Untold Stories: Week Of March 1</font>

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

March 5, 1998 / 11:40 AM EST / CBS

All the business with Iraq and the United Nations pushed some of the "little" news off the air.

Inmate Comes Up Short
For instance, there is the one about the inmate at a Cambridge, Massachusetts, jail who thought an escape would be a good idea. He dropped a rope of bed sheets out the cell window to friends below. The friends were supposed to tie a handgun on the sheets, that the inmate could pull up and use in an escape. Trouble is, he was on the 18th floor, and the sheets only reached four floors down before getting tangled up. Besides, police were watching it all. The guy is still in the slammer.

U2 Fights The Power
And let's not forget our friends in Auckland, New Zealand, and their power troubles. A few weeks ago their main power cables started failing. The power has been blacking out since, and nobody is exactly sure why. The Irish rock group U2 diverted one of its big jets for carrying concert gear to Auckland to bring in electric generators. Way to go U2!

Italy's Last Supper Line
There was a long supper line in MilanÂ—a "last supper" line that is. People lined up for hours to see the newly restored "Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci. It was the first time in 20 years that the public could see the 15th century masterpiece without scaffolding in front of it. Each group of 20 people got 15 minutes of viewing time.

What's 'Mine' Is Yours
West African peace forces who have taken over Sierra Leone are using former rebel officers to help clean up what they left behind, land mines. The order states: You put 'em down, you pick 'em up!

Gold Medal Tax
Then there's the welcome home from Nagano that Russian athletes got. Nice job, here's your tax bill, they were told. Olympic earnings are no longer tax exempt. Even the special $50,000 bonus for each gold medal is fair game for the tax axe.

Closed Door Vote
Hong Kong will not allow international observers at its upcoming May elections, the first voting under China's rule. Foreigners are welcome to watch, says the election commissioner, but not as official observers. That, he says, would undermine his image of independence.

Pay Your Taxes
Attention Weld County, Colorado, property owners. If you didn't get a tax bill, you'd better call in. Even though county officials lost as many as 10,000 of them, you still have to pay up.

Lifeguard Says 'Y' Is All Wet
Stacey Bradley is suing the YMCA for $12 million after the "Y" fired her because she's deaf. The 21-year-old has a lifeguard certificate and worked as a lifeguard for a year at a "Y" pool. She says you don't have to hear to be a lifeguard. The "Y" says you do.