Calif. city uses nonlethal means to control squirrels

Calif. city uses nonlethal means to control squirrels

DEL MAR, Calif. -- One Southern California city just got a little safer for squirrels. City officials in Del Mar, north of San Diego, agreed to stop using poison to control the squirrel population, to the delight of animal rights activists. For years, the city used poison-baited traps to snare wild squirrels in Seagrove Park. The San Diego-based Animal Protection and Rescue League has urged officials to consider nontoxic means of control, such as making it illegal for people to feed the animals. The Del Mar Parks and Recreation Committee voted Wednesday to stop using poison in favor of trapping and euthanizing. The committee also is considering birth control methods.

Stolen welding truck found after 22 years

GILLETTE, Wyo. -- A stolen welding truck was discovered in Ohio -- 22 years after it disappeared from Wyoming, police said. The 1980 F379 welding truck had a false vehicle identification number and was owned by an 85-year-old farmer, who was not suspected of the theft, the Ohio State Patrol said. Troopers found the real VIN on the truck's frame, ran it through a stolen vehicle database and discovered that it went missing in 1983. Ohio troopers told Campbell County deputies about the stolen truck Tuesday. Campbell County deputies had to search microfiche reports to learn more about it. Insurance paid off the vehicle in 1984, and the only suspect in the case has since died.

Marilyn Monroe found in Fort Worth, Texas

HALTOM CITY, Texas -- Police discovered a missing 120-pound, life-size statue of Marilyn Monroe in a Fort Worth home. The statue disappeared in October from the roof of The Cafe, a restaurant in Haltom City. Police were acting on a tip when they found the statue Monday in nearby Fort Worth. No arrests were made. "It's just hard to hide a statue," Haltom City deputy chief Ron Everett said. The Cafe's owner paid about $350 for the statue at a Dallas specialty shop. The statue had been inside the restaurant, but was moved to the roof about two years ago. A few months ago, a police officer statue had joined her. "I'm just as happy as I can be," said Robin Farmer, manager of The Cafe. "I miss not seeing her every morning. I know the police officer [statue] has missed her."

Robber hits banks while talking on cell phone

WASHINGTON -- These days it seems that some people just can't go anywhere or do anything without a cell phone in their ear. In northern Virginia the police say they're looking for a woman who's been holding up banks while chatting on her phone. "This is the first time that I can recall where we've had a crime committed while the person was using a cell phone," Loudoun County sheriff's spokesman Kraig Troxell told The Washington Post in a story published Friday. "The question would be whether anyone is on the other end of the line or not." Investigators believe the woman has hit four Wachovia bank branches in recent weeks. In three of those bank jobs, she was talking on a cell phone, while showing the teller a box with a holdup note attached.

Toy hall of fame inducts cardboard box, others

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Looks like the kingmakers of the toy world have finally heeded all the children who have as much fun with the box a fancy toy came in as they do with the toy itself. On Friday, the cardboard box was enshrined in the National Toy Hall of Fame, along with Jack-in-the-Box and Candy Land. "I think every adult has had that disillusioning experience of picking what they think is a wonderful toy for a child, and then finding the kid playing with the box," said Christopher Bensch, chief curator of the Strong Museum. "It's that empty box full of possibilities that the kids can sense and the adults don't always see."

-- From wire reports

A Brooklyn printer invented the corrugated cardboard box in 1890, and it quickly came to dominate the shipping industry in North America. It's simple and low-tech, but the cardboard box has fostered learning and creativity for multiple generations -- a key qualifier for inclusion in the seven-year-old hall of fame. So far, 34 classic toys have been enshrined, from Barbie to Mr. Potato Head, Legos to Lincoln Logs, Slinky to Play-Doh and Crayola crayons to marbles.