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Police say man chased down stolen pickup

TULSA, Okla., Dec. 4 (UPI) -- Police in Tulsa, Okla., say a man who saw his pickup truck being stolen ran after it, jumped aboard, kicked out the rear window and chased off the thief.

Investigators said Alonzo Johnson had left his truck running outside of a QuikTrip convenience store Monday night when he saw a woman get into the pickup and start driving away, the Tulsa World reported Wednesday.

Johnson ran out of the store, jumped into the bed of the moving truck and kicked out the rear window of the cab, police said.

The police report said the woman exited the truck while Johnson was climbing into the cab and sped off in a car with her boyfriend. Johnson chased the couple in his truck until police caught up with them and arrested Trenity Sue Baker, 18.

Baker, who also allegedly hit a car in the QuikTrip parking lot with Johnson's truck, was taken to the Tulsa jail on charges of auto theft and leaving the scene of an accident with property damage.

Utah sen. seeks Merry Christmas resolution

SALT LAKE CITY, Dec. 4 (UPI) -- A Utah state lawmaker says the Legislature will be presented with a resolution asking retailers not to exclude "Merry Christmas" from their holiday greetings.

State Sen. Chris Buttars, R-West Jordan, said he decided to have the resolution drafted for presentation during the 2009 legislative session after hearing from several employees of a retail store that they were barred from saying "Merry Christmas" to customers, the Deseret Morning News reported Wednesday.

Buttars did not identify the retailer.

"We have a war on Christmas," Buttars said.

The senator referred to the United States as a Christian nation and said the majority of U.S. citizens celebrate Christmas.

The resolution, which Buttars said will be presented to the Legislature next year, would not be subject to enforcement.

Hotel builds $200,000 home for ducks

MEMPHIS, Dec. 3 (UPI) -- The Peabody hotel in Memphis says it spent about $200,000 building the Duck Palace, a rooftop domicile for its famous ducks.

The 24-by-12-foot enclosure features granite floors, a large viewing window, a scaled-down replica of the hotel and a swimming fountain adorned with two bronze ducks, The (Memphis) Commercial Appeal reported Wednesday.

"It was just due," Kelly Earnest, The Peabody's director of public relations, said of the reasons for building the new duck abode. "We really wanted to build something new and spectacular."

Jason Sensat, the hotel's duck chief, said the birds seem happy in their new home.

"When they're unhappy, they let everybody know," Sensat said.

55,000 mistakenly get free money flier

GRANTVILLE, Pa., Dec. 3 (UPI) -- Officials at Hollywood Casino in Grantville, Pa., said a flier promising free money to play the slot machines was mistakenly sent to 55,000 people.

The officials said the flier, which promised recipients $100 a week to play the casino's slots during the month of December, was supposed to be sent to fewer than 1,000 people but an error made by the mail vendor employed by Hollywood Casino caused 55,000 to receive it, WGAL-TV, Lancaster, Pa., reported Wednesday.

"We are taking immediate steps to determine exactly how the error occurred and to ensure that this type of mistake is not repeated," the casino said in a statement. "We deeply regret any inconvenience this has caused our customers who are understandably confused by this mailing and our notification of the error."

Hollywood Casino bosses said customers who received the flier are being offered up to $100 in promotional credits and complimentary passes to the casino's buffet.