It?s ?car insurance by the tankful? says the Sacramento Bee. Motivated by a desire to cut the amount of time Californians spend driving, new proposal would let drivers purchase insurance plans based on the number of miles they drive. At the end of the year, either a rebate or a bill would be issued to each policy holder. Researchers predict that nationwide, driving would decrease eight percent and oil consumption would fall four percent if all drivers signed up for a pay-as-you-drive plan.

If you?re looking to slim down here?s something to avoid: marriage. According to researchers, new couples risk gaining weight when they decide to settle down, especially in the first two years. The Houston Chronicle puts a nice spin on the story, writing that ?maybe they’re called love handles for a reason.?

There’s a story in today?s Wall Street Journal about a fascinating tax case. For billionaire Julian Robertson there was a lot on the line - $27 million dollars. And it came down to a question of four days. Robertson had to prove he wasn?t in New York City for a majority of days in 2000. If he slept in New York on those four days, the state would deem him a city resident and he’d pay higher taxes. The investigation looked at everything from phone calls to car service receipts to piece the story together.

Taking a cue from the NFL, refs are cracking down on touchdown celebrations at high school football games says the Washington Post. A recent memo from the national organization that governs the sport reminded players that overenthusiastic displays near the goal posts qualify as ?inappropriate behavior? and can result in suspension. But coaches and parents complain that the vaguely worded rule is taking all the joy out of the game.

I?ve often seen parents running to make the train and cringed a little when they hold the door with their strollers. That strategy took a dangerous turn in Chicago when a child fell onto the tracks as her mother raced to make a departing train. The doors closed on the pair, pushing the mother back onto the platform and her 22-month-old daughter into the gravel track bed. The Sun-Times says thanks to quick-acting passersby, the baby and the mother are both fine.

Warren Buffett is placing a big bet on the US economy. The Wall Street Journal reports that Buffett?s Berkshire Hathaway will buy Burlington Northern, the country?s largest railroad operator, for $26 billion. The Journal says he thinks the railway will be very profitable as the US economy recovers.

It looks like the real thing but law enforcement officials say it?s an imposter. A ?legal pot? made of herbs and chemicals that mimic the effects of marijuana is becoming so popular that some want to make it illegal says the Kansas City Star. Called K2, the substance first gained popularity with parolees trying to avoid failing a drug test. The paper says K2 is readily available on the Internet and in specialty shops.

The assistant White House chef is serving up more than just meals these days. The New York Times says 29-year-old Sam Kass has a hand in the pot when it comes to food and nutrition-related legislation. Insiders say that Kass, who has no formal training in cooking or in politics, has become a confident to both Obamas and is a “vital conduit to the first family.”

The New York Times has news on its rival this morning, reporting that the Wall Street Journal is hiring staff for a local New York City edition. The Times says this is the latest development in the Journal?s plans to ?expand beyond its historic focus on business news.? An exact date on the launch of the New York edition hasn?t been released but insiders speculate it will be early next year.

As the only eating-centric holiday, Thanksgiving means big business for food magazines. The LA Times has a really nice round up of what to expect from this year’s turkey-themed issues, including a look inside the final Gourmet. And with Gourmet abruptly getting up from the table, Russ Parsons of the LA Times asks an interesting question: What magazine has the chops to replace the iconic food bible?

This year, when unexpected guests pop over for the holidays, you?ll be prepared. The St. Petersburg Times has a nice feature on appetizers you can make now and freeze for the holidays. The article includes a good must-have list for your holiday pantry.

Things are looking up for family comedies this season. USA Today says that family-centric programming is showing so much promise that shows like ?Community? are altering their plotlines. Though the paper says no equivalent to the ?Cosby Show? has surfaced yet, it concludes that “a genre on the verge of extinction has rallied.”

Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin will team up to host the Oscars this year. The decision is surprising in light of the Academy’s stated desire to appeal to a younger audience. But LA Times critic Mary McNamara seems excited about the duo (who will star in the comedy “it’s Complicated” over Christmas) and says to expect “an evening of urbane wit, spot-on silliness and perhaps some banjo playin’.”

A Pennsylvania judge sentenced a woman and her adult daughter for stealing a birthday card from a nine-year-old girl yesterday. But instead of ordering jail time for the women, he offered up a more unusual punishment says the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. When passersby, including the duo’s young victim, drove by the courthouse they saw the women bearing a sign that said: “I stole from a 9-year-old on her birthday. Don’t steal or this could happen to you.” After almost five hours of public humiliation, the mother and her daughter avoided jail time.

Iraq?s security forces have been relying on a bomb detector that the US says is useless reports the New York Times. The device, which looks like a wand with a ?telescopic swivel? attached, is in use at hundreds of roadside checkpoints across the country. And they?re expensive - the rods cost anywhere from $16,000 to $60,000 each.  But military personnel claim it resembles a Ouija Board more than a preventative tool and works with ?the power of suggestion.?

The New York Post calls it a ?killer smile.? A diver off the coast of Mexico snapped an amazing photo of a great white shark giving a toothy grin. Luckily, experts say the creatures are very short-sited. BONUS: See Photo

If you were wondering what the strangest state in the union was, it?s Texas. The Chicago Sun-Times has a fun round up of the ten best attractions in ?oddball America.? The Lone Star State makes the list four times with things like the Toilet Bowl Museum and the Cadillac Ranch.

And finally, I can understand faking a cold, but stabbing yourself? Really? According to the Denver Post, a Blockbuster employee stabbed himself in the leg to avoid working his Monday night shift. The 29-year-old employee arrived at work and told his supervisors that he had been attacked by a group of men. After a “five-agency police manhunt” for his assailants, the man admitted that he had concocted the story.