Wire
30 reports of tornadoes across Midwest
Roxana Hegeman Associated Press Writer WICHITA (AP) — Several tornadoes dropped from a line of strong storms that moved across Kansas into Missouri on Thursday, destroying at least one home and spooking a pair of circus elephants that escaped their enclosure. The elephants, part of a traveling circus in WaKeeney, were apparently frightened by the storm and wandered through the town after breaking loose, said Trego County Sheriff Richard Sch...
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Celebrities
WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Gordon Ramsay is in a California state of mind. The fiery Scottish chef and star of Fox’s “Hell’s Kitchen” and “Kitchen Nightmares” was all smiles at the opening of his latest restaurant, Gordon Ramsay at The London West Hollywood, on Wednesday evening. The event was attended by celebrity guests such as “Will and & Grace” co-star Eric McCormack, “Survivor” host Jeff Probst, Kim Kardashian and David Beckham. So...
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Oddities
Fan wins funeral at minor league baseball game GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas (AP) — Elaine Fulps is thrilled about the prize she won at a minor league baseball game. But she’s hoping she doesn’t have to collect on it anytime soon. Fulps, 60, won a $10,000 paid funeral at Tuesday night’s Grand Prairie AirHogs game. The prize won’t expire until after Fulps does, said Ron Alexander, the sales manager at Oak Grove Memorial Gardens, which partnered wit...
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Abortion doctor’s visit to governor’s home raises questions
TOPEKA (AP) — Gov. Kathleen Sebelius undercut her efforts to build her credentials as a moderate problem-solver with a reception last year at her official residence with abortion provider Dr. George Tiller. Sebelius has gained national attention for winning two terms as a Democratic governor in a traditionally Republican state. National party leaders promote her as someone who governs successfully by bridging political differences, and she’...
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Celebrities
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ed McMahon, who for decades appeared as Johnny Carson’s sidekick on “The Tonight Show,” is fighting to avoid foreclosure on his multimillion-dollar Beverly Hills home, according to published reports. The former “Star Search” host was $644,000 behind on payments on $4.8 million in mortgage loans when a unit of Countrywide Financial Corp. filed a default notice Feb. 28 with the Los Angeles County Recorder’s Office, The Wall...
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Other Editors
The Topeka Capital-Journal, on driving distractions: We cringe to think common sense is becoming more common in California than Kansas, but that appears to be the case. The home of Hollywood and unlimited ballot propositions is well ahead of the Sunflower State in recognizing the danger of driving while holding a cell phone to your ear. Beginning July 1, it will be illegal in California to hold a cell phone and conduct a conversation whil...
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Oddities
Police: Dye pack explodes in pants of Florida shopper FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A bank robber got as far as a nearby pawn shop before a dye pack, inserted in his wad of stolen cash, exploded in his pants, authorities said. The man then fled the store, leaving behind the money that contained the theft-detection device. Fort Lauderdale Police Department spokeswoman Kathy Collins says the man matched descriptions of a robber who pilfered a ba...
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Heloise
FROM KING FEATURES SYNDICATE, 300 W. 57TH STREET, 15TH FLOOR, NEW YORK, NY 10019 CUSTOMER SERVICE: (800) 708-7311, EXT. 236 FOR RELEASE WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4, 2008 HELOISE’S KITCHENEERING BY HELOISE Apricot Spread Dear Readers: If you like apricotsAPRICOTS, I have the recipe for you! This recipe was handed down from my mother, the original Heloise, and it’s still a reader and family favorite. All you need ...
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Oddities
Ohio city OKs jail time for failing to mow lawn CANTON, Ohio (AP) — Homeowners who don’t mow their grass in this northeast Ohio city now face stiffer penalties — including possible jail time. The city council unanimously passed a law Monday that makes a second high-grass violation a fourth-degree misdemeanor carrying a fine of up to $250 and as many as 30 days in jail. The previous law only made the first violation a minor misdemeanor, wi...
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Celebrities
WESTBURY, N.Y. (AP) — The battling Lohans are back in court. Nearly a year after they settled their divorce, Lindsay Lohan’s estranged parents were in a Long Island courtroom Tuesday over custody issues. Michael Lohan complained that his ex-wife, Dina, wasn’t living up to a visitation agreement involving their two youngest children, Ali, 14, and Dakota, 11. The children live with their mother in Merrick; Michael now lives in Southampton. ...
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Ask Amy
Dear Amy‘NEGLECTED’ RELATIVE HAS NO WISH TO ATTEND GRADUATION OF NIECE DEAR AMY: My niece will graduate from high school soon, but I have no desire to attend the ceremony (if invited). My niece has never willingly engaged me in a conversation. Even getting a “hello” from her is like pulling teeth. Before you say that this is just a phase that teenagers go through, let me say this child has been this way her entire life. She never thanks m...
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Big changes coming to JoCo delegation
TOPEKA (AP) — Three senators’ decisions not to seek re-election have set off a scramble for legislative seats in Johnson County, which has long been a Republican stronghold. Republicans hold all seven of the county’s Senate seats and 21 of its 22 House seats. Sen. Nick Jordan, of Shawnee, is running for Congress. Sens. Barbara Allen and Dennis Wilson, both of Overland Park, are retiring from the Legislature. Sue Gamble, a Shawnee Republic...
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Parenting program offers guidance to expanding families
HUTCHINSON (AP) — Parenting doesn’t come easy for everyone. When Teresa Corwin had her first child, a baby girl named Mauryn, in the summer of 2004, she acknowledged to being a little overwhelmed. She was a single mother trying to care for a newborn while holding down a full-time job. “I’ve always had a job or two or three to get by,” she said. Coming from an abusive background, she had some uncertainties about being a parent, Corwin sai...
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Alcohol not a factor in fatal mishap
TOPEKA (AP) — Investigators say alcohol doesn’t appear to be a factor in Sunday’s fatal accident at Heartland Park Topeka. Two Oklahoma residents were struck by a pickup truck leaving a parking area after the 2008 NHRA Summer Nationals. The truck drove toward four people walking on the gravel portion of a road leading from the race track. Fifty-five-year-old Judy K. Brewster was killed and 52-year-old James C. Jenkins sustained life-threat...
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Other Editors
The Wichita Eagle, on parole reform: Kansas’ innovative efforts to find smarter ways to manage its prison population is getting some well-deserved attention beyond the state’s borders. As the New York Times recently reported, “Kansas is a leader in a spreading national effort to make parole more effective and useful — to reduce violations and reincarcerations as it protects the public and seeks to help more offenders go straight.” ... The old...
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Web site invites postings of photos to help find owners of lost cameras
Daniela Flores Associated Press Writer Imagine you lost the camera that had those one-of-a-kind vacation photos, or images of a keepsake moment. Now imagine a stranger finding it: Would you feel happy, or somehow that your privacy was invaded, if that stranger put some of your images on the Web to track you down? A new Web site, www.Ifoundyourcamera.net, aims to do exactly that: Using the power and reach of the Internet, it asks people wh...
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Celebrities
STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) — The Kiss Army fan club has an enthusiastic new recruit: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. In a departure from her normally staid diplomatic duties, Rice met the legendary glam rock quartet when they happened to share a hotel in the Swedish capital. Rice was in Stockholm on Thursday for an international conference on Iraq. Kiss had a sold-out gig to play on Friday. “I was thrilled,” Rice said of her late-night en...
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Oddities
Town repeals ban on clotheslines SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) — Town board members who had drawn the line at hanging clothes outside to dry are cutting residents some slack: It’s OK for them to use clotheslines now. The Southampton Town board has lifted a ban on clotheslines that had stood since 2002, when some homeowners complained the laundry on their neighbors’ lawns was making the tony Hamptons town look shabby. But no one objected when the...
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Heloise
FROM KING FEATURES SYNDICATE, 300 W. 57TH STREET, 15TH FLOOR, NEW YORK, NY 10019 CUSTOMER SERVICE: (800) 708-7311, EXT. 236 FOR RELEASE FRIDAY, MAY 30, 2008 HINTS FROM HELOISE BY HELOISE Behold! The Leaf Blower Queen Dear Heloise: My family is calling me the leaf blower queenLEAF BLOWER QUEEN! That tool has become my favorite thing to use. My husband was washing the car and I was using the leaf blower to clean ...
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Ask Amy
Dear AmyRELATIONSHIP WITH STEPMOTHER ROCKY AT FIRST, FALLING APART AGAIN DEAR AMY: I am a grown man, but I am challenged with how to manage my relationship with my stepmother. I don’t know why the negative aspects of our history keep bothering me. My mother died unexpectedly when I was 11, and my father married my stepmother. She was very hurtful to me in many ways and continually competed for my father’s attention as she tried to establi...
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