GREENVILLE, N.C. (AP) – Some mistakes really do get carved in stone.

A 7-foot granite slab that for 16 years honored Pitt County’s veterans also carried unnoticed errors in the Latin creeds engraved in the stone’s burnished surface.

The monument features emblems of the five United States military services -Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard.

But the Latin motto for the Marines, “Semper Fidelis,” or “always faithful,” appears as “Semper Fider” on the monument. The Coast Guard’s “Semper Paratus,” which translates to “Always Ready,” is inscribed as “Semper Haratus.”

The council’s records show Clifton & Clifton Monuments of Elizabeth City was hired to inscribe the monolith. Company vice president Kim Elliott said inscriptions are proofread four times during the engraving process.

Fault for the faulty inscriptions lies with “the people whoever gave us the information,” she said. “There’s just no doubt.”

Hikers travel light to prove a point

FROSTBURG, Md. (AP) – The scrambled eggs and sausage that Clifton Wiens last had for breakfast will have to hold him until he gets home – 10 days and 200 miles later.

The National Geographic Society researcher and eight companions are hiking from the western Maryland mountains to the nation’s capital with only water and a tea bag apiece for sustenance. They expect to shed as much as 15 pounds each by the time they arrive June 9 at the National Geographic headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Wiens, 42, said the charity slog has raised at least $20,000 for the society’s Afghan Girls Fund, which promotes education for girls in Afghanistan.

The hikers – five men and four women from the Washington area – range in age from 26 to 42 and set off Tuesday. Most work for National Geographic, although the hike isn’t sponsored by the society.

Lawmakers eye medical pot cash

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – Oregon lawmakers have discovered an unexpected source of revenue – medical marijuana.

When Oregon began its medical marijuana program six years ago, officials didn’t expect it to grow so fast. Now, there are more than 10,400 registered patients who have produced a surplus of $1.1 million.

Hungry to balance Oregon’s lopsided budget, House legislators voted 49-10 last week to siphon $900,000 of that money to pay for other Human Services’ needs. The bill now moves to the Senate.

But backers of medical marijuana say that the surplus should be poured back into the program, not Human Services.

Tough team tackles tiger teeth

LODI, Calif. (AP) – Many dentists have a difficult time performing root canals on scared humans. So it’s no surprise that a root canal on a 600-pound Bengal tiger required three dentists, an oral surgeon, a veterinarian – and plenty of courage.

The 15-year-old tiger known as Kubie traveled from an Oregon preservation center to Lodi for the procedure at the Arbor Pet Clinic, which has handled similar operations on other big animals.

Kubie has teeth as long as human fingers and generates about 10,000 pounds of jaw pressure with each bite. That power is especially daunting considering Kubie had a toothache. So the experts relied on anesthesia and hard-earned skills Saturday to make sure the big cat got the proper care.

“They got everything out. It’s better than his normal tooth would have been,” said Kubie’s handler, Abijah Bauer. “They feel so much better after they get their teeth fixed.”