Odds and Ends

MOORHEAD, Minn. - Having a vanity plate that reads "TIPSY" may not be such a great idea after all.

Josiah Johnson, 23, said his license plate might have tipped off the Clay County sheriff's deputy who pulled him over Friday after he left Coach's Sports Pub in Moorhead.

Now he faces third-degree drunken driving charges after his blood-alcohol level allegedly registered twice the legal limit.

Johnson said he bought the personalized license plate for his Jeep to describe the way it rode - then kept it as a joke when he got a Chevy Silverado because he likes to party.

"It doesn't mean I drink and drive," he said. "It just means I have a good time."

Johnson, who was slated to appear in court March 22, said he'll never drink and drive again.

"I feel really stupid," he said.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - A group of Girl Scouts had a very unhappy encounter with a Cookie Monster.

The girls stood in disbelief as a man came to their cookie booth at a supermarket and ran off with an envelope containing $320.

One of the five girls from Troop 4180 had recommended a box of Thin Mints when the man reached into the cash drawer and grabbed the envelope. An adult with the girls chased the thief but couldn't catch him.

Troop leader Jeri Smith said the third- through fifth-graders were in disbelief.

"It was a bad experience. They were really shook up," she said.

The girls were working their stand inside a Kroger store about 2:30 p.m. Saturday when the man came by and said he'd never bought Girl Scout cookies. He handed one of the girls $3, then said he wanted a second box but only gave her $2 more.

When the girl pointed it out, the man snatched the envelope.

Smith said the money would have paid for the girls to go to summer camp. Kroger employees took up a $25 collection, but Smith said the girls won't sell from a booth anymore.

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KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent (AP) - Earl Daniel and Joel Butcher will probably stay off their feet for a while.

The men from this Caribbean island walked for six days without sleep in a bid to set a world record for the longest nonstop hike.

The hike lasted 144 hours and seven minutes. They began March 8 and ended Monday as they entered the capital to a siren of horns. It was not immediately clear how many miles they had walked.

"We said we were going to do this, and we have done it and have made all of St. Vincent and the Grenadines proud," Daniel said.

The duo got some bad news Tuesday: Guinness World Records won't recognize the feat.

Guinness World Records Ltd. confirmed that the men had contacted the company but said the category would not be recognized, because it is "impossible to compare" one person's performance with another's.

"Individuals often walk at different speeds" and "some individuals may choose a more demanding course" while "the time people take for necessary breaks may vary," Guinness spokeswoman Laura McTurk said.

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POOLE, Ky. (AP) - A strange sight from Down Under startled residents of this western Kentucky community.

Members of the Poole Homemakers Club were at a meeting downtown Tuesday when they looked out and saw what they thought was a kangaroo.

Nedra Wilson, first to spot the animal, said it hopped up a driveway and around a carport. He then headed south on U.S. 41-A, she said.

"I bet it was going 25 mph," she said. "He was really getting it. We haven't had that much excitement in Poole in a while."

Actually, the animal that club members saw was likely a wallaby, a small kangaroo that is native to Australia. There were two of them on the loose after they escaped their pen.

The animals belong to the family of Stephen and Betty Bell. The family moved to Poole about six months ago. Stephen Bell is from Australia.

The Bells said the animals escaped sometime Monday. One was later recaptured and the other returned on its own.