Odds & Ends

Grave lottery

BERLIN (AP) » Quiet neighbors, pristine grounds and a view to die for: Nowonder graveyard plots in Berchtesgaden are in high demand.

TheGerman news agency dpa reported Saturday that the picturesque town in the Bavarian Alps is nowtaking the unusual step of holding a lottery for vacant spaces in its cemetery.

For years, authorities had to turn down applicants hoping to secure a final resting place in the 17thcentury graveyard due to lack of space.

With 200 new plots being created from unused spaces, the town has decided to stage a lottery Wednesday to ensure that everyone has an equal chance of getting a place in the cemetery.

About 280 people have applied.

Pulling over troopers

PHOENIX (AP) » Arizona authorities say a 44-year-old uniformed security guard is accused of impersonating a police officer by trying to pull over an unmarked car that happened to contain two state troopers patrolling a Phoenix freeway.

The Department of Public Safety says Matthew Allen Disbro of Mesa was driving his personal black Dodge Charger onWednesday when he activated lawenforcement- style emergency lights on his car to pull over the troopers’ yellow Ford Mustang.

According to the depart- ment, the troopers wouldn’t pull over, Disbro then drove alongside, yelled and waved a hand at the troopers to get them to pull over before they activated their own vehicle’s police lights and pulled him over.

Court records don’t list an attorney for Disbro who could comment on the allegations.