Wire
Heloise
Dear Heloise: We vacationed in Texas recently and had a lovely time. We ate at several Mexican restaurants and enjoyed the tortilla soup. Now that we are home, I would like to make some. Do you have a recipe you could share? Thanks so much! -- Vivian in New York Well, my editorial director, Merry Clark, shared a fabulous recipe for chicken tortilla soup that I would be happy to pass along. To make it, you will need: 12 corn tortillas 1/2 ...
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Lieberman gets McCain GOP convention spotlight
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans relegated President Bush to a brief, offsite cameo at their national convention Tuesday night and awarded one-time Democratic vice presidential candidate Joseph Lieberman a prime-time speaking slot as they courted millions of independent voters essential to John McCain’s presidential hopes. One day after a frightening Gulf Coast hurricane prompted a subdued opening to the McCain convention, political combat enjoy...
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Southern coast watches Hanna
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Nervous residents rushed to buy plywood and generators while emergency officials in Georgia, Florida and the Carolinas weighed possible evacuations Tuesday as Tropical Storm Hanna was expected to shift toward a tough-to-predict landfall along the southern Atlantic coast by the end of the week. Florida Gov. Charlie Crist declared a state of emergency as Hannah, downgraded from hurricane status Tuesday but with ample time...
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Survey: Economy tepid; job losses coming
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A survey of business executives suggests economic activity in the Midwest and Plains is still reflecting national troubles, showing weak growth and job losses. The August Mid-America survey report for the nine-state region says its overall economic index dipped to 51.4, down a tenth of a point from July. June’s index was 50.5. The index ranges between 0 and 100. A score above 50 indicates a growing economy over the next ...
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Survivor reflects 5 years after flooding mishap
WICHITA (AP) — Ryan Lane said he remembers not being able to see well as he drove through the downpour on the Kansas Turnpike five years ago. Moments later, his 1994 Mercury Cougar slammed into a wave of water cresting over the road at Jacob Creek south of Emporia. Lane said he climbed out of his car’s sunroof and leaped into the thigh-deep water. He then began helping Al Larsen of Fort Worth, Texas, pull other stranded drivers out of thei...
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Woman charged in highway worker deaths on trial
LAWRENCE (AP) — Jury selection has begun in the trial of a woman accused in the hit-and-run deaths of two highway workers south of Lawrence. Ramona Morgan of Chewelah, Wash., faces two counts of reckless second-degree murder in the Sept. 11, 2007, deaths in a work zone on U.S. 59 near Pleasant Grove. Kansas Department of Transportation worker Tyrone Korte, 30, of Seneca and contractor’s employee Rolland Griffith, 24, of El Dorado died. Mor...
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Other Editors
The Wichita Eagle, on child safety: A tragedy near Topeka last week showed again how perilous life can be for the youngest Kansans, even in seemingly harmless circumstances: 3-year-old siblings reportedly died of excessive heat in an unlocked family car in a driveway, on a day when the high temperature was only in the upper 70s. In Wichita, the past few months have seen a 3-year-old boy drown at O.J. Watson Park, a 9-year-old boy nearly drown...
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Board walks fine line in casino consideration
TOPEKA (AP) — The Kansas Lottery Gaming Facility Review Board faces a tough job of deciding who gets the contracts to manage state-owned casinos in Wyandotte and Ford counties since some applicants are offering upgrades to their original proposals, its chairman said Tuesday. “We are walking a fine line and we are trying to make sense of what informs the overall picture and is appropriate for us to consider and what is a fundamental change in ...
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Ask Amy
Dear Amy: I am 77 years old, and my ex-wife is 74. We got “unmarried” (I don’t like to use the word “divorce”) after 35 years of marriage about 15 years ago. We still live in the same city but never cross paths or talk to each other. Our children are grown and have moved away. I had a few rough years, but now I’m healthy, wealthy and very happy. My question is about our 50th wedding anniversary. It is coming up soon. Would it be tacky if...
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Celebrities
CLEVELAND (AP) — The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will pay tribute to the “father of the electric guitar” this fall. Les Paul will be honored at the annual American Music Masters series, a weeklong event that begins Nov. 10, Rock Hall officials said Tuesday. A tribute concert — artists will be named later — is scheduled Nov. 15 at Cleveland’s State Theater. Paul, 93, is hoping to attend, said Rock Hall President and CEO Terry Stewart. “You ...
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Ask Amy
Dear Amy: I recently had a disagreement with my wife. My sister, who lives in another state, had quite a scare from a tornado that came very close to her home. My wife was watching the news when she found out about the tornado. I was taking a nap in another room. When I got up, my wife informed me that she had called my sister and found out that they were OK. I thanked her for calling but asked her if this kind of situation came up again t...
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Celebrities
Lewis telethon raises record $65 million for MDA LAS VEGAS (AP) — Jerry Lewis raised a record $65 million for the Muscular Dystrophy Association in his annual Labor Day telethon, a benefit that also made a pitch for those inconvenienced by Hurricane Gustav. This year’s 22-hour telethon added a special plea for MDA-registered families forced to leave their homes because of the hurricane, which made landfall Monday in Louisiana. The storm af...
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Oddities
Michigan couple tie the knot at funeral home ST. JOSEPH TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — It generally has flowers, and a clergyman is often present, but this was a first for a local funeral home. Jason and Rachael Storm held their wedding at Starks and Menchinger Family Funeral Home, where he is a funeral director. Their reception, including dinner and dancing, also was held at the funeral home. “This room is usually filled with sadness and contem...
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Heloise
Dear Heloise: I cannot find information on how to clean the newer type of resin/plastic lawn furniture. Can you offer some suggestions? -- Deborah Lonick, via e-mail Patio furniture can get black stains that look like mildew. The furniture seems dirty because dust, dirt and grime settle into the grooves or scratches and won’t rinse off. You can make your own cleaning solution. You will need: 3/4 cup regular household bleach 1 tablespoon p...
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Area briefs
Joplin man injured in U.S. 54 one-vehicle crash A Joplin man was transported to St. Luke’s in Kansas City when he rolled his 1998 Ford on U.S. 54, 1.6 miles east of U.s. 59 on Saturday at 9:38 p.m. John D. Adams, 54, reportedly was eastbound on U.S. 54 when he left the roadway to the south, re-entered the roadway, lost control, entered the north ditch rolling one time before coming to a rest upside down facing west. The Kansas Highway Pat...
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Celebrities
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Trisha Yearwood had a harrowing experience on a recent flight to Oklahoma when her plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Baltimore because of a cracked windshield. The singer was shaken but undeterred; she caught another flight home a few hours later. “I’m pretty spiritual about it,” she said Wednesday. “I turn it over to God and think, ’There’s nothing I can do about it.’ And I also think, ’What are the ...
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Kansas labor secretary says state feeling slowdown
TOPEKA (AP) — Labor Secretary Jim Garner said Friday that the Kansas economy is starting to show the effects of rising energy prices and trouble in the credit markets. Garner said that despite having an unemployment rate below the national average, Kansas wasn’t creating as many new jobs as it did in 2007. “This is a time of uncertainty with high energy and fuel prices, increasing food costs and a housing and credit crisis,” Garner said. “We ...
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Tribe asks judge to stop Harrah’s Kansas casino
Lawyers say Harrah’s signed a non-compete agreement with Potawatomi Nation Carl Manning Associated Press Writer TOPEKA (AP) — A judge was told Friday that blocking Harrah’s Entertainment Inc. from going forward with plans to build and manage a state-owned casino in Sumner County could doom the project. But lawyers for the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation argued that Harrah’s involvement in the south-central Kansas project would violate a n...
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Heloise
Dear Readers: Harry and Nita Storer of Pittston, Maine, sent a photo of their 13-year-old miniature schnauzer, Buddy, in his tent in the living room. If your newspaper doesn’t print the pet photo, visit www.Heloise.com to see Buddy in his tent. -- Heloise Dear Heloise: I have found that rubber snakes are very practical around my house. I had a stray cat who liked to lie on the top of the car, and he was scratching the roof. I placed a la...
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Back-to-school, but how? Parents fear walking, bus travel for kids
Karen Matthews Associated Press Writer As a child, Debbie Veney Robinson rode city buses to school starting in second grade. But when her 12-year-old daughter, Maya, starts eighth grade this fall, she’ll be safely buckled in to the car for the ride to Catholic school. Parents around the country are struggling to decide how their kids will get to school this fall — walk, ride a bike, take a bus or be driven by an adult — in a landscape the...
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