Wire
Business briefs
Home & Garden Party raises cancer funds Diamond Infinity Designer for Home & Garden Party Missy Weaver jumped on the opportunity to give back to the community. Weaver was both willing and proud to help the company rase $1 million for the American Cancer Society. “I really care about my community, and wanted to make some type of contribution that truly meant something,” Weaver said. Home & Garden Party created the Give Hope fu...
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Texas oil man brings wind, natural gas campaign to Kansas
T. Boone Pickens holds town hall meetings to promote alternative energy sources and reduce U.S. reliance on foreign oil John Hanna Associated Press Writer TOPEKA (AP) — Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens is beginning a series of town hall meetings on energy with an event Wednesday in Topeka. Pickens has embarked on a $58 million campaign to promote a plan to increase the use of wind and natural gas to reduce the nation’s reliance on foreign o...
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Oddities
Canadian woman gives birth to 18th child ABBOTSFORD, British Columbia (AP) — A Romanian immigrant has given birth to her 18th child in British Columbia, making her the province’s most prolific mother in 20 years. Proud dad Alexandru Ionce said Saturday that his 44-year-old wife, Livia, gave birth on July 22. Their daughter Abigail weighed in at 7 pounds, 12 ounces (3.5 kilograms). “We never planned how many children to have. We just let G...
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KDOT plans bigger role in bridge reviews for cities, counties
John Hanna Associated Press Writer TOPEKA (AP) — State officials plan to get more involved in local bridge inspections because they believe many are done late and the resulting paperwork is often sloppy. Last year’s deadly Interstate 35W bridge collapse in Minnesota prompted the Kansas Department of Transportation to review inspections by cities and counties. A task force formed by KDOT, the Kansas Association of Counties and the League o...
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AG starts investigation into grain marketer HUTCHINSON (AP) — A grain marketing company is under investigation for allegedly not delivering on contracts with several Kansas elevators
AG starts investigation into grain marketer HUTCHINSON (AP) — A grain marketing company is under investigation for allegedly not delivering on contracts with several Kansas elevators. Midwest Land and Livestock Inc. had several contracts scheduled for delivery by July 15, but the elevators haven’t received shipment or reimbursement, said Tom Tunnell, president of the Kansas Grain and Feed Association. Other elevators have contracts for Ju...
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Ryun refutes Jenkins’ pay raise claim for Navy officers
TOPEKA (AP) — A retired Navy officer says Lynn Jenkins isn’t telling the truth about Jim Ryun’s votes on pay raises for troops. Dale Herspring, chairman of Veterans for Ryun, says Jenkins’ latest campaign ad about congressional votes in 1999, 2001 and 2003 is misleading. Herspring said the votes in 1999 and 2001 were for pay increases, but the 2003 vote was an attempt to divert funds from financing the Iraq war and put money in troop pay. Ryu...
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Figures on Kansas bridges
TOPEKA (AP) — The latest figures on bridges in the state highway system and under the control of cities and counties: STATE LOCAL TOTAL Bridges 5,039 20,425 25,464 Percent of all bridges 19.8 80.2 100.0 Obsolete bridges 446 1,596 2,042 Pct obsolete 8.9 7.8 8.0 Structurally deficient 59 2,647 2,706 Percentage 1.2 13.0 10.6 Total deficient 505 4,243 4,748 Pct deficient 10.0 20.8 18.6 *** Source: Kansas Department...
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Celebrities
Rachael Ray going to the dogs with new pet food But will it take 30 minutes to feed Fido? In the latest expansion of her culinary empire, celebrity chef Rachael Ray has launched a charity-driven line of dog foods based on recipes she has created for her pit bull. Ray, who came to fame with her “30 Minute Meals” Food Network show, said all of her proceeds from sales of Rachael Ray Nutrish pet foods will go to Rachael’s Rescue, which she fo...
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Oddities
Michigan town wants sponsors for police cameras FLINT, Mich. (AP) — You’ve heard of adopt-a-highway programs — but how about adopting a police camera? That’s how the city of Flint, Mich., wants to cover the $420,000 cost of adding 14 surveillance cameras. It currently has just one of the cameras. The city and a private security firm, Asset Protection Specialist, are looking for businesses and individuals willing to pay $30,000 to have t...
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Latest Roberts ad attacks Slattery on gas tax vote
John Hanna Associated Press Writer TOPEKA (AP) — Republican Sen. Pat Roberts’ newest TV ad attacks his chief Democratic challenger over a 1993 vote to raise the federal gasoline tax. Roberts’ 30-second spot is running in Kansas City, Topeka and Wichita. It’s a response to an earlier ad from Democrat Jim Slattery trying to tie Roberts to high gasoline prices. Slattery represented the 2nd Congressional District of eastern Kansas in the Hou...
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Heloise
Dear Heloise: The suggestion to check the Web site to verify medications might not always work. Generics often do not look like the brand names. I have one generic medication that has had changes in the color, and the latest even changed from a round tablet to an oval-shaped tablet -- it depends on the manufacturer. I checked with my pharmacy, and there is a code on each tablet by which the pharmacy can verify the medication. Some pharmacie...
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Ask Amy
Dear Amy: My husband “Daniel” seems depressed and unhappy. We have been married for three years, together for nine, and we have a 10-month-old daughter and a baby on the way. Dan has a rewarding job as a firefighter. When he is home from his shifts, he drinks alcohol and plays video games all day. I am sick of coming home to find him intoxicated. He isn’t violent or disrespectful, unless I bring up how he isn’t doing anything outside of work ...
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Celebrities
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Sheryl Crow is putting the “Rumours” to rest: She’s not making a record with or joining Fleetwood Mac — not anytime soon at least. “No, that was those ’Rumours’ — to quote the album,” she joked Wednesday, referring to the group’s 1977 hit album. “I’m a huge fan and have a great relationship with Stevie (Nicks), and actually with all of them. I just absolutely adore them,” Crow said during a question-and-answer sessi...
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KCKS minimum wage increased to $6.55
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Local officials have boosted the minimum hourly wage for the city from $2.65 to $6.55, the first such hike for a city in Kansas. The Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kan., approved the ordinance on Thursday, the same day a federal law raising the minimum wage to the same amount went into effect. While the federal law covers most people, exceptions include those who work on small farms, for small...
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Oddities
Deputies intercept text message to capture suspect TERRELL, N.C. (AP) — After catching one of two people wanted in a series of break-ins, deputies in North Carolina let their fingers do the chasing to catch a second suspect. Catawba County ¬∫√∏sheriff’s Maj. Coy Reid says that when deputies caught a 16-year-old suspect on Wednesday, they confiscated his cell phone. Soon, a text message arrived asking the teen if he had been caught. The de...
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Health board leader stepping down
TOPEKA (AP) — The chairwoman of a state board that drafts health care policy and oversees some medical programs is stepping down. Connie Hubbell has announced that she won’t serve another term as chairwoman of the Kansas Health Policy Authority’s board. She’s citing personal reasons. The state created the authority in 2005 to draft policy recommendations and manage some programs. Those programs include Medicaid, the joint state-federal pro...
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Making the most of back-to-school night
Megan K. Scott Associated Press Writer NEW YORK (AP) — It’s a time to meet teachers, tour classrooms and nibble on snacks. But back-to-school night shouldn’t stop there. The night, which usually occurs within a few weeks of the first day of school, is a chance for parents to ask questions to prepare for the coming year. Experts suggest parents use the night to learn more about the curriculum, class structure and academic expectations, al...
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Oddities
In Portland, parking laws include police PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Portland police are not above the parking laws, even if they’re hungry. Officer Chadd Stensgaard, who parked his patrol car illegally while making a dinner-break stop at a Japanese restaurant, must pay a $35 fine, Traffic Court Judge Terry Hannon ruled Wednesday. The infraction came to light thanks to Eric Bryant, who was at the restaurant with friends when Stensgaard parked i...
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Celebrities
NEW YORK (AP) — 50 Cent has sued Taco Bell, claiming the fast-food restaurant chain is using his name without permission in advertising that asks him to call himself 99 Cent. The rapper says in a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday that the Mexican-themed chain features him in a print ad asking him to change his name to 79 Cent, 89 Cent or 99 Cent. His real name is Curtis Jackson. The rapper’s court papers say the ad is part of Taco Bell’s “Wh...
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Kansas gambling landscape changes
TOPEKA (AP) — A slumping national economy and potential competition from other states has altered the gambling landscape in Kansas as a state board is preparing to pick developers for each of four resort casinos. State-owned casinos and slot machines at dog- and horse-racing track are allowed under an expanded gambling law passed last year in hopes of eventually generating $200 million a year for the state. But two prospective developers have...
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