Strange but True

Customs officials said Monday they stopped a woman as she arrived Friday in the southern city of Melbourne on a flight from Singapore and found 51 live tropical fish allegedly hidden in a specially designed apron under her skirt.

"During the search customs officers became suspicious after hearing 'flipping' noises coming from the vicinity of her waist," the Australian Customs Service said in a press release. "An examination revealed 15 plastic water-filled bags holding fish allegedly concealed inside a purpose-built apron."

The species of fish was not immediately known, but customs officials warned they could carry diseases that could decimate Australian fish if they escaped into local rivers.

Customs officers will charge the woman once they establish what species the fish are. If convicted of smuggling wildlife, she faces a fine of up to U.S. $83,617 and could also get a prison sentence of up to 10 years.

Good grief? Charlie's wild ride

Santa Rosa - Charlie Brown is back in town. Restaurateur Bob Forsyth said a Good Samaritan returned the stolen statue of the Peanuts character to Forsyth's restaurant early Monday morning after retrieving it from the thieves who took it early Saturday morning.

"Someone called the restaurant around 12:15 or 12:30 and told our security guy they knew where the statue is," Forsyth said Monday morning.

The male caller said his friend stole the statue of Charlie Brown in chef's attire from the front of Michele's Restaurant at Seventh and Adams streets. The caller dropped off the statue at the restaurant around 3 a.m., Forsyth said. The statue is one of 55 placed in and around Santa Rosa, where Peanuts creator Charles Schulz lived until his death in February 2000, in a public art installation called "It's Your Town, Charlie Brown." Schulz drew the Peanuts cartoon for 55 years.

Whoever kidnapped Charlie Brown severed the bolts that attached the loveable blockhead to a 200-pound base, Forsyth said.