March 12

Officials at a Florida airport said security workers want to replace two carpets at checkpoints they say have been ruined by passengers' smelly feet. Palm Beach County Airports Director Bruce Pelly said at an advisory board meeting Wednesday that security officials at Palm Beach International Airport "are complaining of odor" left behind on the floors from the smelly feet of those who remove their shoes for the two security checkpoints. A spokeswoman with the Transportation Security Administration, which operates the security checkpoints, said officials would support changing the carpets.

March 11

Two captured ghosts have sold on a New Zealand auction website. The seller described the ghosts this way: "One spirit we believe is a man by the name of Les Graham, managed to track down a photo. He died in the house in the 1920's. Exorcist believes this spirit likes to make himself known and spook people. but he is not a very strong spirit. The other spirit came from when me and my partner stupidly did an Oujia Board. We believe it is a little girl who likes to move things and turn things on and off. Exorcist says she is VERY strong and if left will get stronger." The buyer -- who paid over $2,000 -- is getting two bottles, each supposedly containing the ghosts.

March 10

A 32-year-old Kentucky woman who said she didn't know that she was pregnant delivered her newborn son on the floor of her laundry room by herself and even cut the umbilical cord. Kelly Bottom said that she also picked up her other son from school and stopped in at the baby's grandmother's house to show her the infant before going to the hospital last Thursday. Mother and baby were discharged from the hospital Monday after checking in Thursday night.

March 9

Police in Wichita, Kansas, are investigating an odd crime that involves drugs, assault and Monopoly money. It started as a routine traffic stop Thursday evening. When police pulled over the car they found a 33-year-old man bleeding from the head and telling an unusual story. The victim said a couple of weeks ago he bought several hundred dollars of crack-cocaine with Monopoly money and now the dealer was ready for pay back. The man said that the guy from whom he had bought the drugs was upset and invited him over to his house and upon arrival struck him in the head several times. The victim was able to get away and escape serious injury.

March 8

In Colorado, a long-running argument over a favorite McDonald's parking spot has resulted in an assault conviction. A Colorado jury on Friday convicted 52-year-old Vernon Brandt (of Loveland) of felony third-degree assault for a 2008 fight with 85-year-old Richard Albers. On the day of the assault, Albers walked up to Brandt's truck because Brandt was blocking the spot Albers has been using almost every morning for 16 years. Albers tapped on Brandt's door, and Brandt then swung open his truck door, knocking Albers to the ground. Brandt then allegedly got out of his car, grabbed Albers and threatened to fight him. Prosecutors said the men had argued over the spot before.

March 5

A Western Massachusetts funeral home is trying "bring life" to business with a chili cook-off, a murder-mystery show and free limo rides to couples on their 50th anniversaries. Terry Probst, the new managing partner of the Devanny-Condron Funeral Home in Pittsfield, hopes the events will remind people that the funeral home is a center for community life. He said if customers know that the funeral home also can be the setting for other, happier activities, they might take some comfort in the place later when dark times come. Among other other events sponsored by the funeral home are an art walk, a visit by the Easter Bunny, and monthly birthday cakes to the Pittsfield Senior Center.

March 4

A New Jersey family said a police officer asked them to cover up portions of their snow sculpture -- a nude tribute to the Venus de Milo. An officer visited the home of Elisa Gonzalez, who built the snow sculpture with her daughter and son last week, on an anonymous complaint "of a naked snow woman." Gonzalez said the officer told the family he appreciated the armless replica of the ancient Greek statue. However, she said the officer asked the family to put clothes on the sculpture. Gonzalez said they put a green bikini top and a blue sarong on Venus.

March 3

A nightclub partier was detained by German police after they caught trying to snort drugs off the top of their unmarked patrol car. The 26-year-old was lining up the powdered drugs on the roof of the car in a nightclub parking lot when the two police officers surprised him. The man had no idea the vehicle belonged to the police, and it was coincidence that the officers -- who were walking by their parked car -- discovered him just as he was about to take the drugs.

March 2

In Florida a man allegedly called 911 more than 200 times over three days. Authorities say Timothy Todd Lawrence spoke only to female dispatchers, and made sexually explicit remarks to one of them. He told dispatchers he did not need emergency assistance. Lawrence allegedly made 151 calls on February 13 between 2am and 10:52am alone. He continued the calls over the next few days.

March 1

A sheriff's deputy in Panama City Beach, Florida, rounded up a group of men wearing "Speedos, dresses and other costumes" — including panty hose — Saturday after a manager at Kmart complained the troupe was disrupting business. The deputy wrote in his report: "Upon my arrival I found a male attempting to leave the store. He was wearing a Speedo and sneakers." The deputy wrote that he instructed that man to wait at the front entrance "while I rounded up the other individuals." He eventually got them all in one place. One of them, an 18-year-old man, "was wearing a white dress with red panty hose along with red lipstick."