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Item one-




HAMTRAMCK, Mich. - An argument between two police officers over whether they should stop for a soft drink ended with the male officer using a Taser stun gun on his female partner, authorities say. A Taser delivers an electrical shock to immobilize its target.

Ronald Dupuis, 32, was charged Wednesday with assault, which carries up to 93 days in jail on conviction. His arraignment was not yet scheduled, Hamtramck police Chief James Doyle told the Detroit Free Press.

The chief fired Dupuis, a six-year employee, about a week after the Nov. 3 incident.

According to a police report, Dupuis and partner Prema Graham began arguing after Dupuis demanded she stop their car at a store so he could buy a soft drink. Graham instead drove back toward the police station.

The two then struggled over the steering wheel, and Dupuis used his department-issued Taser to hit Graham in the leg, the report said. She was not seriously hurt.

Hamtramck police union lawyer Eugene Bolanowski said he expected Dupuis to hire a private lawyer. Bolanowski said he would represent Dupuis should the officer be involved in a grievance.

Dupuis has worked for police departments in Ecorse, Highland Park, Inkster and Southgate and as a Wayne County sheriff's deputy.

Item three-

SALEM, N.H. -- A man dressed as Santa was arrested after he walked into a New Hampshire mall and dropped his pants in front of some teens, according to a Local 6 News report.

Police said Richard Mullen walked into the Mall at Rockingham Park in Salem and performed the act.

"He continued doing this multiple times," Salem police spokesman Robert Larson said. "He was asked to leave the mall by mall security. On his way out of the mall, he dropped the pants one more time as a couple was walking in."

Mullen did not work for the mall as Santa.

Residents at the mall said they were shocked by the man's actions.

"How would you explain that to them that Santa Claus is walking around pulling down his pants?" a mall shopper said. "How would you explain that to them? Yeah, that's disturbing."

Mullen was charged with disorderly conduct.

Item five-

Shrine

CRANSTON, R.I. - See Paris Hilton in all her seductive splendor, striking a provocative pose for passing motorists and spreading hot Christmas cheer in a chilly Rhode Island winter.

Blown-up images of Hilton and strings of pink Christmas lights adorn the front lawn of a home in a middle-class neighborhood of this city, part of a head-turning holiday display that pays homage to the famed hotel heiress.

The over-the-top pictorial is the work of Joe Moretti, a 38-year-old designer who was arrested last year for trespassing on Martha Stewart's property in Maine.

Passersby get an eyeful of Hilton sporting a tiny pink top hiding little of her chest, or wearing knee-high boots and a sultry pout or holding a finger to her lips. Even Hilton's faithful Chihuahua, Tinkerbell, is celebrated in a colorful portrait.

"If it's offending anyone, I apologize," Moretti said in a telephone interview Thursday.

"That's not the intent. The intent is to be different and to be creative and let them see a little bit of Hollywood or New York bring it to Cranston," Moretti explained.

A number of cars slowed or came to a complete stop on the busy road as they passed Moretti's house Thursday afternoon, the better to ogle a life-sized shot of Hilton with high boots, legs spread and eyes partly closed.

Moretti's display includes a list entitled "How to Be a Hilton," complete with tips such as: "An entrance is everything," "NEVER wake before 10 a.m." and "NEVER spend the summer in NYC."

Neighbors in Cranston, just south of Providence, had mixed reactions.

"It's nothing more than they could see on TV, on normal stations or actually at school," said Stefanie D'Angelos, 28, who has four children.

Added Frank DelSanto, who said he was near 80: "People should not be ashamed of their sexuality male or female."

But others were bothered.

"It has nothing to do with the holiday, and it doesn't suggest anything that's appropriate to this time of year," said Judy Gershman, 57, who said she had hadn't looked closely at the display.

Ron Raffonelli, 65, said he would be upset if his young grandchildren came to associate Christmas with naked woman. He'd prefer the kids to think of Santa Claus instead.

After all, Raffonelli said, "He's been around longer."

This is the latest in a series of artistic lawn displays decorating Moretti's lawn. Last year, he paid tribute to Martha Stewart even as he and another man faced charges for sneaking on to the domestic maven's property. The charges were later dismissed, and the men donated money to public libraries near the property. Moretti calls the incident a "big misunderstanding."

Moretti has made past tributes to Madonna, Princess Diana and Liberace.

He came upon his latest subject after meeting Hilton in a store in the Hamptons, and said he found himself fascinated.

"She was just very sweet," Moretti recalled. "So I said, 'Wow, this year I think I'm going to do a Paris Hilton Christmas.'"

Item seven-

MIAMI - The creator of an aerial skateboarding move known as ollie is suing several companies, including Disney and Sega, over the use of the word.

Alan "Ollie" Gelfand, 42, says the companies infringed on trademarking rights. He is seeking more than $20 million in damages.

"I'm just a skateboarder," Gelfand said. "I'm not a huge, mega corporation . . . yet."

Gelfand's lawsuit was sent back to Broward Circuit Court from federal court last month.

Sega Corp. sells a skateboarding arcade game called Ollie King for $9,779.99. Then there's Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure video game.

Telephone message left Thursday for Disney and game publisher Activision were not immediately returned.

Sega's Chicago lawyer, Gerald O. Sweeney Jr., said in an e-mail to The Miami Herald, "Sega is confident that Mr. Gelfand does not have a valid legal basis for suing Sega."

Retailer Ron Jon Surf Shop is named in the lawsuit, but company officials say they stopped selling Ollieboards after a cease-and-desist letter from Gelfand's lawyer.

Gelfand invented the skateboarding trick in 1976, which soon became a regular stunt with skateboarders.

Scott Schlesinger, one of Gelfand's Fort Lauderdale attorneys, says "ollie" belongs to Ollie, much as "Madonna" belongs to Madonna.

"You can't use someone's name without paying him," Schlesinger said. "This is the guy's identity. This is who he is."

Most young skateboarders today have no idea who Gelfand is, says Mark Whiteley, editor in chief of SLAP magazine, a skateboarding publication based in San Francisco.

"The only people who really remember are people who were around then or people who are interested in skateboarding history," he says. "I don't know if anyone under the age of 25 knows it came from a person."

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