OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - Curtis Eldred certainly can keep a secret. He's a millionaire. The now-retired Washington state restaurant cook kept his $3.4 million Lotto jackpot under his hat. And the winning ticket was under a floor mat in a backyard shed. The only person Eldred told was his mother and Eldred kept his secret for three months. Yesterday, he showed up at state lottery headquarters to claim his prize. He opted for the one-time cash payout of nearly one and a-quarter million bucks. Now that he no longer has to cook, Eldred says he'll focus on his artwork.
BEST HOLDER EVER?
ASHBURN, Va. (AP) - So, who's your pick for best quarterback of all time? Who
about best linebacker? Well, bet you never thought about who's the best holder
in NFL history? Washington Redskins special teams coach Danny Smith has his
pick, the team's new punter, Hunter Smith. Coach Smith even has the stats to
back it up. He notes that over a 10-year period when Hunter Smith was the
holder, the ball went through the uprights an astounding 85.8 percent of the
time. Hunter Smith isn't getting ready for his Hall of Fame induction just yet.
He says the discussion of whether he's history's best holder is "hilarious."
LITTLE BLACK DRESS DALLAS (AP) - Valerie Elizabeth can't complain about nothing to wear. She's wearing the same little black dress every day this month. Actually, the Dallas stylist has two identical black dresses, so she can clean one while wearing the other. It's part of her "Little Black Dress Experiment" she's posting on the Web site societystylist.com. Elizabeth says she wants to show you can be glamorous on a budget. She's varying her L-B-D look with things like belts, scarves, jewelry and even jeans.
LOST VIOLIN
NEW YORK (AP) - Some 21st century technology has been helping find an
18th-century violin. Korean violinist Hanh-Bin left his prize instrument in a
New York City cab yesterday. The violin is worth about $600,000. The Taxi and
Limousine Commission says GPS technology installed in the cab led to the
violin's quick return. Hanh-Bin was taking the taxi from the Lincoln Center for
the Performing Arts to his apartment in lower Manhattan. He also left behind a
credit card.
CRACK IN BRA
QUINCY, Mass. (AP) - Police say the bra was padded -- with illegal drugs.
Officers in Quincy, Mass., charge that Sandra Sanborn had 19 bags of crack
stuffed into her brassiere. Investigators report a tip led them to Sanborn, who
was also holding a bag of crack in her hand. She's now charged with possession
with intent to distribute.
GROCERY DOGS
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - No dogs allowed. That's the message to Oregon grocery
shoppers. The state Department of Agriculture is reminding people that dogs
aren't welcome in grocery stores and supermarkets. Service dogs are the
exception. State officials say they get more than 100 complaints a year about
dogs doing doggie things in grocery stores, from peeing in the aisles to licking
the food. Vance Bybee, administrator of the agency's Food Safety Division, says
there's a growing trend of people treating their pets like a member of the
family. Officials note it's actually illegal for dogs to enter grocery stores.
