One down, one to go

One down, one to go

LEVANT, Maine - The bad news is that James Lee demolished his sport utility vehicle in a crash. The good news: It wasn't the SUV he'd just won in a contest.

Lee told police he wrecked his 2003 Lincoln Navigator last week after being startled by a spider. Lee, 28, walked away with a bloody nose caused by the air bag.

It could've been worse. He wasn't driving his new Volvo XC90, like the one pictured above, according to Darling's Volvo in Bangor.

Last month, Lee was one of 11 people nationwide to win a new vehicle from McDonald's, the Bangor Daily News reported. He got the winning piece for the "Pirates of the Caribbean" game with a Big Mac meal.

Objects in the mirror ought not be, really

SYDNEY, Australia - A22-year-old man tried to drive 310 miles in reverse on a remote highway after his transmission failed, blocking his forward gears, police said.

The man was stopped by Western Australia state police last week after they spotted his car roaring in reverse at about 40 mph, according to a statement.

He was en route to the state capital, Perth, when his transmission failed outside a restaurant in the Outback town of Kalgoorlie, about 300 miles away. Rather than call a mechanic, he continued driving - in reverse.

Police said they stopped the man, whose identity was not released, about 12 miles from where his backward journey began.

A breath test for alcohol proved negative, but the man was charged with reckless driving and other traffic offenses, police said.

Saints and sinners

The football team isn't the only thing on an upswing in post-Katrina New Orleans.

Hookers are getting along quite well, according to a Sunday report in the The Times-Picayune newspaper.

Police say the presence of as many as 50,000 out-of-town workers helping with the city's reconstruction has prompted a blossoming prostitution trade.

It's "like the Super Bowl" for sex workers, Deputy Chief James Scott told the Time-Picayune. "They're stuck here without their families, and that has attracted a lot of prostitutes," he said of the out-of-town workers.

Scott said like their johns, many of the hookers come from elsewhere. The unfamiliar faces and increased use of the Internet is making busts more difficult, he said. Others credited the lack of jail space and light criminal charges.

Today's best bet

9th Annual Chef's Gala & Auction

Tastes from area's top chefs, as well as wine and beer.

5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Ramada Plaza Suites,

Crystal Ballroom, Fargo, (701) 232-2624

If there's something you want to see in The Rail, e-mail Features Editor John Lamb at jlamb@forumcomm.com