A curse on City Hall? Giuliani latest former NYC mayor to fail at higher office run

By SARA KUGLER
Associated Press Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Is there a curse on City Hall?
Rudy Giuliani this week became the latest victim of a political urban legend — that New York City mayors who aim for higher office will always miss.
Giuliani’s bid for the Republican presidential nomination collapsed after a stunning defeat in Tuesday’s Florida primary, where he had pinned all of his hopes as part of his unorthodox strategy of paying less attention to smaller, early-voting states.
The two-term mayor’s dramatic slide from the front of the presidential pack renewed discussion of whether the office is under a political spell.
The last New York City mayor who succeeded at ascending to higher office was John T. Hoffman, who won his bid for governor in 1869.
The last mayor to be elected to any office after serving in City Hall was Ardolph Loges Kline, who was briefly mayor in 1913 and later served as a congressman.
The notable losers in addition to Giuliani include John Lindsay, who ran for president in 1972 and failed to win the Democratic nomination. In 1982, Ed Koch made a run for governor but lost in the Democratic primary to Mario Cuomo.
Asked Wednesday about whether New York mayors are forever politically jinxed, Koch blamed it on divine intervention.
”God says, ’Anyone who doesn’t appreciate that I’ve given you the best job in the country, and looks to go higher, I’m going to stop you,“’ Koch said. ”Why be greedy?“
Mayor Michael Bloomberg — an independent widely believed to be seriously considering his own presidential run — was asked about the storied curse. He seized the chance to suggest that political candidates who haven’t been mayor are less prepared to govern.
A mayor, he said, is forced to ”make decisions and to tell people where you stand on issues.“
”Those who run from other backgrounds have never had to go through that process of explicitly saying on the record what they stand for,“ he added.
The billionaire was more pragmatic than Koch about the reasons for the defeats suffered by New York mayors, and dismissed the curse as nothing more than mathematical coincidence.
”I just think it’s a statistical fluke that mayors of New York City haven’t really gone on to other elected offices,“ he said, ”but mayors of New York City continue to go on and contribute.“

Oregon boy parks bike inside Goodwill store, which then sells it for $6.99

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Cody Young parked his bike in the wrong place at the Goodwill store, where the rule is that anything on the floor goes.
He didn’t have a lock, but friends said they had parked inside the store before. On Sunday, though, the black BMX bike was sold.
But the 13-year-old is going to get his bike back, Goodwill officials said, after the buyer saw a newspaper story about the mix-up and called to make things right.
The buyer got the bike for just $6.99 but will get a $100 gift certificate from Goodwill for coming forth.
It’s not the first such mix-up in Goodwill’s busy stores, Goodwill spokesman Dale Emanuel said. A janitor once left a bucket and mop on a store’s sales floor, and they were sold the next day.

Md. lawmakers propose walking for official state exercise; state dessert on legislative menu

By KRISTEN WYATT
Associated Press Writer
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — A proposal to make walking the official exercise of Maryland could get the boot — again.
A bill sponsored by Sen. Verna Jones was introduced Thursday, but some lawmakers question what makes the activity so special to Maryland. A previous attempt at the designation was vetoed several years ago by then-Gov. Robert Ehrlich.
”It’s like saying breathing is the state activity because everyone does it whether you want to or not,“ said Delegate Richard Sossi, a Republican.
The state already has 21 state symbols, from the obvious (blue crabs and the Chesapeake Bay retriever) to the curious (jousting and the shell of an extinct snail). A multilayered cake native to Smith Island is on the legislative menu for designation as the state dessert, and lawmakers are taking some ribbing over the proliferation of state symbols.
”There are lots more important, substantive issues that we take up down here, but symbols can be important, too,“ said Delegate Dan Morhaim, a Democrat. ”I know they become the butt of jokes, and I understand that, but this is a small, small part of what we do.“
Maryland lawmakers gave walking an official designation in 2003 — but Ehrlich, a Republican, vetoed the idea.
”It serves no public purpose,“ Ehrlich wrote, even as he signed into law a bill making the thoroughbred Maryland’s official horse.
The veto was a setback for an elementary school in Montgomery County where students proposed the designation, but lawmakers under a new Democratic governor say it’s time to revisit the idea.
”He did not understand the importance of walking,“ said Jones, a Democrat. ”It’s the most basic exercise. Everyone can do it.“

Crocodile takes up residence on Australian golf course

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — A golf course in tropical Australia has a new water hazard: a crocodile that took up residence in a lake at the 14th hole.
Club owner Don Matheson in the Queensland state city of Townsville said the small, freshwater crocodile posed no ”significant threat“ to people, but that the club doesn’t allow them on the course.
”It’s quite novel that we have got a croc who has made his home here. If we allowed it, he would stay here,“ Matheson added.
The meter-long (3-foot, 4-inch) crocodile moved into the lake at the Willows Golf Club during flooding that followed heavy rains in recent weeks, Matheson said, adding that he’ll ask wildlife authorities to place the animal back in the wild.
Wildlife authorities last week warned residents in the Queensland tropics to be alert for crocodiles and snakes carried onto properties by floodwater.

Australian retiree wins, then loses, then wins $1.8 million lottery prize

SYDNEY, Australia (AP) — An Australian retiree won a $1.8 million lottery prize, then lost it, and then won it again Wednesday through a court ruling.
Werner Reinhold bought the lottery ticket at a newsstand in Australia’s largest city of Sydney on Sept. 19, 1995. His original ticket did not print correctly, so he asked for a new one, which turned out to be the winner.
But when Reinhold, now 73, went back to claim the $1.8 million jackpot, he discovered that the replacement ticket had been canceled, not the misprinted original, and was unable to claim the prize.
He sued NSW Lotteries, which oversees lottery tickets in New South Wales state, and the newsstand which sold him the ticket.
Supreme Court Judge Reginald Barrett awarded Reinhold $1.8 million in damages, citing negligence and breach of contract by the newsstand and the state lottery company. Barrett had not yet ruled on what portion of the award each party should pay.

Touching nose to refer to Thailand’s new PM is no joke, says sign language interpreter

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) — Sign language interpreters in Thailand have run afoul of some ruling party supporters by holding their noses to refer to the new prime minister.
Samak Sundaravej, chosen in parliament Monday as the first elected prime minister since a Sept. 2006 coup, has been nicknamed ”Mr. Rose Apple Nose“ because many claim his nose resembles the fruit.
Thai sign language interpreters often indicate prominent facial features as shorthand for dignitaries, and during a live broadcast of Monday’s parliamentary session, they held their noses between two fingers numerous times to refer to Samak.
One interpreter, Kanittha Rattanasin, said this gesture has long been used for Samak but is drawing wide notice only now.
”It is not meant as a nose joke,“ she said. ”We have touched our noses for years to refer to Samak but people noticed this time because we had to repeat the movement over 300 times.“
Juthamas Suthonwattanacharoen, another interpreter, said Samak supporters have called the National Association of the Deaf in Thailand to say the sign does not befit the country leader, and the Thai daily newspaper Matichon said the gesture angered some members of Samak’s party.
Samak, 72, a combative right-wing politician, easily beat Democrat party candidate Abhisit Vejjajiva, 43, to head the country.
”We refer to a person’s most unique physical appearance and for Abhisit, it’s his good looks,“ Juthamas said. ”If someone has very long eyelashes, or prominent ears, we use those.“
Kanittha said some reference to Samak’s popular cooking show might work as a new sign for him. But for now, there are no plans to change it, Juthamas said.

Crocodile takes up residence on Australian golf course

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — A golf course in tropical Australia has a new water hazard: a crocodile that took up residence in a lake at the 14th hole.
Club owner Don Matheson in the Queensland state city of Townsville said the small, freshwater crocodile posed no ”significant threat“ to people, but that the club doesn’t allow them on the course.
”It’s quite novel that we have got a croc who has made his home here. If we allowed it, he would stay here,“ Matheson added.
The meter-long (3-foot, 4-inch) crocodile moved into the lake at the Willows Golf Club during flooding that followed heavy rains in recent weeks, Matheson said, adding that he’ll ask wildlife authorities to place the animal back in the wild.
Wildlife authorities last week warned residents in the Queensland tropics to be alert for crocodiles and snakes carried onto properties by floodwater.

A real ’sweet’ room — made of chocolate — is unveiled for Valentine’s Day stunt in NYC

By VERENA DOBNIK
Associated Press Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Don’t lick the walls.
An all-chocolate room was unveiled in Manhattan on Tuesday — a pre-Valentine’s Day creation complete with furniture and artwork made of the sweet stuff.
”It’s the perfect bit of sin,“ said Ali Larter, star of TV’s ”Heroes,“ of the Godiva chocolate ”pearls“ that are her private daily indulgence.
Here, they were dripping off the chandeliers above the dining table, which was a sea of stars, truffles and crescents — all chocolate, of course, under glass.
Larter is the celebrity face hired by the Belgian chocolatier for its annual Valentine’s Day promotion contest. This year, anyone who buys the winning box of chocolates — for $23 and up — may win the chocolate room. It is to be re-created in a suite of Manhattan’s Bryant Park Hotel for a pampered getaway weekend for two in May.
The winning box — sold only in North America — will contain a note informing the buyer of his or her good luck.
While no doubt a shameless commercial promotion — created by Los Angeles designer Larry Abel — the demo chocolate room set up on the sixth floor of an East Village building packed a tasteful, artsy punch.
Hanging in the ”living room“ was a painting built entirely of multicolored chocolate pieces inspired by Gustav Klimt’s painting ”The Kiss.“ Above the dining table was a ”canvas“ dripping with brown and white chocolate — a takeoff on Jackson Pollock’s signature ”drip“ paintings.
And instead of words, books opened to a mound of chocolates.
You could actually sit on the plush sofa, which was chocolate-graced only on its sides, and the walls are made of chocolate.
There were a couple of ”dont’s“ in the room: lighting the fireplace (with its chocolate logs and mantle) and the candles (all chocolate).
In addition, sinking into the easy chairs was discouraged — unless you wanted to rise with a chocolate-covered derriere.

Drunk man took lawn mower to liquor store in a snowstorm to buy more, Michigan police say

ADRIAN, Mich. (AP) — A man was charged with drunken driving after going through two bottles of wine, cutting through a snowstorm on his lawn mower and riding down the center of the street to reach a liquor store, authorities said.
Police found Frank Kozumplik, 49, homeward bound on a John Deere tractor Saturday night, toting four bottles of wine in a paper bag, officials said.
He told officers that his wife had taken their car to work, and that the mower was the only way he could reach the store, two miles from home.
His blood alcohol level was 21/2 times Michigan’s legal driving limit of 0.08 percent, police told WLEN-FM. They arrested him and confiscated the mower.
Kozumplik declined to comment Monday night.

Burglar breaks into car in Texas, steal’s Greek Orthodox bishop’s bejeweled crown

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — A burglar who broke into a Greek Orthodox bishop’s car made off with quite a haul, but fencing one of the stolen items could prove difficult.
Among the items stolen from Bishop Metropolitan Isaiah’s car was a jeweled crown of gold and silver, which Isaiah estimated to be worth between $6,000 and $10,000.
Isaiah, who is based in Denver and is bishop for the Northwest region of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, said he was dining with others at a restaurant when the break-in occurred. He said the car was parked in a well-lit spot.
”We came out at 10 o’clock, and the window was smashed,“ he said.
The burglar also made off with a copy of the New Testament, a veil, a cell phone and a black fabric bag. The bag had special meaning to the ex-Marine because it was given to him years ago by the widow of a fellow Marine.
Isaiah offered a reward of at least $1,000 if the crown is returned without damage.
”That was the first gift I received as a bishop 22 years ago,“ he said. ”I feel lost without it.“
At a vespers service Saturday night, he was the only priest with no head covering.
”I just hope and pray that those who took it will have a change of heart,“ he said.

Kansas governor’s son creates prison-themed board game as part of college project

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The son of Gov. Kathleen Sebelius is peddling a board game titled ”Don’t Drop the Soap,“ a prison-themed game he created as part of a class project at the Rhode Island School of Design.
John Sebelius, 23, has the backing of his mother and father, U.S. Magistrate Judge Gary Sebelius. The governor’s spokeswoman, Nicole Corcoran, said both parents ”are very proud of their son John’s creativity and talent.“
John Sebelius is selling the game on his Internet site for $34.99, plus packaging, shipping and handling. The contact information on the Web site lists the address of the governor’s mansion. Corcoran said the address will change when John Sebelius moves.
The game also goes on sale starting Jan. 31 at a shop called Hobbs in the college town of Lawrence.
”Fight your way through 6 different exciting locations in hopes of being granted parole,“ the site says. ”Escape prison riots in The Yard, slip glass into a mob boss’ lasagna in the Cafeteria, steal painkillers from the nurse’s desk in the Infirmary.“
The game includes five tokens representing a bag of cocaine, a handgun and three characters: wheelchair-using ’Wheelz,“ muscle-flexing ”Anferny“ and business suit-clad ”Sal ’the Butcher.“’
Corcoran said John Sebelius sought legal advice to be sure he followed proper requirements, and he even took out a loan to pay for the production of his work.
”This game is intended for mature audiences — not children — and is simply intended for entertainment,“ Corcoran said.

65-million-year-old duckbilled dinosaur coming back to North Dakota

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — Dakota the duckbilled dinosaur is coming home.
The 65-million-year-old fossilized hadrosaur found in North Dakota’s Badlands a decade ago has been studied by paleontologists, had its innards scanned by NASA and starred in a National Geographic television documentary.
The dinosaur, expected to arrive Friday in a big truck, will be ready for public display in the State Historical Society of North Dakota in Bismarck in early June.
The body portion weighs 8,000 pounds, and another portion weighs 1,500 pounds, including the tail. A third part, including a leg, is much smaller.
Unlike most collections of bones found in museums, this hadrosaur came complete with fossilized skin, ligaments, tendons and possibly some internal organs, according to researchers.
”To have something that was found here in North Dakota come back here to the Heritage Center is so great to have happen,“ said Merl Paaverud, the center’s director. ”It’ll be wonderful for our kids.“
The dinosaur was discovered in 1999 near Marmarth by Tyler Lyson, 24, who spotted its bony tail while hiking on his uncle’s ranch in the Badlands.
Lyson, then a high school sophomore, noted the location of his find but didn’t come back until five years later, when he discovered the rest of the creature.

Steer bolts out open gate, on the loose from Cincinnati-area slaughterhouse

CINCINNATI (AP) — Searchers on the ground and in a sheriff’s department helicopter Monday were looking for an Angus steer that postponed its date with a slaughterhouse by bolting out a gate that had been inadvertently left open.
The more than 1,000-pound animal escaped from a slaughterhouse holding pen Monday morning and ran into the woods of suburban Cincinnati, according to Colerain Township police and the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office.
The steer was last seen heading into woods several blocks north of Stehlin’s Meat Market and Interstate 275, said Dick Stehlin, co-owner of the meatpacking business. He said the bovine should be approached with caution.
”It’s not, say, a mean animal or anything like that, it’s just sort of in a panic stage,“ Stehlin said. ”It’s just out running, not even knowing where it’s heading.“
It’s not the first time a steer has been on the loose in the Cincinnati area. In September 2006, a steer named Little Red ran from a fair and eluded capture for three days.

5-legged cat from W. Pa. to undergo surgery

EIGHTY-FOUR, Pa. (AP) _ Cats may have nine lives, but one unique feline has five legs — for now.

The cat, named Babygirl, will undergo surgery to remove the extra leg and another crippled leg.

The operation is expected to improve Babygirl's quality of life, according to the Washington Area Humane Society, where the cat will live until a home can be found for her.

Chrystin Rice, a kennel associate, said a woman brought Babygirl to the shelter on Jan. 19. The woman had first seen the stray animal as a kitten about a year ago in Canonsburg.

Aside from the extra leg, Babygirl appears to be in good health, Rice said Saturday.

"It's actually a really, really nice cat," she said.

A doctor at Metropolitan Veterinary Center in Robinson Township has agreed to perform the operation, though the surgery has not yet been scheduled.

Some people have expressed an interest in Babygirl, but no one has applied to adopt her, Rice said.

"We've had a few calls come in, but everyone's just kind of asking how's she doing, when's the surgery," Rice said.

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On The Net:

Washington Area Humane Society: www.washingtonpashelter.org

Erich Kaestner, apparently last German World War I veteran, dies at 107

By DAVID RISING
Associated Press Writer
BERLIN (AP) — A German believed to have been the country’s last World War I veteran has died at the age of 107, a death that almost went unnoticed in a nation that lost both world wars and doesn’t track its remaining veterans.
Erich Kaestner, who was sent to the Western Front to fight in France, died Jan. 1 in a nursing home in Cologne, his son said Friday.
When France’s second-last surviving veteran from World War I, Louis de Cazenave, died Jan. 20, the news made international headlines.
But in Germany — which lost both world wars and has had to cope with the shame of the Nazi genocide for more than six decades — there is not even an organization keeping track of the remaining veterans.
”That is the way history has developed,“ Kaestner’s son, Peter Kaestner, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. ”In Germany, in this respect, these things are kept quiet — they’re not a big deal.“
The news did not even trickle out into the German press until this week, and the stories were more about how Germans remember than about Kaestner’s death itself.
”The losers hide themselves in a state of self-pity and self-denial that they happily try to mitigate by forgetting,“ the daily Die Welt wrote Friday in its obituary for Kaestner.
Der Spiegel magazine noted that ”the German public was within a hair’s breadth of never learning of the end of an era“ until someone who had read Kaestner’s death notice in a newspaper figured out who he was and updated a Wikipedia entry on the Internet.
Kaestner was born in 1900, and had just graduated from high school in 1918 when he entered the army, his son said. Following training, he was sent to the Western Front to fight in France but was never sent to the front lines, he said.
For Kaestner, his service during the war, in which more than 2 million German soldiers were killed, was only a small part of his long life, his son said.
”He was just a soldier for a quarter to a half a year,“ Peter Kaestner said.
Kaestner rejoined the military in 1939 with the outbreak of the Second World War, serving as a first lieutenant in ground support for the Luftwaffe, primarily in France.
Following the end of the war in 1945, Kaestner became a judge in Hanover.
For his work as a jurist, he received Lower Saxony’s Merit Cross, 1st Class. He was also honored by Germany’s president for his 75-year marriage to his wife, Maria, shortly before her death in 2003 at age 102.
Though Die Welt, Der Spiegel and the local Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung all said Kaestner was the last German veteran of World War I, it was not possible to confirm that status directly.
The Defense Ministry said the German military, the Bundeswehr, ”has no information available concerning World War I veterans.“ The Federal Military Archive and the German War Graves Commission both said they had no records on possible other surviving soldiers from the war.
Peter Kaestner said he had known his father was believed to be the last German veteran of the war, but that his family didn’t really think much about it — and were only aware of it from the letters his father had been receiving in recent years from people in the U.S. asking for autographs.
”He did not answer,“ Peter Kaestner said. ”He didn’t want to.“
And so, in his nursing home, Erich Kaestner faded away.
”With the death of Erich Kaestner no more Germans can talk about firsthand experiences“ in the war, Der Spiegel wrote.
”We have lost a chance — forever.“

Proposal would make authentic sangria legal in Virginia; restaurant fined $2,000 for drink

By LARRY O’DELL
Associated Press Writer
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — If you’re served a pitcher of authentic sangria in a Virginia restaurant, someone’s breaking the law.
Since 1934, the state has prohibited mixing wine or beer with spirits. Frances McDonald, vice president of La Tasca Spanish Tapas Bar and Restaurants, found that out the hard way when his Alexandria location was cited for violating the sangria ban in 2006 and fined $2,000.
McDonald and managing partner Shana McKillop appealed their case to the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board on Thursday before going to the Capitol to urge legislators to pass a bill legalizing the red wine, liqueur and fruit concoction.
McDonald said his business received no warning about the ban. He said he was unaware of the prohibition and had he known about it would not have located any of his five restaurants in Virginia. ”It’s like not being able to serve tequila in a Mexican restaurant,“ he said.
The Alcoholic Beverage Control Department agent who cited La Tasca even ordered restaurant employees to pour its sangria — about 40 liters — down the drain, said Shana McKillop, managing partner at the Alexandria restaurant.
A ruling on the La Tasca’s appeal should take two to four weeks, said Kristy Marshall, a spokeswoman for the ABC Department. In the meantime, the restaurant has taken to modifying its sangria recipe. The brandy has been eliminated and the triple sec replaced with a nonalcoholic orange liqueur.
”It’s still sangria but not as authentic as we’d like to offer our guests,“ McKillop said.

Police: Pa. man killed wife by shocking her during sex

CRALEY, Pa. (AP) — A woman died during a night of ”bizarre sex“ in which her husband used an electrical cord to stimulate her, but ended up shocking her, police said.
Kirsten Taylor, 29, was found unconscious Wednesday night at the couple’s Lower Windsor Township home. She was taken to York Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Toby Taylor first said his wife was shocked by a hair dryer, according to a police affidavit. But when burns were found on her body, police said Taylor told them he had clipped an electrical cord to his wife and plugged it into a power strip, which he then turned on and off.
He told authorities the couple had used the technique before.
Taylor, 37, was jailed Thursday in lieu of $100,000 bail on involuntary manslaughter and reckless endangerment charges. He did not have a lawyer at his arraignment and no lawyer had been entered in his court file as of Friday.
York County Coroner Barry Bloss called it a case of ”bizarre sex.“
”I have never seen anything like this,“ Bloss said. ”Even if you did it before, you have to know you could kill someone.“
The township police chief, David Sterner, said the jolt of electricity is believed to have triggered a heart attack in the woman.
An initial autopsy did not determine the cause of death, Bloss said. A final determination awaits further testing of the electrical equipment and a toxicology test, he said.
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Information from: York Daily Record, http://www.ydr.com

Group plans to sell tiny pieces of farm owned by Abraham Lincoln

LERNA, Ill. (AP) — The owners of farmland once owned by Abraham Lincoln want to give people a chance to own about a square inch of history.
The Friends of the Abraham Lincoln Historical Farm plans to sell tiny parcels of the land, said Dale Parsons, manager of the Rockford-based group.
Some of the money would go to charity, Parsons said Thursday. Some of the land may be reserved for charities to buy and resell during fundraisers, he said.
He was not sure how many parcels would be sold, but noted there are more than 6 million square inches in an acre.
The land is near Lerna, not far from the Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site.
Lincoln bought the land from his father, Thomas Lincoln, who needed the money. Thomas Lincoln continued farming the land.
The group bought the land last fall for $1.25 million from Raymond Phipps, a Springfield man whose family owned the property for more than a century.
A similar plan to sell square-inch parcels of the land several years ago by Phipps led to a legal squabble over unpaid taxes. Parsons said his group has hired real estate experts to avoid similar problems.
The group has hired a history professor to write a book about the location, and hopes to restore a cabin on the site and turn it into a visitors center, Parsons said.

Judge orders man who stole from Salvation Army to spend a night homeless

PAINESVILLE, Ohio (AP) — A judge on Thursday ordered a Salvation Army worker who stole a holiday kettle containing about $250 to spend the night homeless.
Nathen Smith, 28, was to spend the night anywhere but a house, said Municipal Judge Michael Cicconetti. Smith was fitted with a GPS device to track his moves.
”My initial reaction was, ’Wow.’ But I don’t think the sentence is too harsh,“ said Smith, who expected to spend Thursday night in a homeless shelter. ”I can see the judge’s point because what I did, I shouldn’t have done. Now I’ve got to pay the consequences.“
The Salvation Army uses kettle donations to help pay for food, clothing and shelter for the homeless.
Smith, who also received a three-day jail sentence, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of theft.
Smith worked as a bell ringer for the Salvation Army outside a Kmart store in nearby Eastlake on Dec. 17. Police arrested him at his mother’s house after a co-worker reported that one of eight kettles was missing.
Smith was scheduled to return to court Friday to determine how much community service he must do to avoid paying a fine and costs for the tracking system.
Painesville is about 30 miles northeast of Cleveland.

Brazil bandits cut off woman’s hair with machete

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AP) — Two men on a motorcycle grabbed a woman as she walked to church, pulled out a machete and cut off the waist-length hair she had been growing for two decades, police in Brazil said Thursday.
The woman, a homemaker whose name was not released, told police she was walking to church when she was assaulted late Tuesday, police officer Antonio Williams da Silva said by telephone from the northeastern city of Aracaju.
Da Silva said the woman told authorities she hadn’t cut her hair for 20 years.
”It must have been nearly a meter and half (more than four feet) long,“ da Silva said.
The robbers cut the woman’s hair above her shoulders, he said, apparently with the idea of selling it to be fashioned into a wig.
”A hairpiece that size could cost you as much“ as $550, da Silva said.
The woman was not injured, but her assailants could be charged with battery if caught.
Da Silva said it was the second recent case of hair robbery in Aracaju.
Similar attacks have occurred in other Brazilian cities, where the demand for human hair is high.

No extra charge: Brooklyn shopper brings home frog in lettuce

NEW YORK (AP) — You just don’t want to eat some greens.
That’s how a Brooklyn mom felt when she found a tiny frog comfortably nestled in the leaves of organic lettuce she was preparing to eat.
”I jumped away,“ said 39-year-old Yvonne Brechbuhler, who described the green critter as no bigger than the tip of her pinky finger.
”I didn’t know what it was. But once I realized it was a frog, I was OK,“ she told the Daily News in Thursday editions.
Intrigued, she named the frog ”Curious.“
Brechbuhler, a stage actress, said she bought the lettuce at her local food co-op and kept it in the refrigerator three days before using it last week.
Brechbuhler and her 7-year-old daughter, Orla, placed the frog in a jar on a bed of lettuce leaves and water, and fed it fruit flies they collected at a nearby garden. Afterward, they decided Curious would be happier at an animal facility specializing in reptiles and amphibians. The facility, Sean Casey Animal Rescue, has put it up for adoption.
An employee at the food co-op said it was the first such incident in memory.
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On the Net:
Sean Casey Animal Rescue, www.scarnyc.org

Couple protests jet noise from Philly airport with obscene rooftop sign

FOLSOM, Pa. (AP) — The skies won’t seem especially friendly to anyone taking off from Philadelphia International Airport if they notice what a suburban couple wrote on the roof of their home.
”(Expletive) U FAA,“ the message reads, though one letter of the profane word is substituted with an underline. Below that it is a picture of a plane with a slash through it and the words ”no fly zone.“
Homeowner Michael Hall and his girlfriend, Michaelene Buddy, are angry that jets have been flying over their house since last month, when the Federal Aviation Administration altered departure headings out of Philadelphia. Hall says he has to sleep with earplugs.
He said he and Buddy also were frustrated after being unable to leave a message with the FAA’s noise-complaint hot line because the voice mailbox was always full. So they issued their complaint in roof sealant and 7-foot-tall letters about two weeks ago.
”Just doing it made me feel better, but I’d still like to say what I wrote directly to the idiot head of the FAA,“ Hall told the Philadelphia Daily News for Thursday’s editions.
FAA spokesman Jim Peters had no comment.
The flight changes are part of a massive restructuring of the airspace over the congested corridor between New York and Philadelphia.
The couple’s Ridley Township home is in Delaware County, southwest of Philadelphia. The county argues in a lawsuit that the FAA’s environmental-impact study violated federal regulations and that the new flight paths will only marginally reduce airport delays.

Mistake puts ’horse for sale’ ad in newspapers’ food classifieds

AKRON, Mich. (AP) — Kristen DeGroat just wanted to sell her horse to another animal lover, but her ad ended up under ”Good Things to Eat“ in the classified sections of two newspapers.
About a third of the 60 or so calls she received were from people interested in buying horse meat.
”It’s been enough to turn your stomach,“ said DeGroat, who eventually sold her 3-year-old mare, Foxy, to a man who wanted a live horse for his grandchildren.
DeGroat’s ad, offering the registered pinto for $200 or the best offer, was intended to run Sunday and Monday under the classified ad heading for horses and stables in The Saginaw News and The Bay City Times.
However, human error landed the ad under the food heading in the classified sections of both newspapers. The papers, which have a jointly run classified ad department, corrected the mistake.
”I was pretty outraged,“ DeGroat told The Saginaw News. ”I’ve owned horses since I was a child. The worst part of all of it, if it had been any other section, it would have just been a mistake.“
DeGroat, 25, who lives about 85 miles northwest of Detroit, said she had received dozens of calls from unhappy animal lovers.
”I had a lady call whose friend was just in tears over this thing,“ DeGroat told the Saginaw paper.

Rocket in Md. museum for 2 years was no dud; bomb technicians safely dispose of it

CUMBERLAND, Md. (AP) — History could have come to life in very much the wrong way at a veterans’ museum where a rocket on display for two years was discovered Wednesday to be live.
After Allegany County authorities were notified that the Mark 1 rocket on display in Cumberland might be live, the state fire marshal’s office and the FBI confirmed it was. Bomb experts removed the ordnance and rendered it safe.
The 48-inch-by-2.75-inch rocket was similar to those used on helicopter gun ships during the Vietnam War, said Deputy State Fire Marshal Joseph Zurolo Jr. A local veteran donated it to the museum, which is in a chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America, Zurolo said.
Authorities are investigating how the man came to possess the live ordnance.

Handfuls of cash thrown from window as Southern California police chase car after bank holdup

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Handfuls of cash were hurled into the streets as police chased suspects in a bank robbery Tuesday.
Two men were arrested after a pursuit through two counties at speeds topping 100 mph, Los Angeles police said. Officers were seeking other suspects.
Costa Mesa police Sgt. Bryan Glass said three masked gunmen held up a Downey Savings branch, fled in a getaway car driven by a fourth man and then switched to another vehicle.
The second car led police on a chase along freeways from Orange County into Los Angeles County.
In Los Angeles, the chase moved from freeways onto streets as someone in the car threw at least three wads of money out a car window.
The car eventually crashed into a palm tree at a mall, and the four men inside ran off.

Man gets 45 days for theft of 93 pounds of women’s undergarments in Washington city

COLFAX, Wash. (AP) — A man is facing a sentence of one-and-a-half months after admitting he stole 93 pounds of women’s undergarments.
Garth Flaherty, 24, was charged with first-degree theft and burglary in the stealing of 1,613 pairs of panties, bras and other women’s underwear from laundry rooms.
Under an agreement with prosecutors, he pleaded guilty and was sentenced Friday in Whitman County Superior Court to 45 days in jail. He may serve 30 days of his term in community service, court officials said.
Flaherty was arrested March 24 after police received a report of a man hanging out in an apartment complex laundry room.
In his bedroom, police said, they found enough women’s underwear to fill five garbage bags.
Police had previously received 12 reports of panty thefts in the northeast part of Pullman, where Washington State University is located.

Sweet lobbying effort nets dozens of backers for making Smith Island cake Md.’s state dessert

By KRISTEN WYATT
Associated Press Writer
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Legislators had no trouble swallowing the latest candidate for a Maryland state symbol: the 10-layer Smith Island cake.
Delegate Page Elmore, R-Somerset, wants to make the decadent offering the state’s official dessert, and he cooked up a sweet bribe: 450 slices were delivered Tuesday to state lawmakers and their aides.
”I make a pretty mean sweet potato pie, but oh, this is good,“ said Delegate Melony Griffith, D-Prince George’s, who tucked into a thin slice of the cake’s most common flavor: yellow cake in centimeter-thick layers with chocolate frosting.
Elmore hopes his bill gives a boost to Smith Island, which has only about 260 year-round residents. Islanders historically made their living pulling crabs and oysters from the Chesapeake Bay, but pollution has hurt the seafood industry and better jobs on the mainland have sapped the island’s working population.
”It’s economic development for Smith Island and lower Eastern Shore bakeries,“ Elmore said, watching volunteers unload more than a dozen boxes of cake slices. ”Florida has the key lime pie. Massachusetts has the Boston cream pie. This is ours.“
Smith Island cakes come in dozens of flavors, including pineapple, banana and coconut, and generally have 10 layers. Islanders trace the cakes’ origin to British colonists who settled on the island, and some residents make a living selling them.
”My mom ships them all over the state, all over the country,“ said Dwight ”Duke“ Marshall, a Smith Island resident and grocery store owner who helped pass out slices to lawmakers. ”We just shipped two to Iraq the other day.“
About 50 lawmakers have agreed to co-sign Elmore’s bill, but some others think another state symbol is unnecessary.
For instance, you could wash down a slice of cake with the state drink (milk) after working up an appetite playing the state sport (jousting), sailing the state boat (skipjack) or perhaps joining in the state folk dance (square dancing).
”Personally, I believe there’s enough state items,“ said Sen. Richard Colburn, R-Dorchester, who was on the losing end of a 2001 vote where the Calico cat was designated the state cat. ”Every time you add one, the others lose significance.
”But I love Smith Island cakes. I don’t know what I’m going to do.“
Florida named key lime pie its official pie in 2006, while Massachusetts picked its official dessert in 1996. Other sweets elevated to state-symbol status include the chocolate chip cookie (Massachusetts), the Boston cream donut (Massachusetts again), apple pie (Vermont) and Jell-O (Utah). Years of legislative attempts to make chocolate chip the state cookie of Pennsylvania have failed.
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On the Net:
Smith Island: http://www.smithisland.org
Maryland state symbols: http://tinyurl.com/2wttvo

Barge hits sunken replica of 17th-century warship in the Mississippi, halting traffic

DONALDSONVILLE, La. (AP) — A towboat ran into the sunken wreckage of a replica 17th-century warship in the Mississippi River, forcing the Coast Guard to shut down a 10-mile stretch of the river.
The wreckage of Le Pelican punched a hole that pierced three fuel tanks on the towboat Senator Stennis on Saturday, spilling about 30 gallons of diesel fuel into the river, according to a Coast Guard statement.
Nobody was hurt in the 1 p.m. accident, but the river was closed from 3:30 p.m. to about 8:45 p.m., when it was reopened to one-way traffic, said Lt. Stephen Nutting of the Coast Guard’s Marine Safety Office in New Orleans said.
He said the Coast Guard would decide Sunday whether the two-way traffic could resume.
The ship, described in various news reports as anywhere from 165 to 178 feet long, was well over 100 feet tall when its topmasts were rigged.
The original Le Pelican, a warship commanded by Pierre Le Moyne, Sieur d’Iberville, sank in 1697 after first sinking two English vessels and running off a third during a battle for a trading post on Hudson Bay in Canada.
Canadian philanthropist Stewart McDonald built the replica for a reported $15 million — a nine-year project that wasn’t completed until 1992. The boat was a tourist attraction in Quebec in the early 1990s, but was sold as too expensive to maintain in the cold, harsh weather.
A New Jersey businessman bought the ship and moved it to New Orleans in September 1995, hoping the warmer climate would make it work as a tourist attraction. It moved from shipyard to shipyard before the city of Donaldsonville bought it in 2002 for $55,000.
Its rotted planking and outrigging replaced, Le Pelican was docked at Donaldsonville, only to sink in November 2002 and again in March 2004.
The accident is being investigated by the Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit in Baton Rouge.

Texas mayor charged in connection with taking neighbors’ pet; her lawyer says she loves dog

ALICE, Texas (AP) — The allegations could bring down the mayor of this South Texas town: a faked death, an attempt to hide the evidence from police, a cover-up story.
And for what? A Shih Tzu.
Mayor Grace Saenz-Lopez was indicted Friday on two felony counts of tampering with physical evidence related to a dog her neighbors say she took from them.
”She loves the little dog,“ said attorney Homero Canales, who represents the mayor and her twin sister, who was also charged. ”She told me that if she were a single woman, she would not care if she went to jail for the rest of her life before she would give the dog back.“
According to the Corpus Christi Caller-Times and the San Antonio Express-News, Saenz-Lopez had agreed to take care of Puddles while Rudy Gutierrez and Shelly Cavazos were on vacation over the summer. A day after they left, she called to say the dog was dead, but three months later a relative of Cavazos saw Puddles — renamed Panchito — at a dog groomer.
Puddles’ family sued and filed a criminal complaint, but the case took a new turn Monday when the mayor filed a police report saying the dog was missing.
A television crew found the dog 10 miles from Alice in Ben Bolt, at the home of Saenz-Lopez’s twin, Graciela Garcia. Garcia said a ”mysterious lady“ had found the dog and dropped it off.
Garcia was indicted on a felony count of concealing evidence, said District Attorney Joe Frank Garza. She and the mayor have been released on bond.
A hearing is set for Feb. 4 in the lawsuit against Saenz-Lopez, where state District Judge Richard Terrell will decide the custody battle over the dog, said DeeAnn Torres, the attorney for Gutierrez and Cavazos.
”We just wanted the puppy back,“ Torres said.
Canales, who is keeping the dog at his office, said his client ”will not give the dog back unless there is a legitimate court order that says she has to.“
”The taking of the dog was to save it from certain death,“ Canales said. ”It was going to die. They had left the dog with her to take care of it. She took it to the doctor. She decided if she gave it back it would die.“
Convictions on the felonies would cost Saenz-Lopez her office, City Manager Albert Uresti said.
She could lose it sooner; a recall effort is under way.

Just call him ’Marty:’ Ga. man with famous moniker humble on Martin Luther King Jr. Day

ATLANTA (AP) — Martin Luther King Jr. is use to the puzzled looks he gets from people when they learn his name.
The white, long-haired graphics designer and children’s book author goes by ”Marty“ to maintain his anonymity in the suburbs of Atlanta, where the man who made the moniker famous once lived.
His name is just a coincidence, but it made Marty King pay attention to the civil rights movement while growing up in a small Tennessee town during the 1960s.
”In East Tennessee, he may not have had a lot of fans, but there were some people who agreed with him,“ he said. ”I liked his speeches. ... He was only asking for what he was due, but the way he did it commanded respect. He earned my parents’ respect.“
Marty King, 53, was named for his father, who was named for the German monk and theologian Martin Luther, founder of the Protestant Reformation in the early 1500s.
It’s not the only famous name in his family. Marty King’s grandfather was named Abraham Lincoln.
Marty King is humbled by the association to an icon. ”I could cure cancer and still wouldn’t be more famous,“ he said.
The name connection has caused some hassles along the way. There was the time the U.S. Postal Service canceled his mail and marked it ”deceased.“
Before Coretta Scott King died in 2006, Marty King received the occasional phone calls from confused people asking for the widow of the slain civil rights leader. He also has gotten racial slurs on his answering machine.
”Those you just push the (erase) button,“ said Marty King, who no longer has voicemail on his phone.
But there are fun parts of having such a ubiquitous name.
”Every town you go into, you can always find a street sign that has your name on it and have a picture taken in front of it,“ he said. ”I send them home to my mother. She gets a kick out of it.“
Marty King says he expects to get calls from friends on Monday, the national holiday honoring the slain civil rights leader. It happens every year.

This show stinks! Toilet takes center stage at charity concert

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — This charity concert might stink no matter how well its singers perform.
Organizers at a Charlotte nightclub said they will place a portable toilet on stage for performers during a Wednesday concert in support of a local food pantry.
WSOC-FM program director D.J. Stout said the singers will perform at the same time. He said he didn’t want any of them sneaking off stage while the others perform, so if anyone has to go to the bathroom, the Porta-Jon will be right there.
They also will have a personal waitress.
The Wednesday event at Coyote Joe’s will feature rising country stars Keith Anderson, Jake Owen, Trent Tomlinson and Lee Brice.

6, including clerk, accused of scamming station out of gas at a tenth of a penny a gallon

SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A gas station clerk is accused of defrauding her boss out of nearly $50,000 by selling fuel to her family and friends for a tenth of a penny a gallon.
Police arrested 25-year-old Madeline Jordan on Sunday — along with her mother, brother, a cousin and two others — after setting up a sting at the BP station in South Charleston.
The station’s owner told police last week he had noticed a significant drop in his income and found receipts that listed the deeply discounted rate.
Police alleged that for several months Jordan, of Nitro, had reset the price at the pumps every Sunday morning and allowed people she knew to fill up.
There was no immediate word if any of the six had secured attorneys to speak for them. The Kanawha County Courthouse was closed Monday in honor of Martin Luther King Jr., and calls to the South Charleston Police Department were not answered.

Swedish study to measure methane released by belching cows

STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) — A Swedish university has received $590,000 in research funds to measure the greenhouse gases released when cows belch.
About 20 cows will participate in the project run by the Swedish University for Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala, about 40 miles north of Stockholm, officials said Monday.
Cattle release methane, a greenhouse gas believed to contribute to global warming, when they digest their food. Researchers believe the level of methane released depends on the type of food the eat.
Project leader Jan Bertilsson said that the cows involved in the study will have different diets and wear a collar device measuring the methane level in the air around them.
He said 95 percent of the methane released by cows comes out through the mouth.
”This type of research is already being conducted in Canada so we will be in contact with Canadian agricultural researchers in the near future,“ he said.
The research will be funded by a grant from the government’s Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning.

Mich. couple killed in accident leave $1.6 million to surprised friends, neighbors

LOWELL, Mich. (AP) — Farmer Willis Hatch and his schoolteacher wife, Arlene, lived simply but blissfully together for 57 years before dying in an auto accident in November.
Now, about 70 of their friends and neighbors are surprised to find themselves a collective $1.6 million richer as the beneficiaries of the late couple’s frugality and generosity.
The recipients of their generosity were bequeathed certificates of deposit ranging in value from $5,000 to more than $100,000. The couple’s estate was valued at $2.9 million and included the CDs, the farm and some stocks.
”Isn’t that something?“ said Sandra VanWeelden, 72, whose family, including three grown children, received about $250,000 from the Hatches, who never had children of their own and lived into their early 90s.
Before they retired, Willis — known to his friends as ”Ish“ — worked their 80-acre farm just south of Lowell, and Arlene taught at Lowell Middle School.
The couple went everywhere together: church services, community pancake breakfasts, school plays. They enjoyed winter trips to Brownsville, Texas, but allowed themselves few other luxuries.
”They was normal people, good people,“ Harry Erickson, 72, told The Grand Rapids Press for a story published Thursday. ”And it didn’t matter to them if you had one dollar or 10, they’d be your friend.“
Judging by the amount of money they doled out, the couple had many friends, including fellow parishioners at Alto United Methodist Church, where many of the beneficiaries are members.
”We, the whole church, are obviously grateful to them, and grateful to God that he gave them to us,“ said the Rev. Dean Bailey.
Added Bailey’s wife, Jan: ”They left a lot to the people they’d loved, and I think everybody was surprised.“
That included the Baileys, who were notified that the Hatches had left the church about $50,000 toward a fund trying to raise $800,000 for a new building. Their gift, said the pastor, represents ”about a year’s worth of our fundraising capability.“

Convicted bank robber can keep $1M lottery prize despite breaking probation

By MATT PITTA
Associated Press Writer
BARNSTABLE, Mass. (AP) — The luck keeps rolling for a convicted bank robber who won a $1 million lottery prize: Though he violated his probation by buying the ticket, a judge says he can keep the money.
A lawyer for Timothy Elliott, 55, called the violation minor, and the Massachusetts lottery commission previously has said there was no basis for withdrawing the prize.
Barnstable Superior Court Judge Richard Connon on Friday approved the probation department’s agreement that he could keep the winnings. The only change is that Elliott now must pay a monthly $65 probation supervisory fee, previously waived because he had been indigent.
Elliott declined to comment Friday. He lives in Bourne under the supervision of the Department of Mental Health.
Probation department spokeswoman Coria Holland would not comment further on the case.
In October 2006, Elliott pleaded guilty to unarmed robbery for a heist at a bank on Cape Cod and was placed on five years’ probation. The terms required him to not ”gamble, purchase lottery tickets or visit an establishment where gaming is conducted ...“
The jackpot was won on $10 ticket for the ”$800 Million Spectacular“ game that Elliott bought at a supermarket in Hyannis. He already has received the first of 20 annual $50,000 checks from the lottery commission.

Vibrating sex toy triggers bomb scare in Sweden

STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) — A Swedish bomb squad called out to disarm a suspicious package on Wednesday did not find a ticking bomb. But they did find a vibrating sex toy.
A janitor alerted police after he found the package in a garage of an apartment building in Goteborg, the country’s second-largest city, police spokesman Jan Strannegard said.
The package was humming and vibrating suspiciously, so police took no chances and sent out a team of explosives experts. After having cordoned off the area, they opened the package with bomb disposal equipment, only to find the battery-operated device inside.
”The package was vibrating when the janitor found it, but I think it had sort of died out by the time it was disarmed,“ Strannegard said.

Police: Indiana man accidentally shoots himself during store robbery

KOKOMO, Ind. (AP) — Oh, shoot!
A man accidentally shot himself in the groin as he was robbing a convenience store Tuesday, police said.
A clerk told police a man carrying a semiautomatic handgun entered the Village Pantry demanding cash and a pack of cigarettes. The clerk put the cash in a bag and as she turned to get the cigarettes, she heard the gun discharge.
Police say surveillance video shows the man shooting himself as he placed the gun in the waistband of his pants. The clerk wasn’t injured.
A short time later, police found 25-year-old Derrick Kosch at a home with a gunshot wound to his right testicle and lower left leg.
Kosch was released from the hospital Tuesday and booked into the Howard County jail on a charge of armed robbery, criminal recklessness and battery. He is being held on a $100,000 cash bail. A jail official did not know if he had retained an attorney Wednesday.

Long Island man charged with taking 14-foot python for a walk on the highway

MASTIC, N.Y. (AP) — A man was arrested Tuesday for walking on a highway with a 14-foot python wrapped around his body, police said.
Police in Long Island’s Suffolk County say 35-year-old Curtis Dewberry of Wading River was spotted by an officer for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals while out strolling Tuesday afternoon. The officer called police because the python is considered a danger to the public.
Dewberry has been charged with animal cruelty and failure to protect the public against dangerous wildlife. He was being held Tuesday and didn’t have a lawyer.

Colorado lawmaker kicks photographer who took his picture during statehouse prayer

By STEVEN K. PAULSON
Associated Press Writer
DENVER (AP) — Carrying a family Bible, a state representative-elect kicked a photographer who took a picture of him during a statehouse prayer — then was sworn into office.
Douglas Bruce went to the House floor Monday morning as a guest of Rep. Kent Lambert, a fellow Colorado Springs Republican.
When Rocky Mountain News photographer Javier Manzano took his photo during the traditional morning prayer, Bruce, who was standing, brought the sole of his shoe down hard on the photographer’s bent knee.
"Don’t do that again," Bruce told him.
Later, Bruce refused to apologize.
"I think that’s the most offensive thing I’ve seen a photographer do in 21 years," he said. "If people are going to cause a disruption during a public prayer, they should be called for it. He owes an apology to the House and the public."
Rocky Mountain News Editor John Temple said the photographer had a right to take Bruce’s picture. Temple said he would speak with House leadership.
"The House floor is a place where journalists are allowed to operate. It’s outrageous for Mr. Bruce in a public place to assault a photographer," Temple said.
Bruce, an anti-tax crusader, was chosen by El Paso County Republicans last month to fill an unexpired term. He delayed his swearing-in until Monday, when the House was not in session. That allowed him to take advantage of a loophole in state term limits that would allow him to serve eight more years instead of six.
But it irritated Democratic House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, who said Bruce should have taken the oath sooner.
Bruce said he had done nothing wrong and demanded that he be allowed to take the oath of office with the House in session.
He finally gave in after members of his own party threatened to start the process of replacing him if he didn’t take the oath on Monday.

Virginia politician pounces on state law’s different truths about theft of cats and dogs

By LARRY O’DELL
Associated Press Writer
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Achieving equality for cats isn’t as easy as it sounds. State Delegate Jennifer McClellan found that out Monday when a legislative panel wrangled over a proposal to make stealing a cat a felony — the same as for swiping a dog.
Unable to find a solution, the chairman designated a couple of members to work on the bill with McClellan, the Richmond Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Virginia Farm Bureau and bring it back for a future meeting.
McClellan, a Richmond Democrat, opened her pitch for the legislation with a disclaimer: "I do not now, nor have I ever, owned a cat."
But for people who do love their cats as much as dog owners adore their pets, she said, Virginia law is unfair. Stealing a cat is a misdemeanor, punishable by as much as a year in jail. Dognappers can get as many as 10 years.
"All I’m trying to do is have the law reflect that if you steal a dog or steal a cat, the punishment should be the same," McClellan told the House Courts of Justice subcommittee.
Supporters of the bill are informally calling it "Ernie’s Law" in honor of the kitten whose ordeal inspired the legislation.
Ernie was abducted from the Richmond SPCA’s shelter last summer. Robin Starr, the organization’s chief executive, said in an interview that two men asked to visit the kitten before possibly adopting it. One man put the cat under his shirt, and they walked out.
An SPCA worker got their license plate number, and the car was tracked down. The SPCA pressed charges, but the prosecutor decided the misdemeanor wasn’t worth pursuing after the defendant failed to appear for arraignment.
Starr said that she had no idea why the gray and white kitten was stolen, but that cats sometimes are taken to use as dogfighting bait.
Subcommittee members wrestled with such issues as whether to add other pets, including hamsters and parakeets, to the felony statute and the notion that the law treats cats differently because many are feral.
Lindsay Potts, a lobbyist for the Farm Bureau, said the organization doesn’t want Virginians subjected to a felony if they feed a cat that wanders onto their property and decides to stay.
Although Ernie got no justice, his story had a happy ending. Starr contacted the thief and persuaded him to return the kitten, which was sick and needed prescription medication. They met at a Richmond junkyard to make the exchange.

Wisconsin Legislature votes to overturn 27-year-old ban on heated sidewalks

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Things are heating up in Wisconsin.
After the second snowiest December on record in the state capital — and with temperatures hovering around 20 degrees Tuesday — the Legislature abolished a statewide ban on heated sidewalks, stairs, entrances and pedestrian walkways.
The bill, which cleared the state Assembly in October and was approved unanimously Tuesday by the state Senate, overturns a law passed in 1980s in response to the energy crisis of the 1970s. Wisconsin is the only state that had such a prohibition in the books.
Supporters of overturning the ban argue that with better technology, and the prospect of using less salt and saving money on snow removal, the ban had outlived its usefulness.
Phyllis Christensen, director of the Marathon City library, said library officials hoped the bill would pass so they could build an outdoor stairway between a new parking lot and the library’s entrance, which is about 17 feet up on a hill.
"Trying to keep a staircase like that cleared so it’s safe during the winter would be extremely difficult," Christensen said.
The bill now goes to Gov. Jim Doyle, who must decide whether to sign it into law. Doyle’s spokesman did not immediately respond to a phone message Tuesday seeking comment.

Residents of rural Texas town abuzz over dozens of reported UFO sightings

By ANGELA K. BROWN
Associated Press Writer
STEPHENVILLE, Texas (AP) — In this farming community where nightfall usually brings clear, starry skies, residents are abuzz over reported sightings of what many believe is a UFO.
Several dozen people — including a pilot, county constable and business owners — insist they have seen a large silent object with bright lights flying low and fast. Some reported seeing fighter jets chasing it.
”People wonder what in the world it is because this is the Bible Belt, and everyone is afraid it’s the end of times,“ said Steve Allen, a freight company owner and pilot who said the object he saw last week was a mile long and half a mile wide. ”It was positively, absolutely nothing from these parts.“
While federal officials insist there’s a logical explanation, locals swear that it was larger, quieter, faster and lower to the ground than an airplane. They also said the object’s lights changed configuration, unlike those of a plane. People in several towns who reported seeing it over several weeks have offered similar descriptions of the object.
Machinist Ricky Sorrells said friends made fun of him when he told them he saw a flat, metallic object hovering about 300 feet over a pasture behind his Dublin home. But he decided to come forward after reading similar accounts in the Stephenville Empire-Tribune.
”You hear about big bass or big buck in the area, but this is a different deal,“ Sorrells said. ”It feels good to hear that other people saw something, because that means I’m not crazy.“
Sorrells said he has seen the object several times. He said he watched it through his rifle’s telescopic lens and described it as very large and without seams, nuts or bolts.
Maj. Karl Lewis, a spokesman for the 301st Fighter Wing at the Joint Reserve Base Naval Air Station in Fort Worth, said no F-16s or other aircraft from his base were in the area the night of Jan. 8, when most people reported the sighting.
Lewis said the object may have been an illusion caused by two commercial airplanes. Lights from the aircraft would seem unusually bright and may appear orange from the setting sun.
”I’m 90 percent sure this was an airliner,“ Lewis said. ”With the sun’s angle, it can play tricks on you.“
Officials at the region’s two Air Force bases — Dyess in Abilene and Sheppard in Wichita Falls — also said none of their aircraft were in the area last week. The Air Force no longer investigates UFOs.
About 200 UFO sightings are reported each month, mostly in California, Colorado and Texas, according to the Mutual UFO Network, which plans to go to the 17,000-resident town of Stephenville to investigate.
Fourteen percent of Americans polled last year by The Associated Press and Ipsos say they have seen a UFO.
Erath County Constable Lee Roy Gaitan said that he first saw red glowing lights and then white flashing lights moving fast, but that even with binoculars could not see the object to which the lights were attached.
”I didn’t see a flying saucer and I don’t know what it was, but it wasn’t an airplane, and I’ve never seen anything like it,“ Gaitan said. ”I think it must be some kind of military craft — at least I hope it was.“

Mock funerals: South Koreans placed in coffins in pursuit of better live

By HYUNG-JIN KIM
Associated Press Writer
CHUNGJU, South Korea (AP) — After solemnly reading their wills, seven perfectly healthy university students climb into caskets in a dimly lit hall.
”I want to give all of you one more day to live, but it’s time to be placed into coffins,“ a man in a black suit says in a resounding voice. ”I hope your tired flesh and bodies will be peacefully put to rest.“
Workers nail the coffins shut, then sprinkle dirt on top as the lights are switched off and a dirge is played. Muffled sobs can be heard from some of the coffins. About 15 minutes later, they are opened and the five men and two women are ”reborn.“
The mock funeral, which aims to get participants to map out a better future by reflecting on their past, is part of a new trend in South Korea called ”well-dying.“ The fad is an extension of ”well-being,“ an English phrase adopted into Korean to describe a growing interest in leading healthier, happier lives.
”I felt really, really scared inside the coffin and also thought a lot about my mom,“ said Lee Hye-jung, a 23-year-old woman studying engineering. ”I’ll live differently from now on so as not to have any regrets about my life.“
Other well-dying activities focus on death itself. Web sites store wills to be conveyed to relatives after death. Death coordinators help plan funerals in advance in case of unexpected death.
Experts see the well-being and well-dying trend as a sign that South Koreans have grown affluent enough to be able to consider quality-of-life issues. But some dismiss services such as the fake funerals as moneymaking ventures.
Korea Life Consulting Co., which staged the mock funeral for the students, charges up to $325 per customer.
”Real death is totally different than this,“ said Chung Jae-hyun, a board director at the Korea Association of Thanatology, a Seoul-based group of academics who study death-related issues.
Some leading companies see the service as a way of improving job performance. Samsung Electronics Co., South Korea’s largest firm, sent 900 workers in 2006 from its factory in Gumi, 160 miles southeast of Seoul.
The experience makes workers more efficient, said Kim Hee-jin, a personnel manager at the Gumi plant, which makes mobile phones, computer printers and fax machines.
Korea Life Consulting held the students’ funeral at a mountain resort in Chungju, 90 miles south of Seoul. Photos of celebrities who died prematurely, including Princess Diana and John F. Kennedy, were hung on the walls.
The students donned a traditional garment for the dead, made from hemp. One worker wore a black robe and a wide-brim cylindrical hat, the outfit of a death messenger in Korean folklore.
Participants take a class on the meaning of life, pose for portrait photos to be used at the service and write wills as if they have three days to live.
”Mom and Dad! Everything I have now is from you, your teaching and your love. I’m so sorry that I have to leave you behind,“ said Hwang Yun-jin, a 29-year-old mechanical engineering major, crying as she read her will aloud.
Ko Min-su, who hosted the ceremony and heads Korea Life Consulting, said about 50,000 people have taken part in his fake funerals since they began in 2004. Most are in their 30s and 40s. His company has eight offices around the country, and copycats have sprung up.
”To die well, we should live well,“ he said. ”Many participants cried while reading their wills, which means they felt they had much to regret.“
Ko, a 40-year-old former insurance agent, launched the business after realizing the fragility of life following the deaths of his two older brothers in a plane and a car accident.
”Everyone can die unexpectedly,“ he said.

Ill. woman's house surrounded by hospital's parking lots; that's exactly how she likes it

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) _ Rena Wilkey has plenty of parking around her home. In fact, that's pretty much all she has.
Now that most of 73-year-old woman's neighbors have sold their properties to Memorial Medical Center, Wilkey's one-story house is ringed on three sides by parking lots.
Wilkey said a hospital representative calls every year to politely ask if she's willing to sell.
"I told them I'm not selling," Wilkey said of the home she's lived in for more than 50 years. "I'm comfortable here. And I don't care about the money. Money don't buy happiness."
The hospital has bought dozens of nearby properties over the years to build the parking lots.
Wilkey said the lots are well-lit and that the hospital even clears the snow from her sidewalks. And she said she doesn't mind losing some of her neighbors — including those she said were troublemakers.
A message left for a medical center spokesman was not immediately returned Sunday evening.
Wilkey said it's the memories of living in the house with her late husband and their daughters that keeps her there.
"That's the reason I don't want to move," she said.

Pig prank: Fetuses impaled on car antennas in Iowa high school parking lot

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Several members of a high school swim team were suspended after they impaled 15 car antennas with fetal pigs and smeared crawfish on hoods and windshields in their rival school’s parking lot, their coach said.
Roosevelt High School swim coach Steve Teter said members of his team retaliated after Dowling Catholic High School swimmers lobbed snowballs at them at an earlier meet.
The incident was discovered Tuesday.
”You could smell the formaldehyde from a block away,“ Dowling Assistant Principal Ron Meyers said.
The pigs likely were stolen from a biology lab. Roosevelt Principal Kathie Danielson said pig fetuses aren’t labeled and the school doesn’t keep inventory, so science teachers ”can’t be sure“ they came from Roosevelt.
”We certainly don’t want issues with schools. We want good relationships,“ Danielson said.
Meyers said Dowling officials ”have faith the parents will deal with their kids appropriately, and the school will, too.“
Teter said several members of his team have been suspended from their next meet.

Vt. deputies round up would-be jurors on post office sidewalk amid small jury pool

ST. JOHNSBURY, Vt. (AP) — Faced with a shrunken jury pool, a judge resorted to some sidewalk justice in hopes of filling it out. It worked.
Judge Harold Eaton Jr., discouraged when a 34-person pool of potential jurors for a sex case was reduced to 20 people, sent sheriff’s deputies into the street Wednesday to summon people to join them.
Caledonia County Sheriff Michael Bergeron and three uniformed deputies stopped people on a sidewalk in front of the post office, asking if they lived in the county. Those who did and were 18 or older were given a summons to report to the courthouse.
According to Bergeron, ”99.9 percent were just excellent“ about being summoned.
”They were great. We certainly appreciate that,“ he said. ”We hope it won’t happen again.“
Defense attorney David Sleigh objected to the impromptu jury pool, telling Eaton he should postpone the draw and start with a new pool. Eaton denied the request.
The 12 jurors selected will hear the case of a man charged with two felony counts of lewd and lascivious conduct with a child.

Motion on the Church of England draws number 666 in House of Commons

LONDON (AP) — The beast of the Book of Revelation intruded into the banter of the House of Commons on Thursday when a motion calling for the disestablishment of the Church of England was numbered 666.
The last book of the Bible says 666 is the number of a beast that ”had two horns like a lamb, and ... spake as a dragon,“ and that ”doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men.“
”It is incredible that a motion like this should have, by chance, acquired this significant number,“ said Bob Russell, a Liberal Democrat lawmaker.
”It looks as though God or the devil have been moving in mysterious ways,“ he said.
The motion simply states: ”That this House calls for the disestablishment of the Church of England“ — in other words ending its status as the country’s legally established, official faith.
Such motions rarely result in any action, but are used by members to publicize issues. Other members may sign the motion as an indication of support.
By Thursday afternoon, the number of the signers was three.
The Church of England, created by King Henry VIII’s breach with Rome, is the legally established faith in England. The monarch, by law, is obliged to be a member, and has the title of Supreme Governor of the church.
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On the Net:
Commons motions: http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMLi

Md. high school offers $30 to food-fight snitches, then backtracks after students complain

COLUMBIA, Md. (AP) — The reward for information wasn’t much: 30 bucks. Then again, neither was the crime: a cafeteria food fight.
A high school principal’s offer to get students to name the names behind the flying cheeseburgers was withdrawn after students questioned the propriety of paying students to snitch about something so minor.
”A $30 offer might be tempting, but is it just?“ student Paige Eckley wrote in the Wilde Lake High School student newspaper.
No injuries were reported in the December food fight, which led to the suspension of at least two students, officials said.
No reward money was paid to students and Howard County school officials are reconsidering such offers, school system spokeswoman Patti Caplan said.
She noted that it ”was not just food being thrown. There were water bottles, trays and utensils.“
Cash rewards have been offered in the past for information leading to those responsible for vandalism, graffiti or theft, Caplan said.
The school is in Columbia, about 15 miles southwest of Baltimore, where homemade ”Stop Snitching“ videos have been distributed on the streets, threatening people who cooperate with police.

Illinois man and 4 others accused of growing marijuana in apartment above flower shop, house

ALTON, Ill. (AP) — A florist is accused of cultivating the wrong kind of potted plant.
Police and federal authorities said they found marijuana and growing equipment in an apartment above Kinzel Flower Shop while responding to a tip. At a house across the street owned by Jeffrey Izard, 52, they found more marijuana and growing equipment.
Madison County prosecutors on Wednesday charged Izard with possessing marijuana with intent to deliver. Izard says he made ”a foolish mistake“ and that he’s generally been a good, law-abiding citizen.
Also facing the same charges are Izard’s three children and a tenant of Izard’s. All are free on $15,000 bond.

Mexico boy glues hand to bed to avoid going back to school

MEXICO CITY (AP) — A 10-year-old Mexican boy dreaded returning to school after Christmas break so much that he glued his hand to his bed.
Sandra Palacios spent nearly two hours Monday morning trying to free her son Diego’s hand with water, oil and nail polish remover before calling authorities, police chief Jorge Camacho told The Associated Press from outside the northern city of Monterrey.
”I didn’t want to go to school because vacation was so much fun,“ Reforma newspaper quoted the boy as saying.
Palacios said Diego sneaked into the kitchen in the early morning to get the industrial glue, which he then slathered on his right hand. She didn’t hear him get up, but later awoke and found him watching TV with his hand stuck to the bed, she told Mexican newspaper El Universal.
”I don’t know why he did it,“ she told Reforma. ”He’s a good boy, but mischievous like all kids.“
Diego’s hand was fine, and paramedics managed to unstick him in time for class.

Calf survives marathon trip down flooded Australian river

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — A calf was rescued after being carried 40 miles down a raging river during flooding in eastern Australia, officials said Wednesday.
Barney, a young bull, was washed away from a farm in New South Wales state during torrential rains Friday night and was rescued Saturday, Tweed Shire Council General Manager Mike Rayner said.
”It’s amazing the beast is alive,“ Rayner said.
”The water ripped half the road out of one particular cutting the bull calf went through — the velocity would have been enormous,“ he said.
Council ranger Wayne Haayer, who assisted in the rescue, said he spotted Barney, which he estimated to be two years old, headed for the ocean.
”He was tired, his head was barely above water,“ Haayer said. ”It was sort of swimming, sort of floating.“
Barney was identified by his tags and returned to owner Don Baxter.
Baxter could not immediately be reached for comment.

’Meanest mom on the planet’ sells teenage son’s car after finding booze under front seat

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Jane Hambleton has dubbed herself the ”meanest mom on the planet.“
After finding alcohol in her son’s car, she decided to sell the car and share her 19-year-old’s misdeed with everyone — by placing an ad in the local newspaper.
The ad reads: ”OLDS 1999 Intrigue. Totally uncool parents who obviously don’t love teenage son, selling his car. Only driven for three weeks before snoopy mom who needs to get a life found booze under front seat. $3,700/offer. Call meanest mom on the planet.“
Hambleton has heard from people besides interested buyers since recently placing the ad in The Des Moines Register.
The 48-year-old from Fort Dodge says she has fielded more than 70 telephone calls from emergency room technicians, nurses, school counselors and even a Georgia man who wanted to congratulate her.
”The ad cost a fortune, but you know what? I’m telling people what happened here,“ Hambleton says. ”I’m not just gonna put the car for resale when there’s nothing wrong with it, except the driver made a dumb decision.
”It’s overwhelming the number of calls I’ve gotten from people saying ’Thank you, it’s nice to see a responsible parent.’ So far there are no calls from anyone saying, ’You’re really strict. You’re real overboard, lady.“’
The only critic is her son, who Hambleton says is ”very, very unhappy“ with the ad and claims the alcohol was left by a passenger.
Hambleton believes her son but has decided mercy isn’t the best policy in this case. She says she set two rules when she bought the car at Thanksgiving: No booze, and always keep it locked.
The car has been sold, but Hambleton says she will continue the ad for another week — just for the feedback.

Cat seeking warm spot blamed for outage cutting electricity to 12,000 customers in Idaho

NAMPA, Idaho (AP) — A cat picked the wrong place to come in from the cold, and caused a power outage that blacked out more than 12,000 homes and businesses.
The cat entered an electrical substation, snuggled up to a warm transformer and contacted a live circuit, causing a short that blew out nine feeder lines Monday afternoon, Idaho Power officials said.
Service was restored in less than three hours to most customers, including City Hall where the lights came on in time for a City Council meeting, utility spokesman Dennis Lopez said.
The outage also disabled traffic lights in the city of about 77,000 people. Temporary stop signs were set up at affected intersections and about 15 police officers were assigned to direct and monitor traffic. Police Lt. Eric Skoglund said he didn’t know of any accidents that could be blamed on the outage.
The short circuit killed the cat.

St. Louis-area town proposal would ban swearing in bars

ST. CHARLES, Mo. (AP) — What the ...? A St. Louis-area town is considering a bill that would ban swearing in bars, along with table-dancing, drinking contests and profane music.
City officials contend the bill is needed to keep rowdy crowds under control because the historic downtown area gets a little too lively on some nights.
City Councilman Richard Veit said he was prompted to propose the bill after complaints about bad bar behavior. He says it will give police some rules to enforce when things get too rowdy.
But some bar owners worry the bill is too vague and restrictive, saying it may be a violation of their civil rights.
Marc Rousseau, who owns bar R.T. Weilers, said he thinks the bill needs revision.
”We’re dealing with adults here once again and I don’t think it’s the city’s job or the government’s job to determine what we can and cannot play in our restaurant,“ Rousseau said.
The proposal would ban indecent, profane or obscene language, songs, entertainment and literature at bars.
A meeting to discuss the proposal is set for Jan. 14.

Forget hotels, NYC comedian finds lodging at NJ Ikea store

By JANET FRANKSTON LORIN
Associated Press Writer
PARAMUS, N.J. (AP) — When Mark Malkoff thought about where he could stay while his New York City apartment was being fumigated for cockroaches, he quickly ruled out friends’ places (too small) and hotels (too expensive).
Instead, the comedian and filmmaker decided to move into an Ikea store in suburban New Jersey, where on Monday he unloaded two suitcases into a spacious bedroom at the store.
At night when the store is closed, he says he’ll play laser tag with security guards and even plans to host a housewarming party.
”The fact that Ikea is letting me do this is mind-boggling,“ said Malkoff, lounging on a bed in his new room. ”There’s no way I’m going back. I love this way too much.“
Malkoff, who works for Comedy Central’s ”The Colbert Report“ as a ticket handler, is allowed to stay until Ikea closes at about midnight on Saturday; the store, famous for its low-cost do-it-yourself furniture, is closed on Sundays.
Malkoff, 31, is known for his 2007 video ”171 Starbucks“ which documents his visits to all of the coffee chain’s Manhattan stores in a single day.
Deputy store manager Julie Mott said Malkoff contacted the store about three weeks ago and presented a proposal to move in.
”We thought it would be a lot of fun and interesting,“ Mott said. ”We’re not really sure what this week holds.“
He is being followed by a camera crew documenting his stay for a video, which will be shown on his Web site, http://www.marklivesinikea.com.
But despite the hospitality, Malkoff did find a few problems: The sinks don’t work, and neither does the toilet, refrigerator, flat-screen television or the washer and dryer.
”Is anything real in this place?“ he asked.
He must shower in the staff locker room and will have access to the staff cafeteria to cook his own meals, if he chooses, Mott said.
However, the Ikea display does offer more spacious living than his two-bedroom Queens apartment.
”I feel like I’m on the set of ’Friends,“’ he said, adding that he has met a few new faux friends — customers who wandered into his new apartment.
His wife of 2 1/2 years, Christine, isn’t as thrilled with his new digs and has instead opted to stay with relatives in upstate New York.
”For some reason,“ he said, ”she doesn’t want to live in a store.“
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On the Net:
www.MarkLivesInIKEA.com

Idaho man sees ‘mark of the beast,’ cuts off and microwaves hand

HAYDEN, Idaho — A man who believed he bore the "mark of the beast" used a circular saw to cut off one hand, then he cooked it in the microwave and called 911, authorities said.
The man, in his mid-20s, was calm when Kootenai County sheriff’s deputies arrived Saturday in this northern Idaho town. He was in protective custody in the mental health unit of Kootenai Medical Center.
"It had been somewhat cooked by the time the deputy arrived," sheriff’s Capt. Ben Wolfinger said. "He put a tourniquet on his arm before, so he didn’t bleed to death. That kind of mental illness is just sad."
It was not immediately clear whether the man has a history of mental illness. Hospital spokeswoman Lisa Johnson would not say whether an attempt was made to reattach the hand, citing patient confidentiality.
The Book of Revelation in the New Testament contains a passage in which an angel is quoted as saying: "If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury."

Pennsylvania man gets probation, community service for mailing cow’s head to wife’s lover

NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP) — A man who mailed a bloody cow’s head to his wife’s lover has been sentenced to probation and community service.
Jason Michael Fife "understands that in a civilized society a person cannot send a severed cow’s head to anybody," said his defense lawyer, Henry Hilles.
Authorities in Lower Pottsgrove, northwest of Philadelphia, arrested Fife and charged him with stalking, terroristic threats, disorderly conduct and harassment after he allegedly sent threatening messages and pictures to the victim between May and September 2006.
The victim received a package containing a cow’s head with a puncture wound in its skull on June 1, 2006.
Police said Fife, 31, got the cow’s head from a butcher’s shop, claiming he wanted the dried skull for decoration. Instead, he mailed the head frozen, so as not to alert parcel carriers to the contents, police said. The box became bloody after sitting on the victim’s doorstep on a warm day.
Police were able to trace the package and threatening e-mails to Fife, court documents indicate.
"My client did step over the line here, but one can certainly understand his frustration, given that the victim was carrying on an affair with my client’s wife," Hilles said.
Fife, of Hunker, southeast of Pittsburgh, was sentenced Friday to a program for first-time offenders in which he must complete two years of probation and 50 hours of community service. If he successfully finishes the program, his record will be cleared.
Fife and his wife, who have a young child, later reconciled, Hilles said.

Massive SpongeBob snowmen melt as Illinois’ temperatures soar

BELVIDERE, Ill. (AP) — SpongeBob’s melting. So are Patrick, Squidward, Gary and Plankton.
The massive made-from-snow replicas of the cast of the Nickelodeon cartoon "SpongeBob SquarePants" aren’t expected to survive this week’s record-setting warm weather.
Dave King spent more than 30 hours crafting the full-color snowmen in his front yard as a way to entertain his children.
"It was everything in my front yard, everything in my neighbor’s driveway, everything in my driveway," the Belvidere resident said. "We were filling the pickup truck full of snow and backing it up and dumping it."
The snowy SpongeBob, the yellow sponge who calls a pineapple under the sea home, is nearly 13-feet tall.
The sculptures are painted with nearly two-dozen cans of spray paint and have drawn hundreds of spectators to King’s northern Illinois neighborhood.
But with temperatures climbing into the mid-50s on Sunday, and spring-like temperatures expected to last through Monday, King said he knows his snow versions of the Pacific Ocean crew won’t last long.
Still, that’s not stopping friends from putting in requests for another round of snow characters — this time from "The Simpsons" or the movie "Cars."
"It’s got to be a tradition now," King said.

Wyoming winter damages roof of erstwhile NYC diner used in TV, movie scenes

GREEN RIVER, Wyo. (AP) — The Moondance Diner made it safely through a 2,100-mile trek west from New York City, but it was no match for a Wyoming winter.
Heavy snow damaged the roof and walls of the historic eatery this past week.
New owners Cheryl and Vince Pierce said they’ll continue repairs and renovations, and hope to open it later this year in LaBarge, a town of about 500 at the base of the Rocky Mountains, the Casper Star-Tribune reported Saturday.
They bought the 74-year-old diner for $7,500 and trucked it to Wyoming last summer, saving it from the wrecking ball after a developer bought the diner’s site for luxury condominiums. It had been located near the Holland Tunnel entrance in lower Manhattan, on the fringes of SoHo.
Before its move, the Moondance, originally called the Holland Tunnel Diner, had become a place where celebrity revelers sometimes showed up for breakfast. It was used as a location for scenes in "Spider-Man," "Friends" and "Sex and the City."

Animal Fair magazine says Miley Cyrus’ 2 dogs, Roadie and Loco, are Most Eligible Pets

NEW YORK (AP) — Hannah Montana’s concert tour and soundtrack aren’t the only hot things on the charts these days.
Miley Cyrus’ pets, Roadie and Loco, have been named top dogs by Animal Fair magazine.
Roadie, a Yorkie, and Loco, a Shih Tzu, clawed their way to the top of the magazine’s Most Eligible Pets list. Readers’ votes were announced Tuesday, and the list appears in the magazine’s winter issue, on newsstands now.
"All the time we hear about the sexiest men alive, the best- and worst-dressed celebrities or the most beautiful people," editor Wendy Diamond said. "What about the pets?"
The list boasts a diverse group of pets hailing from owners who lead their fields in design, law, comedy, medicine and music, according to the magazine for animal lovers.
Cyrus’ pooches triumphed because "they’re the only ones who can get tickets to the sold-out Hannah Montana tour," Diamond said.
Cyrus portrays Montana.
Last month, the 15-year-old star of the Disney Channel show and daughter of country singer Billy Ray Cyrus announced she would extend her "Best of Both Worlds Tour" with 14 more performances after all 55 shows sold out in minutes. Her "Hannah Montana 2 (Soundtrack)/Meet Miley Cyrus" album is also on Billboard’s Top 10 list.
Also on Animal Fair’s list are Jake and Bill, terriers that help actress Glenn Close with her dog-friendly blog, Lively Licks, and Teddy, the mini goldendoodle belonging to celebrity blogger Perez Hilton.
"This year our readers chose an outstanding list of eligible pets," Diamond said. "While they may be eligible, let’s also hope they’re also spayed and neutered — although that’s none of our business!"
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On the Net:
http://www.animalfair.com

Ohio performer has quite the experience with courts in effort to change his name

AKRON, Ohio (AP) — You can refer to him officially now as Mr. Experience. Daniel Michael Miller II is history.
The former Dan Miller, 24, has legally changed his name to "The" Dan Miller Experience.
His first name is "The" Dan, with the quotation marks. His middle name is Miller and his last name is Experience.
About 300 people petitioned the Summit County Probate Court last year to change a name, and Experience was one of the few who was called in to explain why he wanted an unusual name. The Akron musician and rapper did so, and last month the change became official.
"My first reaction was that this guy was going to have some problems with Homeland Security," said Magistrate Larry Poulos, who approved the name change.
"But (Experience) is in the entertainment business, and he seems like a nice kid," Poulos said.
Said Experience: "I like to do little things in my life that amuse me. This amuses me."
So far, Experience said, he has not had any problems with the switch, other than a few laughs when he renewed his driver’s license.

Kansas town fires police chief who was convicted of stealing beer from firefighters’ fridge

WILSON, Kan. (AP) — A small-town police chief has been fired after he was convicted of stealing beer from the fire department’s refrigerator.
The city council in Wilson on Monday fired chief Brian Hill, effective Jan. 25. He has the option of a hearing within the next two weeks.
Hill was arrested Aug. 1 after he a surveillance tape showed him taking the beer. He was convicted of misdemeanor theft on Dec. 26 and given probation. He had been suspended without pay pending an appeal of the conviction.
Authorities did not disclose how much beer was stolen, or why it was in the fire department. A warrant put the value of the beer at less than $1,000.
The two departments share a building, and the door separating the offices usually was unlocked, officials said.
The only person by the name of Brian Hill in the Wilson area has an unlisted phone number, so he could not be reached for comment.