June 15, 2009 02:13 pm
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A woman who just graduated from college in Ohio says she was afraid her big day was going to turn into a blessed event.
Expectant mother Dawn Thompson Ester thought she had gone into labor during Friday's commencement at Columbus State University. So, she was moved up from No. 749 in the order for receiving degrees to first place in line.
Ester got her diploma and then rushed off the stage with one hand clutching the document and the other on her swollen belly. A medic with a stretcher was waiting to take her to the hospital.
But it turned out the pains were just a false alarm, and the hospital sent her home.
- A high school computer whiz didn't get a high grade for a recent feat: designing software to shut teachers out of the grading system.
A New York State Police spokeswoman says 16-year-old Matthew Beighey has been charged with unauthorized use of a computer and third-degree identity theft. He was ordered to return to court Wednesday.
The school district says the teenager temporarily blocked teachers' ability to enter grades at the high school in upstate Clifton Park. They needed technical support to regain access.
- Call it a rude awakening — and a scary one at that.
A New York City teen waking up in his family's first-floor apartment in the Bronx came face-to-face with a 3-foot long boa constrictor. Yikes!
Kareem Lewis woke up around 10 a.m. Sunday to find the reptile in his home. He called authorities, who kept the snake inside a pillow case until animal control officials came to the scene.
- And taxi passengers in New York are getting a chance to show their creative side.
Taxi driver Fabio Peralta has turned the backseat of his yellow cab into an art studio.
When a passenger hops in, Peralta hands the rider a pen and a stack of computer paper. He tell his fares to draw anything they want.
So far, the Dominican Republic native has collected 7,000 sketches. They include depictions of a hummingbird, mountain cabin scenes, President Barack Obama, and some X-rated images.
Other passengers use the paper he supplies to write personal confessions, which Peralta says he doesn't read.
When he gets enough drawings, he binds them into glossy booklets. Peralta gives the booklets away to riders who participate in another of his projects: 30-second video skits of passengers.
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