LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Losing his wallet was a would-be robber's mistake. Trying to get it back was an even bigger blunder. Police in Little Rock, Ark., report 23-year-old Courvoisier Marteze Riley dropped his wallet during an attempted robbery at a home. While police were interviewing the victim, authorities say Riley called wanting to get his wallet returned. Officers say Riley told the victim to bring the wallet to a service station. Of course, that's where officers found the suspect. Police say Riley tried to run, but was caught after a short chase.
ICELAND-DAN BROWN
REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) - The latest Dan Brown mystery involves what some might
consider a rather obscure language. But this time hero Robert Langdon isn't
trying decode an ancient cypher. Police in Iceland are looking for someone who
snatched a copy of Brown's latest novel, "The Lost Symbol." The thief got away
with the first proof copy of the Icelandic translation of the best-seller, from
the publisher's office. A spokeswoman for the Icelandic publishing house jokes
the crook probably just gave up on trying to read the English version of "The
Lost Symbol."
SMASHED PUMPKINS
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - An Ohio church's fundraiser is anything but a smashing
success. Police are now looking for the vandals who smashed pumpkins on the lawn
of the Fellowship Lutheran Church in Columbus. Church officials say it looks
like the dozens of gourds got clobbered with a golf club. But the pumpkin attack
may not be a total loss. Pastor Michael Sayre says people are still sending
contributions. The clergyman adds one donor says it's like buying "invisible
pumpkins."
SNOWBOARD ART
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - There's an art to snowboarding. And then there's art on
snowboards. Ryan Farnes is making a business of both. The former major-leaguer
is now a co-owner of California-based Publik snowboards and a recent convert to
the winter sport. Farnes also designed the graphics on the first three Publik
boards, including one which has a New Orleans scene. Not a city known for its
ski slopes and a long way from his boyhood home in Billings, Mont. But Farnes
takes a little creative license in designing snowboards. He tells the Billings
Gazette he'd like to think of his boards as something you could hang in an art
gallery.
FLU FIGHTERS
NEW YORK (AP) - New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg wants to enlist an army of "Flu
Fighters." Health officials in Fun City are signing up some 800 volunteers to
help spread the word about how not to spread the flu. The Flu Fighters will be
battling both swine flu and seasonal flu. They'll help manage the expected
crowds at vaccination centers around the city. The New York Flu Fighters will
also distribute posters and brochures.
SEA TURTLE RELEASE
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A refugee from Hurricane Ike is finally going home. An
endangered sea turtle had apparently spent months trapped in a land-locked lake
in southwest Louisiana. The 90-pound female was washed miles inland by Ike more
than a year ago. Yesterday, she got a ride on a Coast Guard boat about 20 miles
into the Gulf of Mexico, where the turtle was released. Adam Einck, a spokesman
for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, says, "When you blinked
your eyes, she was gone."
