CHICAGO-BABY GORILLA

CHICAGO (AP) -- Chicagoans are getting their first look at a baby, of the furry variety. The Lincoln Park Zoo has welcomed a baby western lowland gorilla. The baby was born October 11th and the ape exhibit was open to the public for the first time yesterday. The new baby hasn't been named yet. Zookeepers don't even know if they have a he or a she. The experts say mom and baby are bonding, as the gorilla dad is watching over them both.

PUMPKIN TRUCK FIRE

ENNIS, Texas (AP) -- Houston's gonna be short hundreds of jack-o'-lanterns this Halloween. A tractor-trailer rig hauling a load of pumpkins crashed into a highway guardrail. The driver wasn't hurt. But hundreds of burning pumpkins were scattered on the highway. Investigators are trying to determine why the driver lost control.

McJORDAN SAUCE SOLD

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) -- Remember McJordan Burgers? Well, a man who used to own some McDonald's restaurants is about $10,000 richer thanks to a 20-year-old container of McJordan barbecue sauce. Mort Bank, of Bismarck, North Dakota, saved the gallon jug of sauce after selling his McDonald's. It was used on McJordan Burgers in the 1990s, named for basketball legend Michael Jordan. Bank advertised his item on eBay, and sold it to someone in Chicago. Bank tells the Chicago Tribune the buyer isn't Jordan himself.

BIRTHDAY MONEY-MARIJUANA

MORGAN, Utah (AP) -- Happy birthday? Not for one Wyoming family. Authorities in Utah say an Evanston, Wyoming, man used his kid's birthday money to buy pot. Morgan County deputies busted the man, after a traffic stop on I-84. Authorities say he had several bags of pot in a backpack and a loaded gun was found in the vehicle, too. Authorities tell the Deseret News the suspect's wife is upset, because she said he used the birthday money for the weed.

RELIGIOUS SPEEDING

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Don't try using the Bible as an excuse for speeding. A least not in Wisconsin. A state appeals court has tossed out a religious freedom argument against traffic laws. Jeffrey L. Manke was cited for doing 71 in a 55 zone. He contended that his right to religious freedom was violated because the law prohibits a person from speeding. Manke says his Bible studies show he is a man, not a person. The court said yes, he is a man, which also makes him a person.

BARBECUE CHAMP

GILLETTE, Wyo. (AP) -- Come November, Lon Mitchell won't just be thinking turkey. He'll be thinking ribs, too. Mitchell's barbecuing team Jo-Bawbs BBQ has earned a spot in the World Food Championships in Las Vegas. Only about 100 teams make the cut and Mitchell can't wait to get smokin'. His BBQ crew hails from Rozet, Wyoming. Mitchell tells a local paper (Gillette News-Record) they're "the pride of Wyoming." The World Food cook-off will be in Sin City November 1st-4th.

Copyright 2012. The Associated Press.