Of Human Interest: News lite

CIGAR CAMP FOR GIRLS

The Wild Women on Wheels Motorcycle Club holds its sixth annual Cigar Camp ride to Pittsburgh's Bloom's Cigar Store on Saturday.

The ride is a membership drive to invite female Harley Davidson owners to learn more about the club.

Bloom's owner, Mark Adams, says: "The girls come in, grab a cigar from the humidor and make themselves at home. I've never seen a group better demonstrate camaraderie. They all know each other's first name, they all know each other's lives -- good and bad.

Adams says he wishes he had a group of guys to hang out with like the girls.

TEXAS MAN SAYS 'IDOL' HIS IDEA

Harry Keane Jr., formerly of Marshalltown, Iowa, and late of Texas, says he's the guy who came up with the idea for the hit TV show "American Idol."

Keane, who says he came up with the concept a decade ago, has filed suit in federal court against Fox Television Stations Inc., charging copyright and trademark infringement and seeking an undisclosed amount of money.

Keane told the Des Moines Register his idea came from a show he promoted that pitted Elvis impersonators against each other. The idea flopped when he tried it in Marshalltown in 1994.

Fox called the lawsuit "ridiculous."

NEW 'MISS EARTH' CROWNED

Winnie Omwakwe, 21, of Kenyan has made history by becoming the first black woman to win the Miss Earth title.

The 2002 title winner takes over from Dzejla Glavovic of Slovakia, who was dethroned on Saturday for misbehavior, lack of cooperation and failing to carry out her official duties.

Omwakwe was last year's Miss Tourism-Kenya first runner-up and represented the country in the 2002 Miss Earth contest in Manila in October.

She is the third Kenyan to claim an internationally recognized pageant title.

(Thanks to Kennedy Obara in Kenya)

FINGERS INSTEAD OF LUNCH TICKET

Akron, Ohio, school officials are spending $700,000 on a futuristic fingerprinting system to replace meal tickets in school cafeterias.

The technology will scan a child's fingerprints in the lunch line to identify students entitled to a free or reduced price meal.

Opponents of the touch screen fingerprint scanning system said they were concerned about privacy issues and the cost.

Parents who don't want their children fingerprinted can request an identification card.