Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe NEW ORLEANS BAR GOES WIRELESS At a time when some bars are going topless, a popular New Orleans watering hole is going wireless. Coop's Place, in the venerable French Quarter, has gone high-tech, installing wireless Internet services for patrons. Advertisement While the technology is no stranger to coffee shops and other locations, downtown bars with wireless services are rare. The New Orleans Times-Picayune says the establishment is in the forefront of a slowly growing number of businesses around the country that are cashing in on the rise in computer use by young people. Some services have begun to send out wireless signals in public places -- such as parks in New York City. In Atlanta, the University of Georgia makes wireless computer use possible in a 24-block area of downtown. In some cities hotels offer the service, but the cost can be as much as $10 a day for the hookup. CINCINNATI LIBRARY TO BECOME CARPET STORE A suburban Cincinnati library soon will become a retail outlet. The library, located in the Erlanger neighborhood, has been vacant for some time but is in a great location. The Cincinnati Enquirer says the building has been purchased and will become the latest branch of the Carpetland chain. Advertisement Ironically, even though the branch was closed because of budget cuts, the location was one of the busiest in the county's library system. Money from the sale will go to help defray construction costs for a new $7 million branch that opened recently in the area. ATLANTA NIGHTCLUBS GET SAFETY CHECKS Officials in Atlanta say checks made of nightspots there, in the wake of the tragic Rhode Island fire, have shown mixed results. The Atlanta Journal and Constitution says city fire inspectors found in some cases buildings were allowed to continue to hold dances and events even though the sprinkler systems were on the fritz. The publication says it looked at a recent city-wide report prepared by fire department officials after unannounced spot-checks were made at locations around the city, mostly on weekends when the businesses were the busiest. Inspectors in Atlanta are responsible for checking more than 12,000 buildings. Some 100 are listed as nightclubs. INDIANAPOLIS PROFITS FROM THREE-DAY WEEKEND The 87th annual Indianapolis 500 has gone into the record books, and with it another major infusion of cash into city checkbooks. Since the early days of the past century, the influx of visitors, race fans and media to the Indiana capital city has meant tens of millions of dollars to the Hoosier economy. Advertisement This year's race was run under cloudy skies and 60-degree temperatures and while it was fraught with caution flags there were no major injuries. Soft-spoken racer Gil de Ferran finished in first place and got the traditional wreath of flowers, hug, bottle of milk and his face on the Borg-Warner trophy. In a gesture of acknowledgment to the importance of the fans, track owner Tony George publicly thanked the audience of more than a quarter-million for their loyalty.
