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Drunk man steals ambulance, crashes it

CHICAGO, Oct. 2 (UPI) -- A 37-year-old drunk man stole an ambulance from a Chicago hospital before crashing it and needing assistance from another ambulance, police say.

Paramedics were putting an unoccupied stretcher into an empty ambulance at Norwegian-American Hospital when the man got in and took off, the Chicago Tribune reported.

He crashed the ambulance a mile and a half away, hitting several vehicles on the way, Chicago Police News Affairs Officer Amina Greer said.

The man suffered minor injuries and was transported back to Norwegian-American Hospital in another ambulance.

Charges are pending, the newspaper said.

Mayor rejects idea to move crocodile

BUNAWAN, Philippines, Oct. 2 (UPI) -- The mayor of a town in the Philippines rejected a proposal to move a 1-ton crocodile to a wildlife compound because the mayor has grown attached to the reptile.

Environment Secretary Ramon Paje suggested Lolong, the 21-foot crocodile captured last month in Bunawan, be transferred to the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife compound in Quezon City, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported.

"I'm so attached to Lolong. I spend most of my time with the crocodile. I consider him my son now," Bunawan Mayor Edwin Elorde said Saturday.

Elorde said he would like the crocodile to be a tourist attraction, to include a large park in Bunawan.

"The first phase [of the park's construction] covers at least 20 hectares," Elorde said.

"We are capable of taking care of the crocodile. The provincial government as well as other prominent personalities have promised to help us," he said.

However, the mayor said he recognizes the decision to keep Lolong is ultimately up to the residents of Bunawan.

"I cannot decide on my own. I'm just their representative," Elorde said.

Lolong is currently being held in a fenced-in pond in the village of Consuelo in Bunawan.

N.M. balloon festival sets world record

ALBUQUERQUE, Oct. 2 (UPI) -- The 40th Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in New Mexico said it set a world record Saturday by launching 345 hot air balloons into the sky in 1 hour.

The annual October balloon festival is petitioning to have the number added to the Guinness World Records, Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta Inc. said in a release Saturday.

"There's no better way to celebrate the 40th Balloon Fiesta than breaking a world record on our opening day," said John Sena, president of the board for the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. "It was a beautiful day and a signature moment for the world's premier balloon event."

The current record is held by the 12th Lorraine World Air Balloon Festival in Chambley-Bussieres, France, which launched 343 balloons earlier this year.

The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, the largest gathering of balloons and balloonists in the world, held the record in 2000 by launching 329 balloons in 1 hour.

Artist ordered to paint over mural beaver

MARTINEZ, Calif., Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Officials in Martinez, Calif., ordered an artist to paint over the image of a beaver he included in the mural he was commissioned to create for the city.

Martinez officials said they had artist Mario Alfaro paint over the beaver because the animal, while beloved by city residents, does not belong on the downtown mural alongside images of Martinez natives including John Muir and Joe DiMaggio, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Friday.

"Everyone's saying we hate beavers, but this is not about liking beavers or not liking beavers," Public Works Director Dave Scola said. "We went through a lengthy planning process, and never once did anyone ask for a beaver. Not one person said, 'Hey, I have an idea, let's put a beaver in there.'"

Alfaro said he was so upset by the city's request that he also painted over his own name on the mural.

"I feel they do not respect me," he said. "Every day, people ask me, 'Where is the beaver?' So I want to please the people and I put in a beaver. It was really a very small beaver. But the city did not want it."