Odd News

WASHINGTON, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Those with a fetish for leather and motorcycles will in Washington the weekend before President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration, convention organizers say.

HILLSBORO, Texas, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- The son of 1950s rock 'n' roll pioneer J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson says he intends to auction his father's casket, which is on display in Texas, on eBay.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Police in Arizona said Indy Car racer Danica Patrick was pulled over for the activity she usually gets paid for -- speeding.

NAHUNTA, Fla., Dec. 31 (UPI) -- A Florida fire chief said a 6-foot-tall wooden Smokey Bear cut-out was stolen from outside of his fire station.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Dec. 31 (UPI) -- A former city commissioner in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., said someone stole his bike after he left it to check on two drivers involved in a traffic collision.

ILKESTON, England, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- A Tesco supermarket in Ilkeston, England, is already selling Easter products more than four months before the holiday, shoppers said.

PAMBULA , Australia, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Australian wildlife officials said an American alligator found at a campsite in Pambula was likely a former pet.

FRINTON, England, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- A British man said his wife's guide dog ripped up more than $350 worth of banknotes that had been collected for charity.

LONDON, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- A British research scientist said a leap second would be tacked on to the end of 2008 to correct for eccentricities in the Earth's rotation.

LIFTON, England, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- The British owner of an escaped 84-pound beaver said trees believed to have been felled by the animal have been found 20 miles away from its former home.

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich., Dec. 31 (UPI) -- A Michigan university has released its 34th annual list of words and phrases ripe for banishment from the English language, including "green" and "maverick."

LONDON, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- A mixed-race couple in Britain for the second time find themselves parents of twin girls -- one born with light skin and one with dark skin.

DAYTON, Ohio, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- A Dayton, Ohio, man was expected to recover from injuries suffered when his fiancee hit him with her car while searching for a dropped cell phone.

Woman, 88, fights attacker with squeeze ... Election judge's absentee ballot tossed ... Party shuttle founder faces own DUI ... France seeks return of royal automobile ... UPI Quirks in the News.

TROUTDALE , Ore., Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Authorities in Oregon said a nude man who attacked an elderly woman in her home fled after the victim squeezed his crotch.