Dart and a big raspberry to the latest invasive pest to plague the Southeast, which already has to contend with kudzu, nutrias and snakehead fish. Now, say hello to the "crazy raspberry ant," as it has been dubbed by Texas residents trying to fend off swarms of these flea-sized creatures that apparently arrived a few years ago aboard cargo ships from the Caribbean and are now terrorizing the Houston area. Although the Southeast has had its own indigenous form of "crazy ants" (not to be confused with "crazy aunts," another native life form), the imported version poses a greater threat. The raspberry ants, named after exterminator Tom Raspberry, are now marauding across several Texas counties and creating considerable mischief, including shorting out electrical devices and causing fire alarms to malfunction. They feed on beneficial insects, bite humans and suck the juices from some plants — but, unfortunately, they apparently don't eat kudzu and can't be converted into biofuel.

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Laurel to a new government program that is designed to help cut the fat — on your waistline, that is, not in the budget. But still, considering the nation's problem with obesity and an aging population of Baby Boomers, the new adult fitness test will help show more people that regular exercise can contribute to their health and sense of well-being. The new test, modeled after the ones that students take each year to get a Presidential Physical Fitness Award, measures performance in three areas — aerobic fitness, muscular strength and flexibility. You can find out more about the test online at www.adultfitnesstest.org or call 1-800-258-8146.

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Dart to the possibility that Concord and Kannapolis inflated Cabarrus County's future water needs while seeking approval of interbasin transfers from the Catawba and Yadkin rivers. Agencies are sometimes guilty of "watering down" unfavorable findings, but in this case it appears figures were "watered up" to help make the case for the transfers, which were vigorously opposed by some upstream entities. Maybe city officials didn't deliberately hose the numbers, but their projections of future water use, offered as part of an environmental impact study supporting the transfers, now appear wildly off target. A 2006 environmental impact study projected Cabarrus' average daily water demand by 2035 at 42.5 million gallons, with a maximum daily demand of 66.5 million gallons. The revised figures in a draft report by the Water & Sewer Authority of Cabarrus County lower those figures to 38.3 million and 42.7 million gallons. Although the water authority says the transfers — approved last year by state officials — are still needed, the new figures cast some doubt on exactly how dire those future water needs will be.

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