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Boy, 8, freed from chimney after 6 hours

WEST VALLEY, Utah, Aug. 24 (UPI) -- An 8-year-old Utah boy will have a heckuva story for his what-I-did-this summer school report after police say he got trapped in a chimney for 6 hours.

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West Valley police Sgt. Robert Hamilton said the boy wandered off Friday when he was in the care of his older siblings and went to a home about 4 blocks away, where he had recently played with the resident couple's grandchild, The Salt Lake Tribune reported Tuesday.

Hamilton said the boy found the house locked and decided to try climbing down the chimney so he could get a drink from the home.

The boy climbed a tree to the roof, about 25 feet from the ground, and climbed about 30 feet down the chimney, nearly reaching the basement of the home, before he became stuck.

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Hamilton said the boy was wedged for up to 6 hours before the homeowners arrived and summoned help about 8 p.m.

"He was surprisingly very calm on scene. His only worry was he was still thirsty when we got there," Hamilton said.

Firefighters cut an 8-foot by 5-foot hole in the wall to free the boy, Hamilton said.

"He didn't have a scratch on him," Hamilton said. "They took him to the hospital. He was in great condition."

The boy was returned to his family.


Baby delivered with brother's help

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 24 (UPI) -- A 12-year-old Canadian boy says he was able to adroitly help deliver his baby brother because he watched "a bunch of medical shows" on television.

Danielle Edwards of Campbell River says she woke up "in hard labor" about 2 a.m. Saturday and realized she wasn't going to make it to a hospital, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported Tuesday.

"I couldn't even get up. I was already in the process of pushing," she told the news network. "There was nothing I could do."

Her son Gaelen was awakened by her calls for help and when the 12-year-old walked into her bedroom he saw the baby coming out of her womb.

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"I grabbed him by the shoulders and his head was resting on my wrists," he said. "Then I gently pulled him out and laid him on the bed."

Next, he went to the kitchen to grab scissors to cut the umbilical cord. He clamped off the cord and cut it himself, the CBC said.

How did he know what to do?

"I watch a bunch of medical [TV] shows," Gaelen explained.

The boys' father, Kendall Strong, called his older son a hero.

"He saved his brother's life," Strong said. "He was calm. He didn't freak out. It was awesome."

The mother and newborn were then taken to the hospital where both were doing fine. The baby weighed 7 pounds, 9 ounces.


iPad lets bridesmaid 'attend' wedding

DENVER, Aug. 24 (UPI) -- A Denver bride said one of her bridesmaids couldn't make the ceremony in person, so she participated via Web cam and an iPad held by a groomsman.

Jamie Alberico said her best friend and bridesmaid Renee Armstrong was in Virginia Saturday when she got married to Jonathan Alberico, but was able to participate virtually with the help of a white iPad carried down the aisle by a groomsman, KMGH-TV, Denver, reported Tuesday.

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"Renee called dibs to be my bridesmaid many many moons ago and unfortunately she couldn't physically make it out here but thank you, technology," Jamie Alberico said.

"She got to see the whole ceremony, she got to meet everyone and be here for the reception."

Armstrong said it was a great experience even though she was 1,600 miles away.

"I got all teary-eyed during the ceremony and I couldn't have gotten that from pictures," Armstrong said.


'Scuse me, that should be 'Let's Go 'Cuse'

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 24 (UPI) -- A batch of Old Navy T-shirts touting college names have turned up for sale with less-than-scholarly grammar, school officials say.

The San Francisco company's T-shirts were sent out with the exhortation "Let's Go" followed by the school name. Only the apostrophe in "Let's" was missing, so it became "Lets Go Stanford" for Stanford University and "Lets Go 'Cuse" for Syracuse University, the New York Daily News reported Tuesday.

The newspaper said it sent Old Navy's parent company, Gap, e-mails seeking comment.

The Syracuse Post-Standard reported a representative from Syracuse said that school was checking to see if the T-shirt language had been approved. A spokeswoman for The Collegiate Licensing Co., which was involved in the T-shirt deal, said that firm also was reviewing the chain of events that led to the faux pas.

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Old Navy's Web site and other online ads advertised the T-shirts for $19.94.

The Post-Standard said more than 70 schools may have their names on T-shirts with the bad grammar.

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