Drunk Driver Opts for 'I'm Stupid' Sign

...Wisconsin, followed closely by North Dakota

(NEWSER) - America's drivers are a boozy bunch: Some 30 million admitted to driving drunk within the last year and more than 10 million drove while high on drugs, according to a new report. But those numbers actually show progress, notes MSNBC . The survey of the years 2006 through 2009 found an average drunk driving rate of 13.2%—down from 2002 to 2005's 14.6% rate; drugged driving dropped to 4.3% from 4.8%. Wisconsin leads the pack in terms of drunk drivers, with a rate of 23.7%; North Dakota follows at 22.4%. More»

Alcohol monitoring could come in handy for, say, parents of teenagers

(NEWSER) - If an alcohol-monitoring bracelet can keep celebs like Lindsay Lohan from drinking—which, of course, remains to be seen—other sobriety seekers might wonder, can I get one? Can a parent procure one to keep a teenager on the straight-and-narrow? Sadly, no. For now the device—which uses the same technology as a breathalyzer, but tests sweat, not spit—is only sold to courts, probation officers and others who want to make sure drunk drivers don't get behind the wheel, notes the AP . More on Lilo's legal woes here . More»

Man sought help in tracking down another intoxicant

(NEWSER) - A 21-year-old Oregon man called police to report that ¾ of an ounce of marijuana had been stolen from his car while he was drinking in a bar. After waiting for deputies, he began driving—despite being drunk—and called 911 again to complain. Dispatchers found him difficult to understand, though, because he kept pausing to vomit. When police found the man, he told them he was looking for the people who stole his “weed.” They arrested him for driving under the influence, the Statesman Journal reports. More»

(NEWSER) - A criminal court in the Maldives has ruled that 150 women will be flogged for having affairs in the Muslim country, reports the Independent. Some 50 men face the same punishment. Earlier this month an 18-year-old woman fainted after being flogged 100 times for having sex with two men, who were both acquitted. The woman was pregnant when she was convicted of her crime, but punishment was delayed until after the birth of her child. More»

Congressmen press for resignation of Kent in first-ever such case

(NEWSER) - A Texas judge was sentenced yesterday to 33 months in prison for lying to investigators in the first sex abuse case ever against a sitting federal judge, the AP reports. Samuel Kent pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice in February; five sex-crimes charges related to two female employees were dismissed. “Your wrongful conduct is a huge black X, a smear on the legal profession, a stain on the judicial system itself,” said the presiding judge. More»