UPI NewsTrack Quirks in the News
Published: Dec. 31, 2004 at 6:07 PM
Alaska lawmaker introduces lying ban
JUNEAU, Alaska, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- An Alaska legislator has a goal -- outlawing false campaign advertising in the state.
Republican Jay Ramras has introduced a bill that would give the Public Offices Commission the power to fine campaigns if there are public complaints of false advertising that prove to be justified, the Anchorage Daily News reports.
Ramras, a lodge owner in Fairbanks, was elected to the Legislature this fall. He says he got the idea for the bill during his campaign when voters complained about advertising as he went door to door.
While Ramras is a political newcomer, he is no stranger to the spotlight. In the 1990s, he won national attention when he traveled to New York to look for a wife, seeking a Jewish woman willing to move to Fairbanks.
The four-month legislative session opens Jan. 10 in Juneau.
Fast food chains offer free gym membership
LOUISVILLE, Ky., Dec. 31 (UPI) -- One of the largest purveyors of fast food in the United States has a deal for those who eat its high-calorie offerings -- a free gym membership.
The Dallas Morning News reports that Yum Brands Inc. and Bally Total Fitness Holding Corp. are partners in the offering of a four-week membership at a Bally fitness center. Yum, headquartered in Louisville, Ky., owns KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut as well as the Long John Silver restaurants, and the deal is good for anyone who eats at one of its outlets in January.
Matt Messinger, a Bally spokesman, said the chain's clubs are great places "if you just ate fast food and want to work it off."
January tends to be a busy month for health clubs and fitness centers since getting more exercise is a common New Year's resolution. The numbers tend to taper off in February.
Police probe missing manatee sculptures
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Police in a Florida city are trying to find out who has been vandalizing and stealing manatee sculptures.
The first manatee was taken from Jacksonville's Museum of Science and History in November and turned up three days later.
This week, the vandal or vandals went after an array of 40 manatees designed as a fundraiser for a children's charity, the Jacksonville Times-Union reports. Manatee Wannabe was taken while Marilyn Manatee was knocked off its pedestal and lost chunks of its blonde hair and white dress.
Mimi Kersun, who owns an antique store near the manatee display, called the crime "just so mean."
The Times-Union says that the latest episode in the Case of the Missing Manatees -- or Sea Cow Caper -- could be the criminals' undoing. A garbage man reportedly told police he spotted two men loading Wannabe into a pickup truck, while a jewelry store owner said that his security cameras may have picked up valuable clues.
Man charged with nailing police tires
WOOD DALE, Ill., Dec. 31 (UPI) -- A driver angered over a traffic ticket from a suburban Chicago police department now faces a felony charge for scattering 2-inch nails in the police station driveway.
The Chicago Sun-Times reports that the nails punctured 14 tires.
Donald Ross of Bartlett was arrested when he allegedly made a return visit to the Wood Dale police station. A police officer said he saw Ross's truck slow down and something tossed from the window. Nails found in the truck matched those in the driveway, police said.
Ross faces up to three years in prison if he is convicted of damaging state property, and police say they also plan to seek restitution for the damaged tire and for treatment for an officer whose hand was cut by a nail.
The first nails were found two days after Ross paid a $125 fine. He was ticketed after an automatic camera picked him up driving through a rail intersection after warning lights had begun flashing.
JUNEAU, Alaska, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- An Alaska legislator has a goal -- outlawing false campaign advertising in the state.
Republican Jay Ramras has introduced a bill that would give the Public Offices Commission the power to fine campaigns if there are public complaints of false advertising that prove to be justified, the Anchorage Daily News reports.
Ramras, a lodge owner in Fairbanks, was elected to the Legislature this fall. He says he got the idea for the bill during his campaign when voters complained about advertising as he went door to door.
While Ramras is a political newcomer, he is no stranger to the spotlight. In the 1990s, he won national attention when he traveled to New York to look for a wife, seeking a Jewish woman willing to move to Fairbanks.
The four-month legislative session opens Jan. 10 in Juneau.
Fast food chains offer free gym membership
LOUISVILLE, Ky., Dec. 31 (UPI) -- One of the largest purveyors of fast food in the United States has a deal for those who eat its high-calorie offerings -- a free gym membership.
The Dallas Morning News reports that Yum Brands Inc. and Bally Total Fitness Holding Corp. are partners in the offering of a four-week membership at a Bally fitness center. Yum, headquartered in Louisville, Ky., owns KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut as well as the Long John Silver restaurants, and the deal is good for anyone who eats at one of its outlets in January.
Matt Messinger, a Bally spokesman, said the chain's clubs are great places "if you just ate fast food and want to work it off."
January tends to be a busy month for health clubs and fitness centers since getting more exercise is a common New Year's resolution. The numbers tend to taper off in February.
Police probe missing manatee sculptures
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Police in a Florida city are trying to find out who has been vandalizing and stealing manatee sculptures.
The first manatee was taken from Jacksonville's Museum of Science and History in November and turned up three days later.
This week, the vandal or vandals went after an array of 40 manatees designed as a fundraiser for a children's charity, the Jacksonville Times-Union reports. Manatee Wannabe was taken while Marilyn Manatee was knocked off its pedestal and lost chunks of its blonde hair and white dress.
Mimi Kersun, who owns an antique store near the manatee display, called the crime "just so mean."
The Times-Union says that the latest episode in the Case of the Missing Manatees -- or Sea Cow Caper -- could be the criminals' undoing. A garbage man reportedly told police he spotted two men loading Wannabe into a pickup truck, while a jewelry store owner said that his security cameras may have picked up valuable clues.
Man charged with nailing police tires
WOOD DALE, Ill., Dec. 31 (UPI) -- A driver angered over a traffic ticket from a suburban Chicago police department now faces a felony charge for scattering 2-inch nails in the police station driveway.
The Chicago Sun-Times reports that the nails punctured 14 tires.
Donald Ross of Bartlett was arrested when he allegedly made a return visit to the Wood Dale police station. A police officer said he saw Ross's truck slow down and something tossed from the window. Nails found in the truck matched those in the driveway, police said.
Ross faces up to three years in prison if he is convicted of damaging state property, and police say they also plan to seek restitution for the damaged tire and for treatment for an officer whose hand was cut by a nail.
The first nails were found two days after Ross paid a $125 fine. He was ticketed after an automatic camera picked him up driving through a rail intersection after warning lights had begun flashing.
© 2004 United Press International. All Rights Reserved.
This material may not be reproduced, redistributed, or manipulated in any form.
This material may not be reproduced, redistributed, or manipulated in any form.
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Alaska lawmaker introduces lying ban
Graduating Arts and Sciences senior Erin Forman of Boca Raton, Florida, passes the time before commencement ceremonies to blow bubbles at Washington University in St. Louis on May 16, 2008. (UPI Photo/Bill Greenblatt)
GRADUATION DAY AT WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS
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