INMATE-NO TOOTHPASTE
MARQUETTE, Mich. (AP) -- It was a lawsuit without bite -- now an inmate has to pay up. A judge is ordering Michigan prison inmate Jerry Flanory to fork over 353 bucks. Flanory sued prison officials, claiming he lost a tooth because he was denied toothpaste. The state fought the charge. Jurors ruled against the inmate, after hearing he only had five teeth when he entered the big house. Now, Flanory has to pay court costs and other fees.
PINK CITY
MIAMI (AP) -- Think pink! Miami-Dade County government is going pink this month in the fight against breast cancer. A police car, garbage truck and a Metrobus have all been painted pink. And the county hall is sporting the hue in its lobby. Jackson Memorial Hospital has a new Mobile Mammogram Unit. They'll be will offering breast cancer screenings for county employees every Thursday in October. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
NOT A CRASH
HARDIN, Ky. (AP) -- It wasn't a plane crash -- just a coincidence. Authorities in western Kentucky searched for a possible plane crash for two hours Saturday night. A driver called in a report after hearing a boom and seeing an orange glow in sky. But officials in Marshall and Calloway counties didn't find a downed plane. The Paducah Sun reports authorities think the glow in sky was the result of a church group shooting off fireworks. At about the time, a gas can caught fire and exploded.
WHEELIE GUY
SALEM, Ore. (AP) -- With a nickname like the "Wheelie Guy" -- it's not tough to guess how Chris Barnett gets his kicks. He's claiming a new world's record for the longest wheelie on a bicycle in an hour. He rode front-wheel-up for 13.65 miles Saturday. A crowd at Oregon's South Salem High cheered him on, as Barnett rode round-and-round the track. The previous record was 10 and a-half miles. The 23-year-old Barnett tells the Statesman Journal after seeing the crowd, he knew he could do it. Barnett says his wheelie record also raised about two-grand for a fresh water well in an African village.
BIONIC ROPER
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Barry Landry probably wouldn't mind if you called him all thumbs. He has a new thumb, thanks to his bionic left hand. His hand was crushed in a Louisiana factory accident. The amateur rodeo cowboy had to teach himself to rope cattle right-handed. But now, Landry has a new, computerized prosthetic hand. It has a flexible wrist and a thumb that's so maneuverable, Landry can hold a key between his thumb and his pointer. Landry's not sure if he can compete in calf-roping again -- but he notes it's now a lot easier to carry a plate.
STOLEN FOR SCRAP
ROOSEVELT, N.Y. (AP) -- There's cash in junkers. Police charge two New York area men with with swiping a car that hasn't run in 15 years. A 21-year-old and a 18-year-old from Roosevelt, Long Island, are accused of stealing two cars. One is a 1990 Infinity taken from a driveway. The car hasn't moved in a decade and a-half. Police say the men also stole a 1997 Nissan Maxima. According to authorities, the cars were sold for scrap.
Copyright 2012. The Associated Press.
