Wire
Oklahoma woman freezes to death in remote Montana cabin
MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) — A couple from Oklahoma that moved to Montana’s rugged mountains for a cheap place to live apparently got caught off guard by a snowstorm, with the woman freezing to death in their remote cabin. Her common-law husband, suffering from hypothermia and starving, was found propped up against her body, with an array of weapons spread in a half circle in front of him, authorities said. Mickey Charlene Davis, 67, had probabl...
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U.S. Muslims hopeful but wary of status under Obama
NEW YORK (AP) — Many American Muslim leaders are eager to help President Barack Obama improve the U.S. image in the Islamic world, but they worry that their contribution might not always be welcome. The broad suspicion that has dogged them at home since the Sept. 11 attacks continues to keep many U.S. groups from working with the Muslim community, they say. “These issues are not going to go away just because we have a president now who has ...
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Senate to debate state’s deficit plan
John Hanna Associated Press Writer TOPEKA (AP) — Republican leaders in the Senate weren’t sure Wednesday whether they had enough support to pass a bill for eliminating the state’s budget deficit that relies largely on spending cuts. Democrats drafted their own alternative, making smaller cuts in aid to public schools and social services than Republicans sought and relying heavily on accounting changes to balance the budget. Senators took...
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Salina passes indoor smoking ban
SALINA (AP) — City commissioners have approved an ordinance toughening a smoking ban passed in 2002. Commissioners voted 3-2 Monday in favor of the measure that bans smoking in almost all buildings, except for private homes. The ordinance goes into affect 90 days after being published in The Salina Journal. In 2002, the City Council passed a ban that allows smokers to light up inside Salina restaurants only from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. or while i...
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Sisters open up about family’s secret life
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Two siblings who say their teenage sister gave birth to their father’s children claim they knew about the incest but were afraid to tell. “Our dad told us if we ever told, he would kill us,” one of the sisters, now 18, said in an interview with The Kansas City Star. According to court documents, their 47-year-old dad has told investigators that he is certain he is father of at least two of his second-oldest daughter...
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Prison official worried about possible cuts
WICHITA (AP) — The state’s top prison official says budget cuts proposed by Republican leaders in the Senate could leave the state’s 5,800 parolees unsupervised as of April 1. But a senator who supports a GOP plan containing the cuts said the statements from Corrections Secretary Roger Werholtz are irresponsible. The Senate debated a bill Wednesday containing Republican leaders’ plan for closing a deficit in the current state budget. It wo...
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Newspaper war rages in SW Kansas town
Roxana Hegeman Associated Press Writer LIBERAL (AP) — When Earl Watt quit his job as publisher of the town’s 121-year-old newspaper, he went from being its valued employee to its biggest nemesis, turning this southwest Kansas community into one of the nation’s most unlikely battlegrounds over newspaper cutbacks. Watt and 15 employees of the Southwest Times walked off their jobs after its out-of-town owners scaled back the then-daily paper...
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Sprint Nextel to eliminate 8,000 jobs
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Faced with persistent subscriber losses and questions about its long-term prospects, Sprint Nextel Corp. is slashing its already shrinking work force by 8,000 people as it seeks to cut annual costs by $1.2 billion. The layoffs, announced Monday, are just the latest attempt by the nation’s third-largest cell phone carrier to right its financial ship in the face of tough competition and a brutal economy. They come slig...
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Oddities
Wal-Mart worker, customer charged with rollbacks NATCHEZ, Miss. (AP) — A Wal-Mart employee in Mississippi is accused of rolling back prices — way back — on about $550 worth of merchandise. Natchez Police say 20-year-old Erica Marie Jones was arrested and charged with theft, along with 22-year-old customer Tiffany Williams. Police say Jones charged Williams $5.25 for a load of merchandise that included seven pairs of jeans, a baby crib, laundr...
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State dodges biggest part of winter storm
Staff and wire reports Kansas apparently has dodged the brunt of a winter storm that dropped freezing rain across Oklahoma and Arkansas and caused power outages and hazardous driving conditions. The Kansas Highway Patrol reports that there were no major accidents in southeast Kansas, where forecasters had warned drivers to stay off the highways because of the threat of ice. Weather service meteorologist Leon Wasinger says the roads around...
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Celebrities
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The creator of “Star Trek” and his wife will spend eternity together in space. Celestis Inc., a company that specializes in “memorial spaceflights,” said Monday that it will ship the remains of Gene Roddenberry and Majel Barrett Roddenberry into space next year. The couple’s cremated remains will be sealed into specially made capsules designed to withstand the rigors of space travel. A rocket-launched spacecraft will car...
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Chapman residents react to ‘Extreme Makeover’
CHAPMAN (AP) — The Sunday airing of ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” filmed in Chapman brought back many emotions for residents who continue to rebuild from a June tornado. About 40 people gathered at Chapman United Methodist Church. Others hosted watch parties in their homes or went to an American Legion post downtown. The program featured construction of Patrick Tutwiler’s home and Chapman’s rebuilding efforts after the tornado tha...
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Celebrities
ATLANTA (AP) — Six construction companies have filed liens against actor-screenwriter Tyler Perry’s home and movie studio, claiming they are owed thousands of dollars in unpaid bills. Fulton County court documents show the companies claim they are owed nearly $200,000 for work on Perry’s 30,000-square-foot home and production studio in Atlanta. Perry told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he withheld payment from the companies for undo...
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Heloise
Dear Heloise: I just had to write after reading a recent letter from a doctor. He is apparently the first doctor in the history of medical care who doesn’t make patients wait indefinitely and respects their time. Right. Here’s how the game is really played: The patient arrives at the appointment time, then waits an average of 20 minutes in the waiting room. The patient is escorted by a nurse to the exam room, where he or she waits another 2...
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Ask Amy
Dear Amy: I am a 50-year-old husband and father of two girls, ages 13 and 11. I have been married for 16 years to my one and only wife. My parents-in-law contacted us recently, saying that they need money from their offspring. They say that they need each of their three children to contribute $300, each month. My wife is willing to do anything they ask, but I feel uncomfortable with the whole deal. My wife has not worked since I married ...
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Celebrities
DETROIT (AP) — Aretha Franklin did more than sing “My Country, ’Tis of Thee” at President Barack Obama’s inauguration. She also came bearing gifts. Her spokeswoman, Gwendolyn Quinn, says Franklin gave Obama a collection of 17 sermons by her late father, prominent Detroit minister the Rev. C.L. Franklin. Quinn says the 66-year-old singer also gave Obama a biography of her father and a Bible “engraved with a personal message.” Franklin gave...
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School finance key to budget solution
TOPEKA (AP) — The debate over education funding seemed settled two years ago, with public schools as the decisive winner. Now, though, the recession and Gov. Kathleen Sebelius’ budget proposals are making school finance the biggest issue of this year’s legislative session, which began last week. Yes, the most pressing tasks for Sebelius and legislators are closing a projected $186 million deficit in the current budget and preventing a $1 b...
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How to pick a dog harness
Linda Lombardi For The Associated Press No-pull harnesses come in a variety of styles. You may need to try several to find one that works on your individual dog. — Some harnesses, like the Easy Walk and the Softouch attach the leash to a point on the dog’s chest rather than neck or back, which make it more difficult to pull while walking forward. — Another approach, used by the Sporn Training Halter and Non-Pulling Mesh Harness involves ...
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Oddities
Unreturned library book leads to woman’s arrest INDEPENDENCE, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa woman has been arrested because failed to return a library book. Thirty-nine-year-old Shelly Koontz was arrested Thursday night on a fifth-degree theft charge. She is accused of keeping “The Freedom Writers Diary,” which she checked out from the public library in nearby Jesup in April. Police say the book — which is about a high school teacher’s effort to in...
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Heloise
Dear Heloise: My washing machine has an odor. After each use, I dry the inside and leave the door open so it can air out. Do you have any other suggestions for getting rid of the smell? -- Louise from Louisiana Louise, it is always a good idea to let the washer dry out, especially in a high-humidity climate like Louisiana’s. After many uses, the machine also may get a soap buildup under the rim that can cause it to smell. There are several ...
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