MCDONALD'S-SALES
NEW YORK (AP) - Bad times means good business for McDonald's. Lots of folks are buying Big Macs and Quarter Pounders, even as they tighten their belts. McDonald's reports global same-store sales jumped 8.2 percent last month. Sales are up more than 5 percent in the U.S. Of course, the Dollar Menu is attracting worried consumers. But even the Dollar Menu might not help in a Super Size recession. One analyst says McDonald's profits could decline as more people buy cheaper items on the menu or cut back on extras like drinks.

NEW YEAR'S BALL
YONKERS, N.Y. (AP) - We all know about the glittering ball that drops on New Year's Eve in Times Square. But how about the Valentine's Day, the Fourth of July or even the Halloween ball? The New York landmark is getting a new ball for this New Year's Eve. But the ball won't be coming down after the big party. Celebration organizers say the bigger, brighter Waterford crystal ball will stay atop 1 Times Square. It may be used for other holidays, along with a computerized light show. The new ball is 12 feet in diameter and is twice the size of the old one.

BULLETPROOF PURSE
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) - College student Elizabeth Pittenger could owe her life -- to her purse. The Middle Tennessee State University student carries one of those oversized handbags. She was robbed at gunpoint the other night while walking to her car on campus. She fought him off, but not before the mugger fired his gun. Police found the .38 caliber slug inside of Pittenger's purse. The bullet was stopped by some of the stuff in the handbag, like a calculator and an umbrella. Police say the student wasn't hurt. Officers report arresting the suspected gunman a short time later.

HOUSE RAFFLE
WATERFORD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) - A house for a C-note? That's what Joe and Penelope VanDevelder are offering. Their Detroit-area house is a tough sell in today's slow real estate market. The home's been up for sale for 18 months, but with no takers. So, the couple is going to raffle off the four-bedroom Waterford Township home. The VanDevelders tell the Oakland Press of Pontiac they're charging $100 each for the raffle tickets. They say they'll draw a winner when they sell 2,500 chances.

BIKE PARKING
NEW YORK (AP) - Soon, it might be a little easier to find a parking place in New York City -- for your bike. Fun City is proposing tough, new bike parking rules. New apartment buildings would be required to have one secure bike parking space for every two units. There's a similar proposal for offices. Officials say more New Yorkers would commute by bike, if they had a convenient spot to lock it up. But real estate industry officials counter some of that required bike parking might go to waste because of too few riders.

DRUG BLING
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - It's bling from the busts -- and it could be yours. North Carolina officials will be auctioning off jewelry seized from drug dealers. There's a diamond-studded gold gorilla pendant appraised at $21,600. A Breitling watch is valued at 38-grand. Three-quarters of the proceeds will go to the law enforcement agencies responsible for the arrests. The rest will go into the state's general fund. The auction will be held Thursday at the State Fairgrounds in Raleigh.

by Jamie Friar

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)