Wire
TV shows tune into Geensburg
WICHITA (AP) — Is it the “greening” of Greensburg or the “screening” of Greensburg? One month after the first TV series starting running about efforts to rebuild this tornado-ravaged town, a second is wrapping up production. Tentatively titled “Families of Greensburg,” it’s a six-part series scheduled to premiere Aug. 23 on TLC. Each episode follows a different family as it prepares to move into a new home with help from two experts from a...
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Training bombs found in Salina
TOPEKA (AP) — Some scrap bombs are just that, scrap. That was the case with two 500-pound bombs found last week behind the Salina Iron and Metal building by a landscaper was cutting grass. Salina Police Lt. Gerald Shaft said neither the landscaper nor the officer who responded knew whether the bombs were live munitions. Fort Riley’s 774th Explosive Ordnance Company was called to take a closer look. The unit handles reports about explosive...
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Wind farm puts tiny town in Missouri on alt-energy map
ROCK PORT, Mo. (AP) — Vehicles in this northwest Missouri farm community are likely to be pickup trucks, and “green” is the color of a John Deere tractor. But when it comes to alternative energy, little Rock Port — population about 1,400 — is a pioneer: it’s the site of a wind farm that’s projected to generate more electricity than the town uses in a year. Four 250-foot wind turbines on the town’s western bluffs are the source of Rock Port...
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Study: climate change could cost Kansas $1 billion
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Rising temperatures and reduced water supply could cost Kansas more than $1 billion in agriculture losses by 2017, according to a new study from the University of Maryland’s Center for Integrative Environmental Research. The study released Wednesday by the National Conference of State Legislatures and the Center for Integrative Environmental Research, analyzed the costs of global warming on several states and was pai...
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A place to rest: Church opens park to homeless
BALTIMORE (AP) — St. Vincent de Paul Church boasts a 15-story tower that presides over an increasingly gentrified neighborhood bounded by City Hall and the home of a signer of the Declaration of Independence. And in the church’s ground-level park, homeless people seeking sanctuary have found a permanent place to live. The park owned by the 167-year-old Roman Catholic church is anything but pristine — which has prompted the concern of homel...
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Oklahoma crane topples, kills man watching construction
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Church members watching the steeple being raised on their new building looked on in horror Thursday as a crane holding the structure toppled, crushing a car and killing a 79-year-old man who had been watching from inside the vehicle, firefighters said. The man’s 78-year-old wife, who was also in the car, was transported to a hospital in good condition, ambulance officials said. A group of people had gathered in southwe...
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Celebrities
LONDON (AP) — Madame Tussauds unveiled a waxwork of Amy Winehouse on Wednesday complete with her signature beehive, black eyeliner and a bright yellow minidress. Winehouse’s hair and 5-inch (12-centimeter) black heels make the model nearly 6 feet tall (1.8 meters). The wax Winehouse’s dress resembles one the singer wore to the BRIT music awards in 2007, when she won best female solo artist. Her sailor-inspired tattoos are lovingly reproduc...
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Heloise
FOR RELEASE THURSDAY, JULY 24, 2008 A Formula for Bath Salts Dear Heloise: I cannot find my recipe for bath saltsBATH SALTS. Can you please reprint it for me? -- R. Worsley, Delhi, La. Bath salts are easy to make and very economical. All you’ll need are Epsom salts, glycerin, food coloring and your favorite perfume. Put 3 cups of Epsom salts in a glass or metal bowl (the mixture might stain a plastic bowl). In another bowl...
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Oddities
NY man earning $100K lived in company paint shed ORANGEBURG, N.Y. (AP) — A New York state report says a maintenance man who earned $100,000 last year working at a psychiatric center has been living for free in a paint shed on company grounds and even had his mail delivered there. A report issued Monday by the inspector general’s office says the worker lived on the grounds of the Rockland Psychiatric Center in New York City’s northern subur...
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Ask Amy
Dear AmySTEPMOTHER JEALOUS THAT HUSBAND KISSES HIS DAUGHTER ON THE LIPS DEAR AMY: How much affection between a father and daughter is considered socially acceptable? My husband, “Ed,” always kisses his 22-year-old daughter (my stepdaughter, “Alice”) smack on the lips. They both initiate this type of kiss, which is only a second or two long. This is usually accompanied by a quick hug. I don’t have a problem with the hug. This type of kiss ...
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Oddities
Pastor gets into motorcycle crash ¬≠-- ¬≠during service KOKOMO, Ind. (AP) — A pastor brought out a dirt bike during a church service to demonstrate the concept of unity. Now he’s demonstrating the concept of healing. Jeff Harlow, the senior pastor at Crossroads Community Church, broke his wrist when he lost control of the motorcycle at the start of Sunday’s second service, driving off a 5-foot platform and into the vacant first row of seat...
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Investigation finds gas pumps cheated drivers traveling in Texas
AUSTIN (AP) — Texas drivers who recently bought gas at hundreds of Sunmart stations probably were shortchanged, according to results of a state investigation released Tuesday. A weekend investigation found 990 pumps were rigged to favor Petroleum Wholesale, which operates gas stations under the name Sunmart, by as much as one-tenth of a gallon for every five gallons sold. Pumps found to be in violation were immediately shut down. by state i...
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Celebrities
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Reality TV villain Omarosa sparred with talk show host Wendy Williams on Monday in a spat that at one point turned physical. She appeared on Fox’s “The Wendy Williams Show” to promote her upcoming book but instead spent more time trading insults with the radio personality-turned-talk show host. “I wanted to throw her off the set,” Williams later told The Associated Press. The altercation started when Omarosa Manigault-Stall...
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Regents want 7 percent cut from state universities
TOPEKA (AP) — The Kansas Board of Regents wants the state’s universities and community colleges to tighten their belts, and the provost of the University of Kansas says any cuts will be felt by students. Regents President Reggie Robinson said Tuesday that the board asked the state’s universities, community colleges and vocational technical schools to cut spending by 7 percent over the next two years. The regents are seeking 2 percent cuts thi...
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Oddities
Afraid of laundry? You will be after reading this GORHAM, Maine (AP) — Mara Ranger will be a little paranoid doing laundry now. When she was removing clothes from the washing machine at her Maine farmhouse Wednesday, the clothes moved. She told WMTW-TV, “I jumped back” and saw a snake. She quickly shut the lid and called for help. Maine Animal Damage Control operator Richard Burton reached into the machine and pulled and pulled — all 8 ...
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Ask Amy
PAL WONDERS IF FRIEND SHOULD TELL WIFE AFTER ENDING AFFAIR Dear AmyDEAR AMY: Can a man who has been involved in a 12-year affair resolve to give that up and devote himself to being a good husband and father without telling his wife what has gone on? One friend says that it’s unfair to the wife not to know what has gone on. The man has tried to break off this affair before and has always gone back to the other woman. To truly make a fresh star...
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Heloise
FOR RELEASE SATURDAY, JULY 19, 2008 Newly Arrived Pet Hints Dear Readers: We thought we would share some pet hintsPET HINTSthat have come into Heloise Central. Hopefully, you and your pet will benefit from these: * How often should my cat’s claws be cut? Vets say that they should be cut about every two to three weeks so they don’t get too long and damage your furniture. * Don’t give your cat or dog any medication unle...
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Celebrities
MONTREAL (AP) — Paul McCartney told Quebec nationalists on Thursday “to smoke the pipes of peace” over their opposition to his free concert celebrating the city’s 400th anniversary. Several artists and politicians have questioned McCartney’s participation in the weekend birthday celebrations of French-speaking Quebec City because of his British roots. But McCartney said he was unmoved by their claim his presence evokes painful memories of ...
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Choi to the world: K.J. atop British Open board
SOUTHPORT, England (AP) — Tiger Woods on crutches was supposed to be a chance for someone else to seize the spotlight at the British Open. Greg Norman wasn’t the guy anyone had in mind. Neither was David Duval. Indeed, Royal Birkdale proved to be fertile ground for fairy tales on Friday. K.J. Choi rolled in a 25-foot birdie on the final hole for a 3-under 67 in more gloom and wind along the Irish Sea, giving him his first lead in a major ...
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Medal of Honor recipient memorialized
Pennsylvania soldier sacrificed his life to save others in 2006 John Milburn Associated Press Writer FORT RILEY (AP) — The 1st Infantry Division paid homage Thursday to a Pennsylvania soldier who received the Medal of Honor posthumously for sacrificing himself to save other soldiers in Iraq. A plaque in honor of Specialist Ross McGinnis, who grew up in rural Pennsylvania about 60 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, was unveiled during the dedicati...
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