouge Advocate) he fells like he has to watch
good engines die. After another clunker bit the dust, Owens said there goes "one
less hot rod." The national Cash for Clunkers program ends today.
SNAKES IN A BOX
HAMILTON, Ohio (AP) - There was something strange about a box dropped off at a
FedEx Office store in Hamilton, Ohio. Workers called police after seeing two
pillowcases moving inside the box. Officer Justen McDade quickly learned why.
She opened one pillowcase and found a live boa constrictor. A reptile rescue
group is now caring for the FedEx snakes. No charges have been filed. But police
say they're investigating whether the sender has a license for shipping snakes.
KIDNEY NEIGHBORS
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Claudine Jackson is getting a lot more than a cup of
sugar from neighbor Jo Ann Walz. They live next door to each other in Kansas
City, Mo. Now, Jackson has one of Walz's kidneys. Over the years, the two
learned they had much in common, from their faith to their love of books. They
recently learned they had something else in common. One official with the
Midwest Transplant Network says it's "rather amazing" that neighbors would also
be matches for a kidney donation.
NO ELECTION
BRUSH, Colo. (AP) - What's an election without candidates? That's the question
facing the City Council in Brush, Colorado. The mayor and three city council
seats are up for election this fall in the small town. But the mayor and two of
the council members have no opponents for re-election. There's only one
candidate for the third council seat. Now, the council is debating whether to
cancel this year's municipal election.
MAMMOTH TOOTH FIND
SARANAC, Mich. (AP) - That's no stray ball on the green at Morrison Lake Country
Club. It was a tooth from a 10,000-year-old mammoth. Groundskeeper Patrick
Walker found the 10-pound tooth last week on the golf course near Grand Rapids,
Mich. The mammoth tooth was exposed by heavy rains. The recent high school
graduate says he knew what it was, because he paid attention during science
class. Researchers investigating the site found other mammoth fossils. They've
decided to leave them in place for the time being.
