If a pharmacist heard the name Clindesse (a vaginal antibiotic cream) or Clindets (antibiotic cream for acne) while filling a prescription over the phone, you could see how they might confuse them, especially if one was more familiar. But the patient receiving end of such a mix-up might not be amused.

The government has a system in place to try to keep similar looking and sounding drugs from ending up on the market together. But the pharmaceutical industry has been pushing to kill the system.

From California, two stories have emerged today about thieves stealing from schools. In one case, the criminals seemed motivated by selling metal pipes. And in the other, they wanted rare animals.

Two reptiles and a tarantula were stolen from a classroom in Jurupa Valley, elementary school teacher Bonnie Werner says. The thieves broke into Troth Street Elementary and took the prize elements of her collection of lizards, snakes and other animals.

A report (PDF) from the Department of Defense's Inspector General details flawed quality assurance inspections of the body armor used by troops to stop bullets. The investigation, which was requested by Congress, looked at seven Army contracts worth $2.5 billion and awarded between 2004 and 2006.

Two Kentucky State Parks in Eastern Kentucky will offer guests a unique wildlife viewing opportunity this fall and winter – elk tours.  Visitors to Jenny Wiley and Buckhorn Lake can choose a weekend, stay at a state park lodge or cottage and arise early to enjoy one of these unique tours. Participants should bring their cameras – there should be great photography opportunities. The largest elk herds are located on privately owned lands that are normally closed to the public. This is one of the few opportunities available for the public to see the greatest number of elk.

Earlier this month, Standard & Poor's announced that it had downgraded the U.S. credit rating from AAA to AA+, citing political risks and the nation's rising debt burden. It was the first time in history that the U.S. credit rating was lowered.

A 50-year-old Australian man was arrested yesterday in a Louisville suburb. Over the next two months the Australian government will try to extradite the suspect.  Paul "Douglas" Peters has been accused by the Australian government of breaking and entering a home near Sydney, Australia and hanging a fake bomb around the neck of a young woman.

Kentucky continues to rank low in children’s well-being, according to the 2011 Kids Count Data Book. The annual report measures various indicators like socioeconomic status and health.  For the past seven years, it’s ranked near the bottom ten states for the overall well-being of children. This year, more than a quarter of Kentucky children live in poverty. The poverty rate in both the commonwealth and the nation rose 18 percent. Now, Kentucky ranks 48th out of 50 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico.

The Wall Street Journal has an exclusive report today that sheds light on just how far the reach of Syria's police state extends: Talking to U.S. officials and Syrian expatriates in the U.S., the paper found that the regime of President Bashar Assad is tracking and intimidating dissidents living abroad.

The Journal reports:

Starting Thursday, Lexington will have a high school for Montessori students. The new Montessori High School of Kentucky, based at St. Augustine's Episcopal Chapel on the University of Kentucky campus, is the first such school in the state, organizers say.

The percentage of Kentucky high school graduates reaching benchmark scores on the ACT test improved in some subjects this year, but educators still have much work to do, results being released Wednesday show. For example, more than 35 percent of Kentuckians who graduated from high school this spring failed to achieve any benchmark score on the ACT. The benchmark scores indicate likely success in college.