National news briefs

Investigate ACORN, president says

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama says there should be an investigation into the hidden-camera video involving employees at the activist group ACORN and a couple posing as a prostitute and her pimp.

The two ACORN workers are seen apparently advising the couple to lie about her profession and launder her earnings to get housing aid.

The video is only the latest problem for the group, which had nearly $1 million embezzled by its founder's brother and has been accused of voter registration fraud. The House and Senate voted last week to deny federal funds to ACORN.

Obama told ABC's "This Week" in an interview broadcast Sunday that what he saw on the video "was certainly inappropriate and deserves to be investigated." But the president did not say who should investigate. And he said it is not a major national issue he pays much attention to.

Sentence includes stop-smoking order

WAILUKU, Hawaii (AP) — A Maui judge has ordered a 19-year-old man who pleaded no contest to starting a restaurant fire with a flicked cigarette to stop smoking for a year.

Makaio Bachman-Majamay of Makawao was originally charged with third-degree arson for allegedly igniting the shake roof of the Wei Wei Bar-B-Q Restaurant in Pukalani in July 2008. Witnesses extinguished the blaze using buckets of water.

Deputy Public Defender William McGrath says his client didn't mean to set the fire.

Bachman-Majamay pleaded to a reduced charge of third-degree criminal property damage.

Second Circuit Judge Joel August ordered him to do community service and pay a $1,025 fine to fix the roof. He also told the teen not to use tobacco for a year.

"That means no cigarettes," August said.

$200K cup of joe is no laughing matter

ST. LOUIS (AP) — St. Louis is perking up with jokes about the $200,000 cup of coffee. But officials at a college and its insurance company aren't laughing.

St. Louis Community College at Forest Park must foot the bill after a coffee maker rigged to a faucet and left on in a photo lab led to a ruptured water line in July. About 10,000 gallons of water spilled down four floors, damaging ceilings, walls, computers and files.