News In Brief

IT WAS HERE A MINUTE AGO

Frankie Young was frantic. For almost an hour his sheriff's department cruiser, with police dog inside, was missing - and from right outside Davidson County offices in Lexington, N.C. He thought it had been stolen. Wrong. His boss, Sheriff Gerald Hege, ordered it hidden to teach Young and the other deputies a lesson: Never leave a patrol car unlocked. Said Hege: "I couldn't have spent $10,000 [on training] to have what this can do."

YES, HE WAS OUT OF BREATH

Most of us enter tall buildings and head for the elevators. Not Javier Zapata. Last Saturday, he climbed the 943 steps of Colombia's highest structure, the Colpatria Tower in Bogot - on his bicycle. What's more, his feet touched nothing but the pedals until he reached the roof. And he has live TV coverage to prove it. Zapata already is the Guinness Book of World Records-holder for two-wheeled climbing, having done 760 steps last year. His next target: a 60- or 65-story building, "maybe in Miami."

Disney's 'Dinosaur' tramples competition at the box office

After conquering the box office for two weekends, "Gladiator" was knocked out of the top spot by "Dinosaur." Disney's animated tale amassed $38.9 million in its first weekend - the best movie debut this year, according to box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations Inc. "Gladiator," meanwhile, became only the second movie in 2000 whose total gross has topped $100 million (the other is "Erin Brockovich"). But these rankings probably won't last for long, since Tom Cruise's "Mission: Impossible 2" opens today. The box-office leaders May 19-21 (in millions):

1. Dinosaur $38.9

2. Gladiator 19.7

3. Road Trip 15.5

4. U-571 4.6

5. Frequency 4.3

6. Battlefield Earth 3.92

7. Small Time Crooks 3.88

8. Center Stage 3.3

9. Where the Heart Is 2.8

10. The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas 2.5

- Associated Press

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