Cops and Robbers

Hogs for crack transaction goes bad

It was a simpler sort of drug trade. Syracuse police say a 45-year-old man offered a slaughtered pig as partial payment for a bag of crack cocaine.

Mainer who lost driver's license charged with OUI after getting behind wheel of lawn mower

A Maine man has been charged with operating under the influence after he and a friend made a beer run on a riding lawn mower.

Dead driver piles on parking tickets

A New York City woman said her father apparently lay dead for weeks in a minivan while police repeatedly left parking tickets on the vehicle.

Judge awards compensation for dead monkey's unkempt grave

A Florida couple has won a judgment against a pet cemetery owner for breaking a contract that guaranteed 100 years of "perpetual care" for their dead monkey's grave site.

Full Story

Best treatments for back pain?

About 80 percent of the adults in the U.S. have been bothered by back pain at some point.

Survey seeks answers on best treatments for back pain

Job losses slow dramatically

Employers shed the fewest jobs since September in the latest monthly report. But the news is not all good.

Job losses slow dramatically but unemployment rate rises

Also:

• Temp work masking joblessness
• Hardest-hit cities

Obama calls out Iran's leader

At a former Nazi camp, the president sends a message to Holocaust denier Ahmadinejad.

Obama calls out Iran's leader

Also:

• D-day plans
• Israel won't heed Obama's appeal

The truth about energy drinks revealed

They claim to give your mind and body a boost, but can they harm your health?

The truth about energy drinks revealed

Also:

• Study: Cola can hurt muscles
• Natural energy boosters

And I Quote

Be thankful we're not getting all the government we're paying for.

~ Will Rogers

News of a different kind

Youngster completes court traffic class

Among the 13 drivers sentenced by a judge to attend Avilio Chavez's traffic safety class Thursday was a Los Lunas boy still 10 years too young for a learner's permit.

Ohio widow's donation of WWII shell spurs shutdown

A military museum near Columbus, Ohio got more than it bargained for when the widow of a World War II veteran tried to donate an artillery shell.

Kitten survives 40 miles trapped in wheel well

Miracle, a 6-week-old black kitten, went for a 40-mile ride this week in the wheel-well of a 2002 Buick La Sabre

Break-In Leads To Largest-Ever Pot Bust

For one married Matteson couple, their second house wasn't a ritzy vacation home on a lake or a piece of property to be rented out for some extra monthly cash.

Break-In Leads To Largest-Ever Pot Bust

Just Like A Pill

Pink

Teacher dies in school toilet after being bullied at work

A junior school teacher collapsed and died at school after being bullied at work, an inquest heard.

Full Story

US bishop sentenced for church bell noise

It's about damned time!

An American priest has been given a suspended sentence of 10 days in prison and three years' probation for violating a noise ordinance.

(Should have been an 'active' prison sentence)

Full Story

Botox allows paralysed man to walk again after 20 years

Botox is an accepted treatment for the type of paralysis commonly associated with strokes.

Full Story

Savings secrets from frugal millionaires

Follow these folks' unique spending philosophy to help you keep more of your money.

Savings secrets

Also:

• Search: Money saving travel tips
• Clever products to help save cash

Home luxuries you don't need

Design experts admit they bought these home products and never used them.

Home luxuries you don't need

Also:

• Ways to decorate on a budget
• Find strangest kitchen gadgets

Unusual Holidays and Celebrations

Today is the Holiest of Holies for members of the Fraternal Order of Police everywhere.

It is Doughnut Day!
(That's 'Donut' to thems that caint' spell)

Air France mystery deepens with debris questions

Items pulled from the sea on Thursday are not from Flight 447's crash, officials reveal.

Mystery deepens with debris questions

Also:

• Computer glitch to blame?
• 4 travelers who missed doomed flight

Phone interview is newest job search hurdle

Once the preliminary step of a job hunt — often with softball questions — the phone interview is now turning into a lengthy, in-depth process.

Phone interview

Also:

• Tips to ace the interview
• Dumbing down resumes to get noticed

Our Readers

Some of our readers today have been in:

Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands
Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Verona, Veneto, Italy
Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada
Camberley, England, United Kingdom
Leipzig, Sachsen, Germany
Bangkok, Krung Thep, Tailand
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Innsbruck, Tirol, Austria
Helsinki, Southern Finland, Finland
Leicester, England, United Kingdom
Paris, Ile-De-France, France
London, England, United Kingdom
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Tehran, Esfahan, Iran

as well as Scotland, Brazil, Australia, and the United States

Daily Horoscope

Today's horoscope says:

It's not just your loved ones who are so darned pleased with what you've been able to successfully tackle lately, it's also the higher-ups who've been watching you to see if you're ready for a bump up the career ladder.
You know you're worthy -- of both their attention and affection -- and you've proven it.
Once the news arrives, and it will, let loose and do just a tad of celebrating.
You've certainly earned this.

You ain't just whistling Dixie.