PRESIDENTIAL LIMO
DETROIT (AP) - President-elect Barack Obama will have a new ride -- to go along with his new job. A 2009 Cadillac Presidential Limousine is now in the hands of the Secret Service. The Detroit News reports GM has delivered the armored limo to Uncle Sam. The new presidential wheels debut Jan. 20, during Obama's inauguration in Washington. Neither GM nor the Secret Service is saying much about the presidential Caddy. But an agency spokesman says the new limo has bigger windows and a better view for the prez.

BCS CHAMPIONSHIP-CONGRESS
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - No football timeout for Congress. Tomorrow night, the championship game between number-two Florida and number-one Oklahoma will be played in Miami. Florida Congressman Cliff Stearns is hoping to go the big game. He gave a handwritten note to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, asking her to consider rescheduling votes. But it looks like Stearns, a Republican, is being tackled for a loss. Pelosi's office says there won't be a change in the Congressional schedule. Among the issues to be considered tomorrow afternoon: certification of the Electoral College vote that gives Barack Obama the presidency.

WEBCAM CHILDBIRTH
POTTSVILLE, Pa. (AP) - Marine Cpl. Lance Long is a new dad and he got to see the birth of his baby son. All the way from Iraq. Long was linked by a Webcam to a hospital in eastern Pennsylvania, where Klutch Lee Long was born Saturday evening. Long and his wife Chanda were able to see and talk with each other for nearly four hours before the birth. Chanda says it was the next best thing to having her husband there. Long is scheduled to return to the U.S. in April.

HAWAII SNOW
KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii (AP) - Skiing? In Hawaii? You probably think sand not snow when someone mentions Hawaii. But snow is attracting visitors to Mauna Kea, Hawaii's highest volcano, on the Big Island. Snow on the nearly 14-thousand-foot volcano usually melts in a day or two. But this winter several inches have piled up. Ron Koehler is the general manager for Mauna Kea Observatories Support Services. He says the locals love it when it snows. Koehler adds people have been skiing and snowboarding. He says snow-lovers are also filling up their pickups with the white stuff and driving the snow down to the beach.

STUCK IN VENT
OGDEN, Utah (AP) - You'll understand if one Utah woman needs to vent. Police in Ogden say a 55-year-old woman was stuck in a vent for more than day. According Lt. Scott Sangberg, family members were worried after not hearing from her. Police investigated and found the woman lodged in a large air vent in her home. Authorities say she was vacuuming the vent, thought she saw something, reached for it and fell in. The woman was sent to a hospital to be treated from cuts and scrapes.

TRAINS-BIKE HOOKS
NEW YORK (AP) - New York strap-hangers will soon have something new to hang. The Metro-North Railroad is testing bicycle hooks on a couple of train cars. New York-area commuters will be able to take their bikes along for the ride. The bike hooks are in the area of the cars also used for wheelchairs. The bike-commuters will have to remove their two-wheeled rides, if the space is needed by someone in a wheelchair. The commuter-line is looking for feedback from both handicapped and bike-riding patrons.

by Jamie Friar

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