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World Briefs
U.S. ship carrying humanitarian aid docks at Georgian port of Batumi BATUMI, Georgia (AP) — A U.S. military ship carrying humanitarian aid docked at the Georgian Black Sea port of Batumi on Wednesday, avoiding the port of Poti, which is still controlled by Russian forces. The move came amid escalating tensions between Russia and Georgia’s Western allies. Batumi, where the Coast Guard cutter Dallas docked, is well south of the zone of fi...
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Wind farm opponents file lawsuit against county
HAYS (AP) — Residents living near a proposed wind farm have sued the Ellis County Commission, seeking to reverse its decision to issue a conditional-use permit for the project. The lawsuit on behalf of 44 plaintiffs contends the proposed project requires the use of land not included within the conditional-use permit. It also argues that the project would not comply with county zoning regulations and that the commissioners’ decisions to approv...
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Heloise
Dear Heloise: In 1987, I had a quintuple bypass, which was the wake-up call I needed to take better care of my heart and arteries. I established the Larry King Cardiac Foundation to provide funding for lifesaving treatment for individuals who, due to limited means or no insurance, would otherwise be unable to receive the treatment and care they so desperately need. Treatment, however, is only the first part. We need to do more to keep peopl...
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Obama pushes economics on road to Denver, Colo.
Beth Fouhy Associated Press Writer KANSAS CITY (AP) — Barack Obama renewed his emphasis on economic themes Tuesday, pledging to enforce occupational health and safety regulations as president and declaring that Republican rival John McCain “doesn’t get it” when it comes to the anxieties that many middle-class workers are facing. The Illinois senator was wending his way westward through a handful of battleground states before arriving in D...
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Kansas legislators grill veterans agency
John Milburn Associated Press Writer TOPEKA (AP) — An audit released Tuesday found that relationships between the Kansas Commission on Veterans Affairs and veterans service groups are strained, prompting lawmakers to tell the state agency to make some changes. “After speaking with the commission staff and some veterans service organization staff, we concluded that the relationship exists between them — especially at the leadership level —...
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Celebrities
‘Idol’ alum Ace Young to make Broadway debut NEW YORK (AP) — Another “American Idol” alum is heading to “Grease” on Broadway. Ace Young, who competed on season five of the Fox show, joins the cast Sept. 9, playing Kenickie in the revival of the popular musical. The 27-year-old singer-songwriter — known for his pretty looks and falsetto vocals — will make his debut two days after fellow “Idol” Taylor Hicks completes a two-month stint as Teen √...
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Traffic fatalities driven down by high gas prices
Joan Lowy Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Roll back the clock to 1961: John F. Kennedy was inaugurated president. The Peace Corps was founded. The Dow Jones industrials hit 734. Gasoline reached 31 cents a gallon. And the number of people killed in U.S. traffic accidents that year topped 36,200. This year, gasoline climbed over $4 a gallon, and the traffic death toll — according to one study — appears headed to the lowest level...
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Hawker Beechcraft, machinists reach tentative deal to end strike
Roxana Hegeman Associated Press Writer WICHITA (AP) — Hawker Beechcraft Corp. has reached a tentative deal with the Machinists union that could end a strike at its plants in Wichita and Salina. Members of the union, who have been on strike for three weeks, will vote on the deal Thursday. Machinists spokesman Bob Wood said Monday that the union received important and substantial improvements and leadership is recommending approval of the offer...
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Conflict traps Emporia State student in Georgia
EMPORIA (AP) — The ongoing conflict between Russia and Georgia has an Emporia State University graduate student trapped in her home country of Georgia. Mika Manjgaladze graduated this spring with a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Emporia State and was scheduled to begin a master’s program in the fall. But her plans abruptly changed on Aug. 7 when the fighting began in South Ossetia. Manjgaladze, who also graduated high schoo...
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World Briefly
Ailing Kennedy to appear, may speak at Dem convention; Obama, Clinton forging roll call deal DENVER (AP) — Democrats opened their national convention on Monday, seeking peace in the family as they pursue victory in the fall for Barack Obama and his historic quest for the White House. An appearance by the ailing, aging Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts and a primetime speech by Obama’s wife, Michelle, headlined the convention’s fi...
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Celebrities
EDINBURGH, Scotland (AP) — He’s recognized around the world as the iconic face of James Bond. But in Britain, Sean Connery is also well known as a proud Scot, and on Monday he returned to his hometown to launch his autobiography. “Being a Scot” looks at Connery’s early life as a milkman in Edinburgh’s Fountainbridge neighborhood, then delves into a wide-ranging look at Scottish culture including the work of poet Robert Burns, novelist Sir W...
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Oddities
Oklahoma state worker temporarily gets 6-figure bonus OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma officials say a typo resulted in a state employee receiving a bonus of $850,000 — but it was only temporary. Jo Harris was supposed to receive an $850 longevity bonus for working at the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission for seven years. But a misplaced decimal point turned that into a six-figure windfall. Officials say they caught the error before th...
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Celebrities
LA hospital answers suit by Ed McMahon LOS ANGELES (AP) — A hospital sued by Ed McMahon over treatment of his broken neck wants a judge to reject many of the former “Tonight Show” sidekick’s claims. Attorneys for Cedars-Sinai Medical Center wrote in Wednesday filings that McMahon failed to prove allegations of fraud, battery, elder abuse and emotional distress. They also want to prevent McMahon from seeking punitive damages. McMahon sued Ceda...
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World Briefly
Obama prepares text message to announce his vice presidential running mate WASHINGTON (AP) — The secret holding, Barack Obama on Friday readied announcement by text message of his vice presidential running mate from a list suddenly spiced by a dark horse from Texas. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s prospects remained a mystery on a day full of them, although senior aides said the Obama campaign had never requested financial or other records fro...
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Now on the Hallmark aisle: Gay marriage cards
Sarah Skidmore AP Business Writer PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Most states don’t recognize gay marriage — but now Hallmark does. The nation’s largest greeting card company is rolling out same-sex wedding cards — featuring two tuxedos, overlapping hearts or intertwined flowers, with best wishes inside. “Two hearts. One promise,” one says. Hallmark added the cards after California joined Massachusetts as the only U.S. states with legal gay marria...
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Ask Amy
Dear Amy: I have a close friend, “Betsy,” who is making a big mistake because she does not want the burden of raising her children by herself. She has a 5-year-old and a 15-year-old. My friend has been dating “Jack,” a man in our community, for a little more than a year. Recently she stopped seeing him as often, in hopes that he would stop his daily use of marijuana. He tells her he needs marijuana to relax. He also says he is not addicted...
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Heloise
Dear Readers: Here are a few hints for your pet guinea pig. Guinea pigs are cuddly, don’t claw or scratch and seldom bite, making them a wonderful pet for children. Their life span is four to seven years. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals recommends getting more than one guinea pig, since they are social animals and should not be alone in a home. They should be the same sex so they don’t breed! A large cage and da...
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Gwen Stefani gives birth to second child
LOS ANGELES (AP) — It’s Love, Angel, Music, and Baby No. 2 for Gwen Stefani, who on Thursday gave birth to a boy. Zuma Nesta Rock weighed 8 pounds and 5 ounces when he was born Thursday afternoon, according to publicist Dave Tomberlin. “Mother, baby and family are all happy and healthy,” he said in a statement. The pop star and fashionista already has one son, Kingston, with her husband, rocker Gavin Rossdale. Rossdale also has a teenage ...
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Oddities
Michigan man has decades-old Cadillac-a-year tradition FLINT, Mich. (AP) — There are loyal customers, and then there’s Joseph Macko. The 84-year-old Flint man has bought or leased a new Cadillac every year since 1955, the year Disneyland opened in Anaheim, Calif., and Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Ala., bus. “You only live one time. Money is to spend,” he told The Flint Journal. “I spend it once I get it.” Macko...
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Board set to pick managers for two Kansas casinos
Carl Manning Associated Press Writer TOPEKA (AP) — After a day of questioning applicants, a state review board planned to vote today on which companies will manage state-owned casinos in Cherokee and Sumner counties. On Thursday, the seven-member Lottery Gaming Facility Review Board questioned three applicants vying for the Sumner County contract — Harrah’s Entertainment Inc., Penn National Gaming Inc. and Marvel Gaming. Penn is the sole ...
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