EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (AP) - Fire officials are dousing the idea of burning Brett. The Milwaukee Burger Co. planned a halftime promotion for Monday night's Green Bay Packers game with the Minnesota Vikings. Fans were invited to bring their Brett Favre gear to toss into a burning barrel. But local fire officials say a large fire would be illegal and dangerous, too. So, the western Wisconsin sports bar will be allowed to burn only a single Favre jersey. The rest of the unwanted Favre stuff will be donated to Goodwill. And the restaurant says it will donate 10 bucks for each item a customer contributes. Favre, of course, is the legendary Packers quarterback who now plays for the rival Vikings.
HAPPY 100TH
OXNARD, Calif. (AP) - Tony Malinosky didn't set any records while he was in a
Dodgers' uniform. But he is now. Malinosky is baseball's oldest living major
leaguer. He turns 100 Monday. And he still follows the Dodgers on TV from his
Southern California home. Malinosky played three months for Brooklyn as an
infielder in 1937. A knee injury cut short his major league career. But he went
on to serve in the Army during World War II and fought in the Battle of the
Bulge. Later, he worked for a company that built fighter jets. So what's the
secret of this major-leaguer's longevity? Malinosky's advice is to just keep
"breathing" and have a good doctor.
HOLIDAY TOYS
NEW YORK (AP) - Want a hot a toy for your kids' Christmas? Better start looking
now. The Zhu Zhu Pet Hamster is almost impossible to find these days and it's
likely to get worse. Industry insiders say the hamster could be this holiday's
season Tickle Me Elmo. The hamsters squeak and move around. They sell for around
8-10 bucks. Wal-Mart V.P. Laura Phillips says they sell out of the Zhu Zhu Pet
Hamsters even before they put them on the shelves.
GREEN JAIL
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) - Cells of a different sort could be coming to a Colorado
jail. Boulder County officials want to add solar cells to help power the county
lockup. Local officials want to take out zero-interest loans backed by the
federal government for environmental upgrades. The jail is among the county
buildings in the energy saving plan. Officials say solar panels and other
improvements could cut the jail's annual energy bill in half. The proposal goes
to the voters next month for approval.
CHICKEN BILL
WASHINGTON (AP) - The "C" in D.C. could stand for chickens. The Washington,
D.C., City Council is considering a proposal that would allow raising chickens
in the nation's capital. But fresh egg lovers would have get their neighbors'
blessing before getting any backyard birds. While city chickens aren't illegal
now, current zoning regs make it virtually impossible to have legal hens on an
average size lot. Roosters, which crow, would still be banned.
PINK NEWSPAPER
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) - The news in one Texas paper wasn't in black and white
yesterday -- it was in black and pink. Lubbock Avalanche-Journal printed on pink
paper as part of the fight against breast cancer. The pink edition marks the
start of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. And it's the second-straight year the
paper made the pink statement. It's also good for business. The company reports
advertiser response is strong, resulting in a larger-than-usual Thursday paper.
