Wire
Ask Amy
Dear Amy: About a month ago, my partner and I let his sister and her daughter move into our home. Their home was flooded, so they needed a place to stay while their house was being repaired. The problem I have is with the niece. She is 20 years old and does nothing all day but watch TV and chat online. When we get home, we have to cook dinner and clean the house. My partner, his sister and I, all work full-time jobs. We don’t ask them to ...
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Hamilton County to vote on hail program
SYRACUSE (AP) — Voters in Hamilton County will decide Nov. 4 whether to continue participating in a program aimed at reducing hail and enhancing rainfall in western Kansas. Hamilton County, which borders Colorado, has been in the Western Kansas Weather Modification Program for 23 years. The cloud-seeding program operates from April to September. This year, the program was funded by 10 participating counties, which paid 5.2 cents per acre f...
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Oddities
Colo. couple get marijuana with order of tacos LAKEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — A Colorado couple found an unusual topping on their order of tacos: a small bag of marijuana. They discovered the drugs with their order from a Del Taco restaurant and called police, said Lakewood police spokesman Steve Davis. Twenty-six-year-old Dennis Klermund, who police say waited on the husband when he picked up food Oct. 16, faces charges of possession of marijuan...
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Writers get chance at writing novels
Terry Rombeck Lawrence Journal-World LAWRENCE (AP) — Like a lot of people, Ted Boone had always wanted to write a novel but didn’t think he had the time. “I think people can sit down and watch a television show and think, ‘I could have written that,’ or ‘I would have written it better,”’ Boone says. “And I think we do that with books, too. There’s a temptation to compete with the creative forces that are out there.” With one recent study...
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Heloise
Dear Heloise: I was interested in the article about unplugging electrical components for several minutes to reset them if an error code appears. My grandson and his friend were playing around with the TV set, continually shutting it on and off until it wouldn’t come on at all! His dad called several repair shops for an estimate, and it was very expensive. The last shop told him to unplug the TV overnight and in the morning plug it back in a...
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Book of scary stories published
Tim Linn Leavenworth Times LEAVENWORTH (AP) — Imagine it’s that time of night where each room of every house turns dark and the only light comes from the moon shining through the window. Joe Wilson, a Leavenworth resident since 1980, can imagine it. Wilson said he has spent a lot of time gazing up at the penumbra, the haze that occasionally hangs over the moon. So much so that he said it became a kind of inspiration for the short stories...
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Commissioner charged with taking rival’s signs
OLATHE (AP) — A Johnson County commissioner has been cited for stealing two of his opponent’s campaign signs. Commissioner John Toplikar was cited for misdemeanor theft after allegedly taking signs of Calvin Hayden, his opponent in the 6th District Board of County Commissoiners race. Hayden’s wife, Kelly, and a campaign volunteer videotaped the alleged thefts Saturday. Calls to Toplikar seeking comment Monday were not answered. Kelly Hayd...
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World Briefly
Federal agents disrupt skinhead plot to assassinate Obama, shoot or decapitate 102 black people WASHINGTON (AP) — Law enforcement agents have broken up a plot by two neo-Nazi skinheads to assassinate Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and shoot or decapitate 88 black people, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives said Monday. In court records unsealed Monday in U.S. District Court in Jackson, Tenn., federal a...
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Kansas sees uptick in gun licenses
TOPEKA (AP) — There has been an increase in the number of gun shops that have a license to sell semiautomatic weapons. But the shop owners say residents should not expect to see more heavy weapons on the street. The new law took effect in July to allow the sale of more types of weapons, which are typically used by the military or law enforcement. The law brought Kansas in line with surrounding states. Since then, 13 more gun shops have acq...
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Oddities
Florida woman grows dreads to nearly 9 feet MIAMI (AP) — Asha Mandela has hair that could rival Rapunzel’s. The South Florida woman who started growing her hair 20 years ago now has locks longer than she is tall. Mandela has submitted her hair, which measure 8 feet 9 inches long, to the Guinness Book of World Records for the Longest Dreadlocks, the first entry in a new category. It takes one bottle of shampoo and one bottle of conditioner eve...
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Ask Amy
Dear Amy: I have a lot of down time at my new job. With all this extra time at work, I have been studying and reading. These are activities I could never do at my previous job. As the new girl, does this reflect poorly on my work ethic? When I have no assignments, what should I be doing? Something else? I never read anything inappropriate, mostly GRE (Graduate Record Examination) study guides, the newspaper or a best-selling novel. -- Work...
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Heloise
Dear Readers: Here are some important pet pointers to keep in mind if you are considering bringing a bird into your home. * Learn the responsibilities that come with owning a bird. Many people think birds don’t require much care, only to be surprised to find that they do! * Birds are extra-sensitive to vapors, odors, drafts and cigarette smoke, and are prone to stress if their routine is changed. * Birds need vitamins, pellets, fresh seed...
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Ambulance called to home of Knicks’ coach
NEW YORK (AP) — A 47-year-old man was taken to the hospital and treated for an accidental overdose of sleeping pills Friday at the suburban home of former New York Knicks coach Isiah Thomas, police said. Police would not identify the victim, except to give his age. Thomas is 47. Harrison Police Chief David Hall said the case was not a suicide attempt. Madison Square Garden spokesman Barry Watkins told The Journal News newspaper, “Isiah is ...
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Celebrities
DETROIT (AP) — Kid Rock and his Made in Detroit apparel line are working with Wayne State University to help start a college scholarship fund for area music students. The Detroit company will create 2,500 limited edition T-shirts bearing the school’s name and the Made in Detroit logo, which features a factory worker, carrying a large wrench, in silhouette. Wayne State hopes to initially raise $25,000 from the sale, said university spokeswo...
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St. Louis area school deals with HIV scare
NORMANDY, Mo. (AP) — Students at a suburban St. Louis high school headed to the gymnasium for HIV testing this week after an infected person told health officials as many as 50 teenagers might have been exposed to the virus that causes AIDS. Officials refused to give details on who the person was or how the students at Normandy High School might have been exposed, but the district is consulting with national AIDS organizations as it tries t...
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Investigators say KC fire was arson
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — An explosion and two-alarm fire at a landmark Kansas City steak restaurant was caused by arson, authorities said Thursday. Federal and local investigators have been looking into the fire at the Hereford House since early Monday. No one was injured, but the blast blew a large hole in the brick veneer and caused more than $1 million in damage to the building near downtown Kansas City. The restaurant is closed indefinitel...
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Officials see surge in advance voting
John Hanna Associated Press Writer TOPEKA (AP) — Nathan Jones travels to job sites across northeast Kansas as a security officer. His regular shift — from 11:15 a.m. to 6:15 p.m. — can become an issue when he wants to vote on Election Day. That led the 38-year-old Topeka resident to do something Wednesday he’s never done before: Cast an advance ballot. His action made him part of a statewide surge in advance voting. Secretary of State Ro...
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Celebrities
LOS ANGELES (AP) — William Shatner is setting his phaser to stun against his old “Star Trek” co-star George Takei. In a video posted on Shatner’s Web site Wednesday, he lashed out at Takei for not inviting him to his wedding last month. The 77-year-old Shatner said Takei, who played Enterprise helmsman Sulu, apparently harbors a grudge against him that kept him from being invited to Takei’s nuptials. “The whole thing makes me feel badly,” ...
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Demo Slattery calls for stimulus plan
TOPEKA (AP) — Democratic Senate candidate Jim Slattery is calling on Congress to pass a new economic stimulus package that spends money on improving roads, bridges and other infrastructure to stimulate jobs. A spokeswoman for Republican Sen. Pat Roberts said Thursday that when Congress reconvenes next month, Roberts will consider “every option” for improving the economy and will work on a bipartisan plan. Roberts is seeking his third term in ...
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Oddities
Man may be reimbursed for money mutilated by mice JACKSON, Mo. (AP) — A bunch of mice turn out to be no match for the U.S. Mint. A southeast Missouri man is expected to be reimbursed for about $1,000 in bills that had been munched on by rodents. He had left the $20 bills in an unzipped vinyl bag on a desk at his home, and it was misplaced during the ice storm last winter and the flooding in March. He eventually found the bag, and in Augu...
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