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Las Vegas street renamed for Guns 'N Roses

LAS VEGAS, Oct. 30 (UPI) -- Officials in Las Vegas said a city street will be temporarily renamed in honor of rock band Guns N' Roses while they are performing at a hotel.

Clark County officials said they have endorsed changing the name of Paradise Road to Paradise City Road, a name inspired by Guns N' Roses tune "Paradise City" while the band is playing the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, doing eight shows from Oct. 31 to Nov. 24, the Las Vegas Sun reported Tuesday.

Officials said the street name will change back once the band's engagement ends.

Obese dog at center of custody battle

PORTLAND, Ore., Oct. 30 (UPI) -- An Oregon judge said an obese 70-pound dachshund at the center of a custody battle will remain with his caretaker while legal proceedings continue.

Jenell Rangan, owner of the Oregon Dachshund Rescue, had sought to have Obie the obese dachshund placed in the rescue's care while litigation went forward on her lawsuit against the animal's caretaker, Nora Vanatta, but the judge ruled Monday to keep the canine with Vanatta while the lawsuit goes into arbitration and potentially a trial, KATU-TV, Portland, reported Tuesday.

The parties said the rescue learned Obie was in need of a home a few months ago and Vanatta responded to a Facebook post. A volunteer picked up the canine and brought him to Vanatta's home.

However, Rangan's lawsuit says she is unhappy with the care Vanatta has been giving Obie and he should be returned to the rescue.

Vanatta said Obie has been improving since entering her care and has since lost 15 pounds. She said she expects the dog to continue losing one or two pounds per week until he reaches a healthy weight.

Woman, 108, voting in her first election

BEAUFORT, S.C., Oct. 30 (UPI) -- A 108-year-old South Carolina woman, participating in her first election, has decided to vote for President Barack Obama.

Arinethia Ferguson, 43, said her cousin, Joanna Jenkins, 108, of Beaufort, has never voted and resisted registering to vote prior to previous elections. But during this election season, "she just got kind of [got] carried away with wanting to vote," The (Hilton Head, S.C.) Island Packet reported Tuesday.

"Every time she sees President Obama on television, she really gets excited," Ferguson said.

Ferguson said Jenkins had feared she would not be able to vote because she does not read or write and lacks a state-issued ID card. However, elections officials said the recently passed voter ID law will not apply to this year's general election and Jenkins' doctor offered to assist her with the registration process.

Ferguson said she helped her cousin fill out an absentee ballot by reading her the options for each office.

"She really didn't draw any interest other than hearing Obama's name," Ferguson said.

Man dubbed Moustached American of the Year

PITTSBURGH, Oct. 30 (UPI) -- A Pittsburgh man was dubbed the American Mustache Institute's 2012 Robert Goulet Memorial Mustached American of the Year at 'Stache Bash 2012 in Arizona.

The award, presented by Wahl Trimmers, was awarded to University of Pittsburgh employee and fixture in the city's non-profit community Adam Paul Causgrove at the Mesa event Saturday after receiving 66 percent of 1.3 million votes, the American Mustache Institute said.

The institute said Causgrove's candidacy for the award, presented each year to the person determined to best represent the "Mustached American" lifestyle, was based on his work for charitable causes in his community.

Causgrove founded the annual Tail-Great event, which raises money for several Pittsburgh charities, and headed the movement to found the Mount Washington Olympia dog park. He is also a founding member of Side Project Inc., a group dedicated to helping non-profits obtain government money.