UPI NewsTrack Quirks in the News

Election winner skipped Obama call

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich., Dec. 10 (UPI) -- A U.S. congressman-elect says he mistakenly screened out a call from U.S. President-elect Barack Obama that came in on his cellular phone.

U.S. Rep.-elect Gary Peters, a Democrat from Bloomfield Hills, Mich., told Wednesday's Detroit Free Press he's sorry now about his policy of sending calls bearing "restricted" identifications to voice mail. It turns out the one he got a few days after the Nov. 4 election was from Obama himself, calling to congratulate him on his victory over incumbent Republican Rep. Joe Knollenberg.

Peters decided not to interrupt the call he was on when the "restricted" call came in, rolling it over to voice mail, the newspaper said. But when he checked his messages later that evening, a distinctive voice said, "Gary, this is Barack Obama. I just wanted to congratulate you on your victory. You don't need to call me back."

Peters said he would have loved to return the call, yelling at his phone, "I want to call you back, what's your number? So the lesson is: Answer those restricted calls when you get them."

Award for woman who commutes 534 miles

TORONTO, Dec. 10 (UPI) -- A Nova Scotia woman who makes a 534-mile roundtrip commute to work three times a week has won a $5,000 award package from Goodyear Canada.

The tire manufacturer ran the Canada's Longest Commuter contest from September through November, and chose Leslee Nicholson, who makes the marathon trip to Halifax each week.

Nicholson works as a program development coordinator, and said each week she spends about $150 on gas for the 27 hours she's on the road, Goodyear said in a release.

"People say life is a highway, and in my case, they're not kidding," she said.

Her prize package includes new Goodyear tires, gas money and a range of maintenance services and products.

A poll commissioned by Goodyear found 25 percent of commuters saying they would accept a pay cut if it meant a shorter commute to work, and 13 percent said they've considered quitting because of the drive.

Champagne caps man's car lot rampage

BURLINGTON, Ontario, Dec. 10 (UPI) -- Police in Burlington, Ontario, are baffled as to why a man went on a destructive rampage at a car dealership, urinated on vehicles and then sipped champagne.

Halton Regional Police were called at 11:30 p.m. Monday night to Roseland Motors by a witness, the Burlington Post reported Wednesday.

Sgt. Brian Carr said the man used his Mazda pickup truck to smash into at least five parked vehicles. He then drove through the front doors of the Volkswagen dealership, but became stuck, the Hamilton Spectator said.

Witnesses said he then ran around the lot, urinating on vehicles before returning to his truck.

"He reached inside and pulled out a bottle of Champagne and a glass, climbed up onto the roof of his truck, dropped his pants and committed an indecent act," Carr said.

Police arrived just as the man was throwing debris at a tow truck driver, the report said.

Carr said the man had almost no alcohol on his breath and "there was not a mental health issue with him."

Roseland shop manager Brett Legatt estimated damage to be between $10,000 and $15,000.

Police charged Guillaume Mercier, 38, with mischief over $5,000 and committing an indecent act. He was released and will appear in court next month, police said.

L.A. woman chooses to wear resume

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 10 (UPI) -- A woman job seeker in Los Angeles says she decided to wear a shirt showing her professional resume in an attempt to draw attention to herself in the busy city.

Kelly Kinney said she after failing to get any job offers despite applying for 40 jobs daily, she decided to adorn herself with a shirt that announces her marketing experience to the world, CNN reported Wednesday.

"Publicity is something I have always been good at and basically, the name of the game is how you can get noticed, how you can distinguish yourself from everybody else," Kinney told CNN.

Kinney's specialized T-shirt includes her full resume and cover letter, along with the boldface heading "I need a job!"

In case the resume shirt does not get the job done for Kinney, the 29-year-old has also posted her resume on her car window and created special resume postcards for potential employers.

For Kinney, the active push for employment is representative of how hard she would work for any company willing to give her a chance in a city with an 8.2 percent unemployment rate.

"If I can sell myself this well, I can sell your company this well as well," she told CNN.