Oddly enough 2/8/04

Overturned van spills 700 live rodents

PEARISBURG, Va. -- A cargo van filled with cages carrying more than 700 gerbils, rats, mice and other rodents overturned Thursday, sending the animals scurrying onto a highway and sparking a bizarre large-scale rescue of the small animals. "We caught probably 20 or 25 outside the vehicle. We caught another 25 inside the vehicle," said Bill Davis, a member of the Giles County Lifesaving Squad which responded to a call for help. "Then we realized they were everywhere. As cold as it is outside, we couldn't just leave them," Davis said.

Priest bagged for growing pot in rectory

AKRON, Ohio -- A Roman Catholic priest accused of growing marijuana in his church living quarters in the Prince of Peace Church rectory, pleaded innocent Friday. The Rev. Richard A. Arko, 40, said nothing in Summit County Magistrate Court. He is free on a $3,000 signature bond. He was charged with illegal cultivation of marijuana, possession of criminal tools and illegal use or possession of drug paraphernalia. Police seized 35 marijuana plants, a rolling machine and papers, a grinder and scissors, prosecutors say.

Singapore launches love potion perfumes

SINGAPORE -- Two new perfumes were launched Friday in Singapore as part of an annual government-backed campaign aimed at boosting marriage and birth rates in the city-state. The perfumes were created by local university students as "a gift to the nation," a statement on the Romancing Singapore campaign Web site said. Singapore recorded its lowest-ever birth rate last year, with just 37,633 babies born -- far less than the 50,000 it needs to meet its economic, defense and labor requirements. -- From wire reports

The year-long romance campaign is backed by the Ministry of Community Development and Sports and will also sponsor social events such as a tango competition, a couple's marathon and a river race -- all designed to promote family by bringing single people together.

Man steals identity to get married

WARREN, Ohio -- It's no surprise that Dallas James King can't remember anything about his wedding day -- he was in prison at the time. King, an inmate at Belmont Correctional Institution, says a man assumed his identity to apply for a license and apparently marry the mother of his child. Probate Judge Thomas A. Swift voided the marriage Thursday. He ruled that the married couple had made a false statement about the groom's identity on their sworn marriage license application. He referred the matter to the prosecutor. King, 23, who has been in prison since 2001 on a three-year robbery sentence out of Cleveland, said Tefawn Myers sent him a marriage certificate "stating she and I had gotten married on April 22, 2002." "I don't want to be married to this woman," King wrote to the judge in December. King said he was concerned about any crimes committed in his name by the man who apparently used his identity. He told the judge that Myers was living in Warren in April 2002 when the marriage license was issued.

-- From wire reports