OBAMAS TEACHER CONFERENCE
WASHINGTON (AP) - Not many parents get a police escort to their parent-teachers conference. Of course, not many parents of school kids are the president. President Barack Obama and the first lady visited with their daughters' teachers yesterday. They traveled to the private Sidwell Friends School from the White House in a motorcade. The White House says the school was told ahead of time that first lady Michelle Obama was coming but the president's visit was a surprise. Daughter Malia is a sixth-grader, while Sasha is a third-grader.

NEW CAR SWIPED
JANESVILLE, Wis. (AP) - It was one heck of a test drive. Police in Wisconsin report arresting a Massachusetts man who took a new Honda for a 1,000 mile road trip. He's also accused of taking the salesman. Aleh Kot was pulled over by a Wisconsin trooper for speeding and reckless driving. Kot is expected to be returned to Massachusetts to face charges of kidnapping, larceny and unarmed robbery. Authorities say Kot and a Honda salesman took the car for a test drive last week, but Kot refused to return to the dealership. The salesman bailed out at a tollbooth near the Mass state line.

DRUNK RIDE
LAFAYETTE, N.Y. (AP) - Friends don't let friends drive drunk. Add they don't let them pick them up, either. Troopers have charged an upstate New York woman with aggravated driving while intoxicated. Police say she showed up drunk at the state police barracks to give a ride to a friend who had been arrested earlier for DWI. Troopers say Stacy Kolinski had a blood alcohol level of more than double the legal limit. Now, both drivers have tickets to appear in court.

ATHEIST SUBWAY ADS
NEW YORK (AP) - Praying for a seat won't sit well with some New York straphangers. A monthlong atheist ad campaign begins next Monday in Big Apple subway stations. The ads read: "A Million New Yorkers Are Good Without God. Are You?" An umbrella organization called Coalition of Reason is behind the atheism ads. The $25,000 campaign is being funded with an anonymous donation.

STATE DRINK
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - New Hampshire has an official state fruit, the pumpkin. And an official state dog, the Chinook. Now some school kids feel the state should have an official drink, too. Students from the Jaffrey Grade School are lobbying state lawmakers to make apple cider the state beverage. They've convinced their state rep, Bonnie Mitchell, to sponsor the cider bill. Mitchell says there's a serious point to be made with things like the state flower, bird or insect. She says the experience will teach the kids about the legislative process.

GOATS VS VINES
GREAT NECK, N.Y. (AP) - The vines got one congressman's goat. Now, the goats are going to get the vines. A community park on New York's Long Island is being overrun by thick and thorny vines. The park is in a protected wetlands area, so chemicals can't be used. Congressman Gary Ackerman's aides say they contacted the White House over the summer for help. About a dozen goats are coming to Kings Point Park to munch on the unwanted foliage. Eleven Americorps volunteers will also spend six weeks helping to clear out the cat green briar.

by Jamie Friar

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)