California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill on Wednesday merging two separate state departments into a new agency to combat high-tech identity theft. The California Office of Information Security and Privacy Protection was created to assist consumers, law enforcement, businesses and advocacy groups in compliance with consumer privacy laws. It combines the Office of Privacy Protection in the Department of Consumer Affairs with the state Information Security Office.

Another lucky ticket was purchased by someone on Fond du Lac, Wisconsin's "Miracle Mile. " Last Tuesday, a winning ticket for a $1 million lottery jackpot was purchased at a store on a street where winning tickets claimed multimillion-dollar jackpots last year and in the 1990s. The ticket for the Holiday Millions Raffle was sold at a Ma and Pa's Grocery Express outlet in a stretch of downtown Fond du Lac where another Ma and Pa's store sold a $208. 6 million Powerball ticket in 2006 and several others sold multimillion-dollar tickets in the 1990s.

Long-standing rivalries between Greek Orthodox and Armenian priests broke into a brawl during holiday cleaning on Thursday inside the church of the Nativity. The Greek Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic authorities and Roman Catholic religious groups jointly administer the basilica, which is considered holy by Christians who believe it sits over the site in Bethlehem where many believe Jesus was born. When any one of those groups thinks that their turf has been encroached on, it causes problems.

A 77-year old man found himself stuck upside-down in his septic tank, in what he described as the worst Christmas Eve he had ever experienced. "It wasn't good, I'll tell you what," said Robert Schoff, recalling how his head was in the tank and his feet were kicking in the air.

Hawaiian Airlines will refund a would-be passenger a full $225 it collected as a processing fee after she canceled a Hawaii trip for three. Jane Wilkens was supposed to travel with her 77-year-old mother and a family friend, but her mother passed away unexpectedly on September. When Wilkens asked for a refund for $4,287, Hawaiian Airlines tacked a $225 processing fee. Before Jane's mother could make the trip, she underwent surgery for a back problem, but she died three days later from a blood clot.