oddly enough

oddly enough

Washington potato official going on all-spud diet

PASCO, Wash.

Just super-spud me.

The head of the Washington state Potato Commission says he’s sick of people linking spuds to junk food. So, starting today, Chris Voight says he’s going to eat nothing for 60 days except potatoes.

Twenty plain potatoes a day. And no cheating with cheese toppings or bacon bits.

Voight says potatoes are rich in potassium, fiber and vitamin C and have plenty of protein.

Sheriff: Burglars shower, steal

ELOY, Ariz.

These thieves made a clean getaway.

The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office says in two recent burglaries, thieves entered homes in Eloy, made a mess, stole things and even took showers.

The first robbery on Sept. 20 occurred late at night when a homeowner confronted two men trying to steal food and water about 65 miles south of Phoenix.

The burglars got away but scattered food and water around the house along with backpacks. The homeowner also discovered they had showered and used the toilet.

On Tuesday morning, deputies responded to another Eloy residence. The female home-owner told deputies thieves stole a knife and food and once again used the shower.

Old Suzuki becomes solar ride

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.

A Purdue University student has transformed an old motorcycle into a solar- powered bike with a top speed of 45 mph.

The university says in a statement that physics major Tony Danger Coiro bought the 1978 Suzuki for $50 and spent $2,500 retro-fitting it into a street-legal bike. Two solar panels mounted on either side of the bike charge its lead-acid batteries, but they also are chargeable with a plug-in AC current.

Coiro’s solar bike has a range of about 24 miles from each charge, and can go as fast as 45 mph.

The South Bend junior has received a provisional patent for his invention, and he says he hopes to improve his design to create a 100 mph, sun-driven racing machine.

Denver firefighters battle flames, fleeing bedbugs

DENVER

Denver firefighters ran into more than the normal hazards at a house fire.

Crews responding to the blaze Wednesday also had to battle bedbugs, the bloodsucking insects quickly becoming the scourge of households and businesses across the country.

Lt. Phil Champagne of the Denver Fire Department tells The Denver Post that firefighters had to be decontaminated after going into an attic where items were infested with bedbugs.

The bugs scurried away from the flames and latched onto firefighters’ equipment and gear. Some of the gear had to bagged so the bugs wouldn’t get a free ride to the firehouse.

Associated Press