Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe Camels being priced out of nativity scenes MILWAUKEE, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- Camels are getting too pricey for live Christmas nativity scenes in Wisconsin and are being replaced by much cheaper donkeys and sheep, suppliers say. Advertisement It may cost $2,100 to rent three camels on Christmas Eve for those wanting to stage live Christmas pageant nativity scenes, and hard times are prompting people to economize with $250 for six donkeys and sheep, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported Tuesday. "It goes up and down with the economy," Kathy Meyer, whose family owns Jo-Don Farms in Franksville, Wis., told the newspaper. "We were expecting this year to be worse. Some groups cut camels and went with donkeys and sheep instead." Meanwhile at Glacier Ridge Animal Farm in Van Dyne, Wis., the farm's five camels are booked for a 40-day engagement at the Oshkosh, Wis., Celebration of Lights, but owner Mark Schultz said he rented them at a discount as a community service. Advertisement Some adults get childish at Chuck E. NEW YORK, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- Executives at Chuck E. Cheese headquarters say fistfights are an anomaly at their kid-friendly U.S. restaurants although some police may disagree. The Wall Street Journal said Tuesday law-enforcement officials across the United States have seen an increasing number of altercations among adults. "The biggest problem is you have a bunch of adults acting like juveniles," said Brookfield, Wis., Police Capt. Timothy Imler, who estimated about a dozen fights were reported at the local restaurant in the past two years. "There's a biker bar down the street, and we rarely get calls there." The Journal said officials observe the high-energy atmosphere at Chuck E. Cheese can become volatile when alcohol is added to the parental instinct to protect children they fear are being threatened. Chuck E. Cheese said fights rarely occur at their 538 outlets; however, the Journal noted some restaurants have hired security guards, cut off the alcohol and established policies prohibiting gang attire. Tampa teens try to steal occupied cop car TAMPA, Fla., Dec. 9 (UPI) -- A pair of Tampa undercover police officers say the crooks came to them; a trio of teens they were tailing allegedly tried to steal their car. Advertisement Officers Colin McCoy and Gary Saunders jumped out of their unmarked car and slapped the cuffs on just as one of the culprits was about to smash the window with a chunk of concrete. The St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times said Tuesday that, according to the officers' report, the suspects shined a flashlight in the window of their car and one of them said, "Hey, how about we get this car?" One of the youths got away, but the other two confessed and said they had no idea the vehicle they were casing belonged to the police department. Smiles banned on Indiana driver's license INDIANAPOLIS, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- Drivers seeking a license in Indiana may be asked to brush their hair but they won't be asked to smile. The Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles has imposed restrictions on anything that might prevent facial recognition software from distinguishing one driver's appearance from another's, The Louisville (Ky.) Courier-Journal reported Tuesday. That includes smiling and wearing glasses, hats and scarves, said bureau spokesman Dennis Rosebrough, adding, "A straight-faced photograph enhances the effectiveness of the technology." Indiana's rules are among the most restrictive of an estimated 20 states that use facial recognition software to detect fraud in driver's licenses, the Courier-Journal reported. Advertisement Driver's license applicants in Indiana may be asked to brush their hair to assist with the technology.
