In $hape Means In The Money
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}And now some fresh pickings from the wartime grapevine:
Big Find
The U.S. military says that alongside a big weapons cache in the largely pro-Saddam Sunni Triangle in Iraq, coalition sources found Al Qaeda videotapes and Al Qaeda literature. The military discovered the tapes and literature -- along with 19 AK-47 assault rifles, 43 rocket propelled grenade launchers, 79 rocket propelled grenades, 160 mortar rounds and 8000 rounds of ammunition -- at a site in the city of Samarra. The military would not say how it found out about the site.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In $hape Means In The Money
As the nation is on high alert and looking to local law enforcement for security, the Chicago Police Department has offered its officers $250 to stay in shape and pass a test proving it.
But, of Chicago's 13,500 officers, only about 2,700 have bothered to take the city up on its offer. And about 200 of them couldn't pass the test -- which required officers to run one and a half miles, bench press most of their body weight, do sit-ups and demonstrate their flexibility.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Still, that's better than 2 years ago, when the department offered lapel pins to officers who could demonstrate they were in shape ... and only 350 officers bothered to take the test.
Police Told Not to Patrol
Meanwhile, in Nogales, Mexico, -- in an effort to keep everybody safe this New Year's -- authorities have ordered all police officers to abandon the streets and head for cover as midnight approaches. You see, the locals in Nogales like to ring in the New Year by firing guns into the air ... and the public safety director there is worried stray bullets may hit unsuspecting police officers.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Pennsylvania Won't 'Deal With It'
And finally ... Pennsylvania's looking for a new official tourism slogan, and it's asking the public for recommendations.
But the Pennsylvania Tourism Office isn't happy with some of the recommendations it's received so far, including this one: "Pennsylvania: Gateway to New Jersey"... and another, slightly ill-tempered one: -- "Pennsylvania: We're old. We're cranky. Deal with it."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Of the 18 entries actually still being considered, 5 will make it to the finals in the next few months, at which point the public will be able to vote for its favorite.
— FOX News' Michael Levine contributed to this report