INAUGURAL PARADE-HAWAII
HONOLULU (AP) - Lots of drill teams are practicing for the inaugural parade. But one high school is putting its marchers on ice. President-elect Barack Obama is a graduate of the Punahou School in Honolulu, Hawaii. The school's ROTC marching unit and cheerleaders aren't used to Washington's mid-winter chill. Temps in Honolulu were in the mid-70's yesterday. So, the kids will rehearse in Hawaii's only ice rink. The Ice Palace in Honolulu is donating an hour on the ice next week, to give the students a chance to chill out. They'll be marching down Washington's Pennsylvania Ave. Jan. 20, as part of the inaugural celebration.

INAUGURATION-ROVER
WASHINGTON (AP) - What has 12 wheels, looks like something from outer space and will be in the inaugural parade? It's a moon buggy. NASA will be part of President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration celebration. A next generation moon rover will be driven by an astronaut down Washington's Pennsylvania Ave. NASA hasn't selected
the final design for the moon buggy slated for a lunar mission in about 12 years. But the prototype to be driven in Washington is the leading contender. The astronauts from the recent space shuttle Endeavour mission will also be marching in the inaugural parade.

BUMBLING ROBBER
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) - Squirting a robber with pepper spray might not sound too unusual. Unless the robber sprays himself. Police in Council Bluffs, Iowa, are looking for a guy who doesn't know which is the business end of the self-defense device. Officers say the bumbling bandit robbed a phone store by threatening the clerk with a gun. Police add the robber also pulled out a can of pepper spray and tried to use it on the store employee. But the man sprayed himself in the face. He also sprayed the clerk and made a run for it.

METH LAB-FUNERAL HOME
WALNUT RIDGE, Ark. (AP) - Police charge Robert Lee Lewis was dying to cook up some meth. According to officers, Lewis set up a meth lab in the basement of a Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, funeral home. Authorities say officers noticed a light on after hours and went in an open door to investigate. Inside, police report finding all the equipment and chemicals needed for meth production. Lewis is a former employee of the funeral home. He was busted when he returned to the funeral parlor.

STADIUM DOG RUN
NEW YORK (AP) - Jackie the Mets mutt is getting a jump on opening day. The stray dog has been spotted sniffing around the New York Mets new ballpark, Citi Field. Animal control officers were sent to the still unfinished stadium this week to rescue the dog. A city animal control official says the dog led officers on a run around home plate, up the first base line and into the stands. Officers finally caught the shepherd mix, which rescuers are calling Jackie. She's been taken to a Manhattan shelter. Officials say Jackie could be adopted as soon as tomorrow.

RARE BASEBALL CARD
FRESNO, Calif. (AP) - Bernice Gallego almost sold a very rare baseball card -- for just ten bucks. The card was in her Fresno, California, antique shop and she's not sure where or when she got it. The 1869 card shows the Cincinnati Red Stockings. She says if a friend hadn't noted its likley value, she would have sold the card on eBay for $10. The card is considered particularly important because the Red Stockings laid the foundation for today's Major League Baseball.

by Jamie Friar

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