Breaking through the bubble

Mouse blamed for burning 81-year-old man's house

FORT SUMNER, N.M. (AP) ? One man from Fort Sumner quickly learned that one of the trickiest pests in life can be a revengeful mouse. Luciano Mares, 81, caught a mouse inside his house and wanted to quickly dispose of it. He decided to throw it in a pile of burning leaves he already had started in his yard. But after he threw the mouse in the pile and it caught fire, it quickly ran back to the bottom of a window of Mares' house, and the flames spread from there, according to Village Fire Chief Juan Chavez. No one was injured in the process, but the house was destroyed.

Eating Racoon is a right of passage for Arkansas politicians

GILLET, Ark. (AP) - The population of the small town of Gillet doubles when it comes to the tradition of a Coon Supper, where politicians eat a racoon dinner to start their political term the right way. What started as a high school athletics fundraiser has become a 60-year-old tradition. "If anybody wants to be in the political scene in Arkansas, it's a must to attend the Coon Supper," said Phil English, the master of ceremonies. Tickets for the event usually sell out weeks in advance because politicians will buy extra for supporters and colleagues. Some politicians even credit the supper to their success as a public figure. U.S. Rep. Marion Berry, D-Ark., even holds a party before the dinner. "If it weren't for the Coon Supper, I probably wouldn't be in public life today," Berry said. Linda Cover helps prepare the sweet potatoes to go with the raccoon, and describes it as a unofficial holiday for the town. "Around here, the holidays start with Thanksgiving and they're not really over until after the Coon Supper," Cover said.

Man convicted after biting his girlfriend's face

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) - A man was convicted of assault after he bit off a piece of his girlfriend's cheek and spit it on the sidewalk. Gareth Whyte, 27, of New Rochelle was found guilty on Jan.13, and may serve up to 25 years in prison when he's sentenced on March 1. Although Whyte's lawyer says there's no proof of serious injury, Prosecutor Heide Mason disagreed, as she held a jar with part of the girlfriend's cheek and said, "I'll agree the defendant is not guilty when he can put this back." The girlfriend testified that Whyte had bitten her before when he complained that her clothes were too sexy.

Parrot helps fight a burglary case

WILLIAMSPORT, PA. (AP) - When 44-year-old Michael Deeter broke into an apartment, he probably didn't think a parrot could be his biggest challenge in a burglary attempt. The blue and gold parrot named Sunshine bit Deeter as he broke into the apartment. Later, police used the blood found on Sunshine's beak and the bite mark found on Deeter's face as evidence against him. Sunshine was even able to help police determine the time of the break-in, as neighbors noticed the loud bird calls coming from next door at 3 a.m. Deeter was charged with burglary, criminal trespass, theft and criminal mischief and taken to the county jail with a $25,000 bail.

- Compiled by Jessica Frizen from http://www.excite.com