Wire
Judge rules teen unfit for trial
JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) — A 15-year-old boy accused of firing an assault rifle inside a middle school is not mentally competent to stand trial as an adult, a judge concluded in turning the teen over to mental health authorities for evaluation. Thomas H. White was 13 when, prosecutors allege, he pointed the rifle in the direction of students and teachers, fired a round into a hallway ceiling and tried repeatedly to shoot the principal at Joplin’s M...
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Ask Amy
Dear Amy: My wife is addicted to playing “World of Warcraft.” She plays it from the time she wakes up in the morning until she goes to bed at 2 or 3 in the morning for days on end, to the exclusion of practically anything else. She met a friend online and had an affair with him. He is one of their “guild” players, and they talk online every day. She is totally unapologetic about playing 12 to 15 hours a day, and doesn’t believe she is negle...
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Heloise
Dear Heloise: I live in an area where we have tornadoes and have to take cover in a hurry. I bought a legal-size plastic accordion folder and put all our documents that would be hard to replace in it -- marriage license, birth certificates, passports, house deed, insurance policies, contact info and car titles. When I have to take cover, I grab the folder and my purse and go. When I know in advance that we’ll probably have to take cover, I...
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Heloise
Dear Amy: I am 17 years old and in high school. My parents have been divorced since I was 4, and they’ve always had a tumultuous relationship. I’ve always sided with my mom, but starting about a year ago my father has been making strides in making us closer and more like father and daughter. My mom isn’t at all happy about this, and we fight about it all the time. My mother is extremely upset because my dad doesn’t tell people that she i...
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‘Thunder’ seamlessly blends comedy, action
Christy Lemire AP Movie Critic “Tropic Thunder,” Ben Stiller’s extravaganza of a Hollywood satire, couldn’t be any more “inside-baseball” if it contained references to the infield fly rule and Rule 5 draft picks. This movie-within-a-movie is certainly his most ambitious production as a director and it contains some of the biggest belly laughs of his career. But while it blends comedy and action sequences far more skillfully and seamlessly...
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World Briefs
Russia expands bombing blitz, deploys ships; Georgia reports ground assault TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Russia and Georgia clashed on land and at sea Sunday despite a Georgian cease-fire offer and claim of withdrawal from the separatist province of South Ossetia, officials from both countries said. Georgian officials said Russian planes bombed the Georgian capital’s outskirts and Russian tanks moved from South Ossetia into Georgian territor...
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Rob Riggle’s off the hook in China
David Bauder AP Television Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Foreign correspondency on the fake news of “The Daily Show” usually amounts to someone standing in front of a video screen on the New York set, a few steps away from Jon Stewart’s desk. But to coincide with the Olympics, the show’s Rob Riggle went to China. Really. His skewed travelogue unfolds this week on the Comedy Central hit. That’s when they find out whether they’ve created any internati...
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Outside party help an issue in 2nd District race
Nancy Boyda calls for Lynn Jenkins to reject funding from national GOP group LAWRENCE (AP) — Rep. Nancy Boyda is refusing financial help from a national Democratic Party group, and she wants Lynn Jenkins, her Republican rival in the 2nd Congressional District, to do the same with its GOP counterpart. But Jenkins appears unlikely to follow suit. Outside groups’ activities are an issue because Boyda repeatedly has portrayed herself as inde...
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Prosecutors ask judge to proceed with trial
TOPEKA (AP) — Prosecutors say an appeal by two former Westar Energy executives is frivolous and should not be allowed to delay the men’s criminal trial on charges they looted the state’s largest electrical utility. The government on Friday urged U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson to start the trial for David Wittig and Douglas Lake as scheduled Sept. 9. Earlier this month, the men had asked Robinson to dismiss charges against them because ...
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Celebrities
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Richard Dreyfuss is suing his father and uncle over an $870,000 loan he claims was never repaid. The lawsuit centers around a loan Dreyfuss claims he made to his relatives in 1984, who owned an interest in a downtown Los Angeles office building. Roughly 24 years later, Dreyfuss says that loan — and interest — remains unpaid. In his lawsuit filed Friday, Dreyfuss says his uncle, Gilbert Dreyfuss, has repeatedly refused t...
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CW retools teen show ‘Beverly Hills, 90210’
Kinney Littlefield For The Associated Press TORRANCE, Calif. (AP) — “Gutter balls only, please!” someone yells during a rehearsal at the Lucky Strike bowling alley for the CW’s new series “90210.” So co-stars Jessica Stroup and Shenae Grimes downplay their bowling skills. The spin-off on the fabled ’90s teen drama premieres Sept. 2 (8 p.m. EDT). If the show mimics the hot bodies, hip fashion and angst-ridden affluence of “Beverly Hills, 9...
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Chuck Berry’s house rocks ST
Chuck Berry’s house rocks ST. LOUIS (AP) — A modest, one-story red-brick house that rock and roll legend Chuck Berry bought in 1950 will be considered for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. Experts on St. Louis landmarks say Berry and his family lived in the home in the city’s Ville neighborhood during his most productive early songwriting period. It was in the house that Berry developed his distinctive guitar style, reh...
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Roberts works to undercut Slattery early
TOPEKA (AP) — Republican Sen. Pat Roberts launched advertising early in an effort designed to prevent his leading Democratic challenger from making a serious run at unseating him. Roberts says he’s not much interested in the strategy behind his re-election campaign because he’s focusing on congressional business, such as energy policy. And he describes his ads as setting the record straight after he’s been attacked by former Rep. Jim Slatte...
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Heloise
Dear Heloise: Could you please reprint the roach recipe? It has helped me in the past. Thanks for all you do. -- Trish in Houston Trish, this question comes in over and over from readers plagued by roach problems. The “recipe” is to kill them, not cook them! Roaches feed on kitchen scraps, crumbs, garbage, bookbinding, soap, paper, paint chips, wallpaper paste and other glued items. They are extremely hardy and can live without water for ...
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Celebrities
NEW YORK (AP) — Katie Holmes just keeps taking it off. Mrs. Tom Cruise, who made a huge hairstyle splash when she helped fuel Hollywood’s bob craze late last year, has been seen out and about in New York with a new pixie cut. Photos popping up on the Internet show Holmes sporting a shaggier version of the short ’do, with long bangs and a tapered neck. The style was popular in the late ’80s and early ’90s, according to celebrity hairstylist Po...
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Real estate close-up: KC
J.W. Elphinstone AP Business Writer First came H&R Block Inc. Then the downtown Kansas City, Mo.’s resurrection followed. The development of a nine-block, $850 million entertainment district hinged on the nation’s largest tax preparer relocating its world headquarters 30 blocks north. The opening of its offices two years ago jump-started a redevelopment plan that city officials hope will reinvigorate a forgotten part of town. “The tremen...
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Ask Amy
Dear Amy: I am a 54-year-old male. I was in a store, and as I was walking down the aisle, I saw a little girl about 4 or 5 years old who looked very scared and close to crying. I asked her if she was lost, and she nodded her head. I told her we were going to find her mommy, and I took her up to the front of the store to use their public-address system. While I wanted to offer my hand to her or pick her up to comfort her, I did not. I was a...
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Oddities
44-pound cat adopted; gets good vet’s report BLACKWOOD, N.J. (AP) — Fat, happy and no longer homeless. That describes life for the 44-pound New Jersey cat who became an overnight sensation. A vet has found “Prince Chunk” healthy aside from his weight. The big cat doesn’t have a thyroid condition, after all. The vet also has prescribed a high-protein, low-carb diet for the tubby tabby, who is within three pounds of the heaviest on record...
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Celebrities
NEW YORK (AP) — At 60, Aerosmith frontman and wild man Steven Tyler is ready to spill. Tyler, known for heavy hits such as “Walk This Way” and “Dream On,” is working on a memoir to be published in 2009 by Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollins. The book is not yet titled. “I have so many outrageous stories, too many, and I’m gonna tell ’em all,” Tyler said in a statement Thursday. “All the unexpurgated, brain-jangling tales of debauchery, sex a...
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Jenkins’ victory affirmed
John Milburn Associated Press Writer TOPEKA (AP) — Despite initial problems counting some Shawnee County ballots, State Treasurer Lynn Jenkins widened her margin of victory Wednesday over Jim Ryun in the 2nd Congressional District GOP primary. County Election Commissioner Elizabeth Ensley said 4,446 ballots were counted after a human data input error kept them being reflected as votes were counted Tuesday. The problem was discovered Wednesday...
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