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Neighborhood watch sets off burglar alarm

SAGINAW, Mich., Dec. 5 (UPI) -- A Saginaw, Mich., neighborhood watch group said it had to cancel a meeting after arriving members tripped a burglar alarm.

Bonnie Leiner, president of the Covenant Neighborhood Association, said the alarm started blaring after she opened the doors of Communications Workers of America Hall for Wednesday evening's meeting, the Saginaw News reported.

Leiner said members tried for almost an hour to contact someone who could switch the alarm off, but they were eventually forced to cancel the gathering 10 minutes after it was supposed to have started.

"It was just ridiculous. Nobody could hear anything," Leiner said of the noise from the alarm. "Whoever is there earlier does not usually set the alarm when they leave, but they must have this time."

Beer run in leaky boat turns dangerous

TOWNSVILLE, Australia, Dec. 5 (UPI) -- Five men making a beer run in a leaky boat from an Australian island to the mainland almost lost their lives when they ran out of gas.

The men decided to leave Palm Island in northern Queensland to buy beer Monday because the only liquor license on the island had been revoked the same day, the Townsville Bulletin reported. They got to the Forrest Beach Hotel safely and bought a case of beer each but got into trouble on the return trip.

They were not reported missing for more than 24 hours after they were expected back on the island, police said. Senior Sgt. Jason Jesse of the Townsville Water Police said the men told relatives they were going fishing, not buying beer.

On Tuesday, shortly before the men were reported missing, Palm Island Mayor Alfred Lacey said the closing of the Coolgaree Bay Hotel might drive islanders to making dangerous boat trips to buy liquor.

The men were located shortly after midnight Wednesday. David Ede of the Townsville Coast Guard described them as "wet and cold" and said they were bailing hard.

Stolen ring returned mysteriously

HOUSTON, Dec. 5 (UPI) -- A Houston woman whose Texas A&M University ring was stolen from her car more than a year ago said the ring was mysteriously returned to her in the mail.

Betty Ghio, 52, said the ring was stolen -- along with an iPod, a cell phone, purses, three dozen new golf balls and about $100 -- while her PT Cruiser was parked outside of a bank in June 2007, the Houston Chronicle reported.

"I was just shattered, coming out to my car and seeing this," Ghio said. "It was only about $1,800 in goods that were stolen. But my A&M ring, you couldn't put a value on that."

Ghio said she received a plain brown envelope in the mail just before Thanksgiving that bore no return address and contained only the ring and a note from someone who identified herself only as "Martha."

The sender said the ring, which had Ghio's name inscribed inside the band, had been discovered by her friend's husband. She said the man works as a maintenance man for a Houston apartment complex and found the ring in an apartment after the renters had moved out.

"It's great to see such a random act of human kindness that makes you feel good about people," Ghio said. "I believe things happen for a reason. I'm not sure why this happened, but there's a reason."

Hotel maids return lost heirloom jewelry

EAU CLAIRE, Wis., Dec. 5 (UPI) -- A Wisconsin woman says she was pleasantly surprised to hear two maids at a local hotel had found the heirloom jewelry she had feared was lost forever.

Lynnae Helland of Eau Claire said she realized she lost more than $3,000 worth of jewelry after staying at The Plaza Hotel and Suites but calls to the hotel offered no clue to the heirlooms' location, the Leader-Telegram newspaper in Eau Claire reported.

"I was just sick to my stomach," Helland said of her reaction to last weekend's jewelry disappearance. "I didn't sleep at all that night."

Helland said Wednesday she received a call that hotel housekeepers Sue Weggen and Cheryl Wilson had found the jewelry and turned it in.

"I got a call (Wednesday) morning and was told a maid had found my jewelry and turned it in," Helland told the Leader-Telegram. "Every single piece was there."

Tammy Cook, housekeeping supervisor for the Plaza, said it was the staff's pleasure to reunite Helland with her missing goods.

"She was very happy and she gave us a tip," Cook said.