FIST BUMP ROBBERY
MILWAUKEE (AP) - "Thank you for your service." Lots of veterans will be hearing that today, Veterans Day. But in Milwaukee it was a mugger who thanked an Army reservist -- and gave him back his wallet. The robbery victim is a 21-year-old University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee student who was robbed early yesterday morning. He says four men mugged him at gunpoint. But when one of the bandits found his military ID, the robber thanked the young man, apologized and told the others to return his stuff. The apparent leader of the pack also gave the victim a quick fist bump. The victim asked not to be named because his keys are still missing. Police say they're looking for the muggers.

RECOVERED VAN
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) - Authorities have have found Michele Squires' VW microbus -- 35 years after it was stolen. The 1965 van is now in better shape then when she owned it. The old VW has been restored and could be worth as much as 25 grand. Customs agents found the van in a shipping container bound for the Netherlands. A computer check showed the vehicle had been stolen from a Spokane, Wash., repair shop in 1974. Squires received an insurance settlement, so her old VW now belongs to Allstate. Squires tells The Spokesman-Review she doesn't know if she can afford to buy back her VW, but she'd like to get first crack at purchasing it.

GORILLA BLOOD PRESSURE
ATLANTA (AP) - Ozzie the gorilla isn't so tough -- even though he's the test subject for the Gorilla Tough Cuff. It's a device designed to take a gorilla's blood pressure. Researchers and Ozzie keepers at Zoo Atlanta have trained him to have his blood pressure taken without putting up a fuss. The zoo keepers say it's a first for any zoo in the world. The Gorilla Tough Cuff is designed by students from Georgia Tech. Zoo officials say it will be useful for detecting heart disease in aging apes.

CROSSING GUARD DOG
LYNNWOOD, Wash. (AP) - The crossing guard at a Washington state elementary school is a Saint -- a St. Bernard. Lulu helps the kids cross the street near Lynndale Elementary. She belongs to human crossing guard Jill Jaspers. Lulu even has a uniform -- a bright orange reflective vest. Jaspers tells a local paper (The Herald) the kids love having Lulu around. She adds the passing drivers even slow down a bit more to take a look at the big dog.

DOGS IN COURTHOUSE
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) - A South Carolina judge is in the doghouse -- for bringing her dogs to the courthouse. Circuit Judge Diane Goodstein (good-steen) takes her two spaniels and Airedale to work. But some members of the Dorchester County Council would like her honor to keep her pooches at home. The council wants dogs in the courthouse restricted to service dogs. But Goodstein tells the Post and Courier of Charleston that her K-9 companions are house-trained and don't have any doggie accidents in court.

AUSTRALIA-CAR WASH
BRISBANE, Australia (AP) - The full service wash is for the car
-- not the guys. Police in a rural Australian town report busting four young men for exposure and public nuisance. Police say the four guys stripped down in the Smart Wash, while their girlfriends took sudsy snapshots. A police sergeant notes the high pressure water could be very dangerous -- and not just to the tender spots. The sergeant says the car wash spray could take out someone's eye.

by Jamie Friar

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