SCITUATE, Mass. (AP) - The Coast Guard is giving away a lighthouse off the coast of Massachusetts for nothing, but there is a catch. Whoever agrees to take the 114-foot tall Minot Ledge Light must pay for upkeep and maintenance as laid out in the "Historic Lighthouse Preservation Handbook." The Patriot Ledger of Quincy reports that the Coast Guard has determined the lighthouse is an "excess" asset, and is offering it under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act. The lighthouse has guided ships around a treacherous ledge since 1860.
MOUTHWASH-BROWN TEETH
DETROIT (AP) - A Detroit-area lawyer is suing Procter & Gamble, saying his teeth
have brown stains after he used Crest Pro-Health mouthwash. Mark Rossman's law
partners filed the lawsuit yesterday in federal court in Detroit. He says P&G
should put a warning on the bottle. P&G spokeswoman Laura Brinker declined to
comment on the lawsuit but says "99.9 percent" of users have not complained. On
a Web page, the company says stains may be a sign the rinse is working because
dead germs may be accumulating on teeth.
ROBBERY THWARTED
LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Police in Lansing, Michigan say a convenience store clerk
foiled an attempted armed robber by throwing a pot of hot water at her. The
Lansing State Journal reports a woman entered the Quality Dairy store armed with
a knife yesterday morning and demanded money from the clerk. Instead of handing
over the cash, police say the clerk threw the pot of water. Police say the
suspect fled and was seen getting into a vehicle that later was found unoccupied
nearby.
SEIZED BOAT
OAK ISLAND, N.C. (AP) - The owner of boat found grounded near a North Carolina
marina ended up with even more problems when the U.S. Coast Guard came to check
his vessel. Two Coast Guard officers say they found ammunition when they boarded
the unmanned 35-foot boat Wednesday night near a marina in Oak Island to see if
everyone was OK. They then ran a background check on the on the owner and
discovered he was a convicted felon. Authorities searched further and found a
gun, spear-gun projectiles and unspecified illegal drugs. The unidentified owner
later arrived to salvage the vessel and was arrested instead.
OFFENSIVE T-SHIRTS
DULUTH, Minn. (AP) - A tourist shop in Duluth, Minnesota will stop selling
T-shirts with messages offensive to American Indians after complaints to the
city. The I Love Duluth Shop in Canal Park had T-shirts printed with messages
that included "My Indian Name is 'Drinks Like Fish"' and "My Indian name is
'Crawling Drunk."' Duluth Human Rights Office Bob Grytdahl visited the store
after receiving numerous complaints about the shirts. Owner Simon Shaked removed
the shirts from store display and sold the rest at a deeply discounted rate.
CHARGERS-TICKET TROUBLES
SAN DIEGO (AP) - The only NFL team in southern California says it's having
trouble selling out its games because of the slow economy. In a story posted on
its Web site, the San Diego Chargers are warning fans there's a chance some
games will be blacked out on local TV. Chargers chief operating officer Jim
Steeg is quoted as saying that the team has a lot of tickets to sell for all
games. Spokesman Bill Johnston wouldn't give specific numbers of tickets
remaining. He said no games are close to selling out.
