Recovered Coins
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
They're coins, but they're worth way more than pocket change. Coin experts are assessing the value of rare gold coins recovered from a pre-Civil War shipwreck off the Louisiana coast.

Shipping Container Condos
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Forget the stuff about your home being your castle. It could also be a shipping container. A Detroit-based group wants to recycle empty containers, by transforming them into a $1.8 million, 17-unit condo project.

Velcro's 50th
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
R-r-r-r-rip. That's the sound of Velcro's 50th anniversary. Tuesday, current and former employees of Velcro USA lined the streets of Manchester, New Hampshire, for a rip-roaring celebration.

Horse-School
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
High school senior Bradley Walker is coping with the high price of gas with some horsepower. Bradley is riding his horse Pumpkin to school in Rockwood, Tennessee.

Church Gas
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Pastor Rusty Newman is offering something new to attract parishioners, free gas. His First Baptist Church in Snellville, Georgia, is giving away two $500 gasoline cards.

Young Mayor
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
The new mayor of Muskogee, Oklahoma, can't celebrate his victory with champagne. John Tyler Hammons isn't old enough to drink. The 19-year-old freshman at the University of Oklahoma won about 70 percent of the vote in Tuesday's election.

Gay Customer-Lawsuit
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
A New York City restaurant has settled a lawsuit brought against it by a lesbian who says she was ejected because a bouncer thought she was a man in the ladies' room. Caliente Cab Company, while denying the allegations, agreed to pay Khadijah Farmer $35,000 and train its staff to be sensitive to gender identity issues.

Robot Conductor
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
A robot designed by Honda has met its latest challenge, conducting the Detroit Symphony. The four-foot, three-inches-tall robot, named ASIMO, mimicked the actions of a conductor, nodding its head at various sections and gesturing with one or both hands. The robot led the orchestra in a performance of the song "The Impossible Dream."

Medication Nation
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
For the first time, it seems that more than half of all insured Americans are taking prescription medicines regularly for chronic health problems. That's according to a new study by Medco Health Solutions. The most widely used drugs are those to lower high blood pressure and cholesterol.

Adult Fitness
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
If you didn't get a Presidential Physical Fitness Award in school, the government is giving you another chance to prove you're in shape. An adult version of the test is being introduced Wednesday by the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. It's for people over 18 and in good health.

Home Prices
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
The National Association of Realtors says median home prices fell in two-thirds of the cities surveyed during the first three months of this year. The real estate trade group reports that median prices for existing single-family homes dropped in 100 of 149 metropolitan areas in the January-March period. During the same period 48 metropolitan areas saw prices increase. One reported no change.

Exercise Record
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
George Hood is probably more than a little saddle sore. He's reclaiming the Guinness world record for time spent on a stationary bicycle. Hood's time isn't official yet, but organizers say he spent about 177 hours over eight days riding a spinning bike at a suburban Chicago YMCA. That's the equivalent of more than 2,000 miles.

Exchange-King Kong
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
You'll have no trouble spotting King Kong. It's Dereiq McCalister's customized truck. He's welded the front of a Ford F650 to the back of a Ford Excursion.

Gopher Statue
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
There's no doubt who Jim Beach is rooting for, the 12-foot gopher is a sure sign. Jim and Janice Beach are huge University of Minnesota fans. Now, they have a giant Goldy Gopher sitting in front of their home in Freeborn, Minnesota.

Female Brewmaster
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Don't call this brewmaster, "Mister." Tonya Cornett is the first woman to win the brewmaster award at the World Beer Cup sponsored by the Brewers Association.

Mower-Drunken Driving
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
At least Merwin Pierce Junior dressed for the occasion. Authorities in western New York charge the tuxedo-wearing Pierce was drunk when he took a riding mower for a late-night spin.

Candy Assault
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
M-and-M's might be dangerous to your diet. But a college student is facing charges, for allegedly assaulting a police officer with M-and-M's. Authorities in Des Moines, Iowa, report arresting Sean McGuire at a convenience store after an M-and-M hit an officer on the shoulder.

Pollo Campero-Wal-Mart
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Latin American fried-chicken outlet Pollo Campero is teaming with Wal-Mart to expand its reach to the nation's growing Hispanic population. A restaurant bearing the Guatemalan chain's mascot chicken in a cowboy hat now sells its famed product inside a Wal-Mart Supercenter in Rowlett, Texas. Officials with the chain's fledging U.S. arm hope to expand into more than 20 Wal-Mart locations across the country by the end of 2009.

Cell Phone-Citation
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Southwest Airlines says a passenger who refused to get off his cell phone during a flight found Dallas police waiting for him. The Dallas Morning News reports that police were summoned by Southwest officials and met the jet Monday when the plane arrived at Love Field from Austin.

JetBlue Lawsuit
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
A New York City man is suing JetBlue for more than $2 million because he says a pilot made him give up his seat to a flight attendant and sit on the toilet for more than three hours on a flight from California.