Weird National Briefs From the Associated Press Spooky World Record Attempt in Georgia HOSCHTON, Ga. - This small northeastern Georgia town’s population boom is frightening. In a bid to break a world record for scarecrows and scare up some fun for the fall season, thousands of straw-stuffed newcomers are creeping across town. The Guinness World Record for “Most Scarecrows in One Location” belongs to the Cincinnati Horticultural Society’s Cincinnati Flower and Farm Fest, which set the record in 2003 with 3,311 scarecrows. The 1,700 real residents of Hoschton hope to roughly triple their population with 4,000 scarecrows and break the Guinness record. There’s a scuba diver, the Georgia Bulldogs football team and - of course - the cast of the Wizard of Oz. Even likenesses of Jesus and Elvis popped up. Antique dealer Robbie Bettis and her husband, Fred, are leading the effort for the town’s fall festival, which begins Monday. On Wednesday they watched over an assembly line at an old downtown train depot, where about 20 people passed wooden frames among tables of dingy clothes, yellow milk jugs, plastic grocery bags, old hats, twine, ribbon and other donated materials “We thought if we gave people something fun to do then maybe they will forget about the difficult economy,” she said. “Winning the world record is just a byproduct.” Crows and criminals beware: Two men caught knocking over scarecrows were sentenced to build 25 of them, lest they face trespassing charges, Mayor Bill Copenhaver said. TME - Hoschton’s crow population has since contacted the ACLU. And Don’t Forget the Chips! FORT MADISON, Iowa - An Illinois man who police say held five people hostage in a Fort Madison motel was arrested after he sent two of his hostages on a beer run. Police say 33-year-old Jason Slagel, of Moline, Ill., is charged with five counts of false imprisonment and going armed with intent. They say Slagel pulled a knife during an argument Tuesday night with another man and told the people in the room that they wouldn't be allowed to leave. One man was cut and Slagel had a cut on his hand, but police say the injuries weren't serious. Police say that after awhile, Slagel got thirsty and sent two of his hostages out for beer. After they left they called police and Slagel was arrested without incident.| TME - Apparently, taking hostages is thirsty work. The Nation’s Finest Restroom NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The schoolhouse lights reflect off the art deco onyx and lime green tile. The spotless terrazzo floor gleams. We're talking a high class john. The public men's room at the Hermitage Hotel has been voted the nation's best restroom for 2008 in balloting conducted for Cintas, which supplies restroom supplies and work uniforms. Hotel management has photos of weddings conducted there. And who knows what political intrigue has played out in the comfort stop across the street from Tennessee's legislative offices. Second in the voting was the 21c Museum Hotel in Louisville, Ky., where gentlemen at the urinals can look out through one-way mirrors. Lessers were Brio in Rockford, Ill., rated third; The Signature Room at the 95th in Chicago, ranked fourth; and Smith College Museum of Art in Northhampton, Mass., which placed fifth. TME - It’s like a party when you pee! Man Loses Finger on the Job…Again WATERVILLE, Wash. - Some people may lose sleep on the job or even lose the stapler off their desk. Dane Keane loses fingers. The 52-year-old Washington rodeo coordinator was helping to secure a bull in a bucking chute Saturday evening when his finger got caught between a rope and a metal fence pole. His left index finger ended up being amputated at the second joint. But it wasn't his first time losing a finger on the job. In 2000, Keane lost the end of his right ring finger to a bull. Keane, also a Douglas County commissioner, says he loves the rodeo but says it's “a little on the bad luck side” for him. TME - Perhaps he should consider a safer occupation, like chainsaw juggling. Democracy For All! FEDERAL WAY, Wash. - A judge has decided that a suburban Seattle woman who registered her Australian shepherd-terrier mix to vote has spent enough time in the legal doghouse. Jane Balogh had been charged with making a false statement but entered into a plea agreement last year. A King County judge dismissed the charge Monday after Balogh showed that she had paid $240 in court costs and completed community service. Balogh says she registered her dog Duncan to protest a loophole in the law that she says makes voter registration so easy a nonexistent person could be added to the voter rolls. She says she made no secret of her action after the fact, telling a number of elected officials she had registered her dog. And she says Duncan never voted. TME - And by “never voted,” she means “voted for Nader.”