Today's Odd News - Reuters News Headlines - Yahoo! News:
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Missouri woman gets $6.1 million from unclaimed property
Wed,14 Dec 2011 12:26 PM PST
Reuters - KANSAS CITY, Mo (Reuters) - The holidays this year will be especially memorable for a Kansas City woman who has received a state record $6.1 million from a Missouri unclaimed property fund consisting of a single security. The Missouri state treasurer maintains some $600 million of unclaimed property, most of it cash from bank accounts, the contents of safe deposit boxes, stocks and bonds, according to the treasurer's office. The average payout is about $300. ... Full Story | Top |
Take off that tie to save energy, Chilean men told
Wed,14 Dec 2011 12:10 PM PST
Reuters - SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Chile's government wants men in the South American country to take off their ties to help fight global warming, hoping the campaign will save on air conditioning as summer starts in the southern hemisphere. "Let's all take our ties off this summer to save energy," Economy Minister Pablo Longueira says in television spots airing around the country. In the commercial, he undoes the knot of his pink and white tie and whips it off with gusto, unbuttoning the top of his shirt and smiling. ... Full Story | Top |
Chinese man arrested for hiring wedding strippers
Tue,13 Dec 2011 06:13 PM PST
Reuters - BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese police have arrested a man who hired two strippers to perform at his son's wedding after the performance was mobbed by villagers, a newspaper reported on Wednesday. Zhang Cheng, from Xuzhou in eastern Jiangsu province, had originally wanted a band to play at the nuptials, but was then advised he could get performers whose show would have "special features," the Global Times said. "After watching the show, Zhang decided it would be appropriate for his son's wedding and requested two strippers for the event," it added. "... ... Full Story | Top |
Hanover 96 pass flare-lighting fine on to fan
Tue,13 Dec 2011 11:56 AM PST
Reuters - BERLIN (Reuters) - Hanover 96 have passed on a 4,000 euro fine for flare lighting to the fan responsible for the regulation breach, the Bundesliga club said on Tuesday. Hanover were fined by the German football association (DFB) after flares were lit in the stands during their league game against Augsburg in September. Flares are banned in all German stadiums. The fan, who was identified and has signed a document admitting his guilt, will now have to come up with the money, the club said. ... Full Story | Top |
Take care selling the family silver, hard up Greeks told
Tue,13 Dec 2011 11:55 AM PST
Reuters -  ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece published guidelines on Tuesday to protect its austerity-hit citizens from being ripped off by pawn shops buying their family gold and silver. The consumer protection agency issued the unusual notice as new pawn shops spring up across Athens to meet demand for instant cash in Greece's contracting economy. But crisis-hit families may be getting a poor deal from unscrupulous traders. "We urge consumers to weigh their objects at home," a statement from the agency said. "Fliers and advertising material promising particularly high prices should be treated with caution. ...
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Albanian makes world's largest coffee bean mosaic
Mon,12 Dec 2011 02:18 PM PST
Reuters -  TIRANA (Reuters) - A mosaic made with a million coffee beans by Albanian artist Saimir Strati, depicting five musicians, entered the Guinness World Records Monday as the world's largest coffee bean mosaic. Strati used 140 kg (309 pounds) of coffee beans, some roasted black, some averagely and some not roasted at all, to portray a Brazilian dancer, a Japanese drummer, a U.S. country music singer, a European accordionist and an African drummer. ...
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Actor Alec Baldwin mocks airline industry in SNL skit
Sun,11 Dec 2011 10:27 AM PST
Reuters -  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Alec Baldwin dropped in on "Saturday Night Live" this weekend for a skit mocking the airline industry, issuing a fake apology from a pilot who kicked him off an American Airlines flight for playing a smart-phone game before departure. During a "Saturday Night Live" satirical news skit, Baldwin posed as the pilot of a plane he was forced to disembark earlier in the week at Los Angeles International Airport for refusing to stop playing 'Words With Friends' on his mobile phone. ...
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Jewel of a gift lands in Kansas City area Salvation Army kettle
Fri,9 Dec 2011 10:25 AM PST
Reuters - KANSAS CITY, Mo (Reuters) - Tossing a stone into a Salvation Army kettle at Christmas wouldn't be a nice thing to do. Unless it's a diamond, of course. Someone recently put a 3/4-carat diamond in a kettle outside a Walmart in Shawnee, Kansas, a suburb of Kansas City. It was appraised Thursday at $2,000. A Salvation Army employee found the loose diamond wrapped in paper, said Major Michele Heaver, a spokeswoman for the group. "First he thought it was trash and then he discovered it was quite the opposite," Heaver said Friday. "He told us about it and we put it in a safe. ... Full Story | Top |
"Chavez Nativity" creates controversy in Venezuela
Fri,9 Dec 2011 09:28 AM PST
Reuters -  CARACAS (Reuters) - In the Bible, shepherds and wise men paid homage to the newborn baby Jesus. In Venezuela, it seems Hugo Chavez turned up in the manger, too. A Nativity scene in Caracas showing the socialist president standing before the traditional crib-in-a-manger has stirred up a pre-Christmas controversy in the politically polarized country. "It has nothing to do with the real Nativity, with religion. I don't like it," said passerby Arnaldo Amundaray, tutting as he took a close look at the model. ...
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Cannonball hits home in "MythBusters" TV shoot
Thu,8 Dec 2011 10:56 AM PST
Reuters -  SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A cannonball shot during an experiment gone awry on the television show "MythBusters" crashed into a home in Northern California, but no one was injured, the company behind the program said on Wednesday. The mishap took place one day earlier during filming at an Alameda County Sheriff's Department bomb range in Dublin, California, which is about 25 miles east of San Francisco. "During the testing, a cannonball took an unforeseen bounce from a safety berm," Discovery Channel, which airs the "MythBusters" show, said in a statement. ...
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Jennifer Aniston preferred guest at holiday table
Wed,7 Dec 2011 08:12 AM PST
Reuters -  (Reuters) - Actress Jennifer Aniston and her ex-husband Brad Pitt would be the preferred guests at a holiday meal for many Americans, along with the Duchess of Cambridge. Aniston, the former "Friends" star, topped the list with 30 percent in the survey that asked Americans which celebrity they would like to sit next to at a holiday meal. Pitt polled third with 16 percent, while the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, came in second with 21 percent. Actors Charlie Sheen and Ashton Kutcher and reality television star Kim Kardashian rounded out the top choices. ...
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Forget the Christmas parties, employees want cash
Wed,7 Dec 2011 08:10 AM PST
Reuters -  (Reuters) - Companies planning to spend thousands of dollars for staff Christmas parties, even with open bars, shouldn't bother because most U.S. employees would prefer money. Nearly three quarters of 2,574 workers questioned in a Harris poll said they would opt for a cash bonus, followed by 62 percent who would prefer a salary increase and 32 percent who wanted more paid time off. Only four percent put a Christmas party on the top of their holiday. ...
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Disarmed grenades found in woman's luggage at airport
Tue,6 Dec 2011 09:29 AM PST
Reuters -  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Authorities at Newark Liberty Airport in New Jersey discovered five disarmed grenades in the luggage of a woman seeking to board a flight to Belgium, the Transportation Security Administration said on Monday. The TSA said baggage screeners had found the grenades while X-raying the woman's checked luggage on Saturday. TSA spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein said the woman, who has not been named, surrendered the items to authorities without incident and was then allowed to board the flight. Farbstein did not say why the woman was carrying the grenades. ...
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AIDS group seeks LA vote on condoms in porn films
Tue,6 Dec 2011 09:28 AM PST
Reuters -  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Voters in Los Angeles, home to the U.S. porn industry, could soon be asked to decide whether condoms should be required in adult films to reduce sexually transmitted diseases. The AIDS Healthcare Foundation said on Monday it submitted far more than the required number of signatures on a petition for a public ballot that could go before voters in June 2012. If the signatures are officially certified and a vote is held, Los Angeles residents would be asked whether adult film producers must require the use of condoms on porn sets as a condition for getting movie permits. ...
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App helps viewers shop while watching TV
Mon,5 Dec 2011 08:50 AM PST
Reuters -  TORONTO (Reuters) - Looking for the dress you saw on a hit television show or the jerseys worn during a football game or soccer match? An iPad app aims to help viewers shop while watching TV. Unlike television shopping channels, Watch with Ebay is a new feature in eBay's iPad app that lets users buy items related to the program they're currently viewing. ...
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Professor is dumpster-diving urban Robin Hood
Fri,2 Dec 2011 06:57 AM PST
Reuters -  FORT WORTH, Texas (Reuters) - University professor Jeff Ferrell is something of a U.S. urban Robin Hood, although what he gives away is not stolen but the result of dumpster diving. The Texas Christian University (TCU) professor of sociology sifts through dumpsters and gives the vast majority of what he finds to the needy or to friends. He has also managed to furnish his living room with what is left, filled a tool shed with a collection of everything from screws to power tools and never pays for a bar of soap or office supplies. ...
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Mayans never predicted world to end in 2012?
Fri,2 Dec 2011 06:55 AM PST
Reuters - PALENQUE, Mexico (Reuters) - If you are worried the world will end next year based on the Mayan calendar, relax: the end of time is still far off. So say Mayan experts who want to dispel any belief that the ancient Mayans predicted a world apocalypse next year. The Mayan calendar marks the end of a 5,126 year old cycle around December 12, 2012 which should bring the return of Bolon Yokte, a Mayan god associated with war and creation. ... Full Story | Top |
Funny Finnish bunny thinks he's a chicken
Thu,1 Dec 2011 08:45 AM PST
Reuters - HELSINKI (Reuters) - Otto would make the perfect chicken, except for a few hiccups. Hatching eggs, scratching around the coop and roosting on a beam with the rest of the hens are great habits for chickens, but rather unusual for an eight month old male rabbit. The confused bunny came as a free gift to Ville Kuusinen's home, when he bought nine Silkie hens and a rooster from a farm. The Kuusinens and their three children live on a small island in Velkua some 210 km (130 miles) northwest of Helsinki. "When I went to the hen house, I noticed he was sitting on the eggs. ... Full Story | Top |
Top Gear presenter in hot water over "silly" remarks
Thu,1 Dec 2011 08:41 AM PST
Reuters -  LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister David Cameron has criticized comments made by "Top Gear" television show presenter Jeremy Clarkson after he said the country's striking public sector strikers be "shot in front of their families." Clarkson, whose mocking personality helped make the Top Gear automobile show a popular broadcast around the world, was speaking Wednesday as state workers like nurses, teachers and civil servants were staging a 24-hour strike against government plans to make them pay more and work longer for their pensions. ...
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How a Chinese cave got listed on the U.S. stock market
Wed,30 Nov 2011 08:02 AM PST
Reuters -  YISHUI, China (Reuters) - A Chinese tourism company listed in the United States wants investors to pour their money down a dark hole. Literally. China's "Underground Grand Canyon," about an hour's drive outside the smoggy city of Linyi in the eastern province of Shandong, promises visitors 3 km (2 miles) of grand stalactites, multicolored lights and an exciting luge ride. Tracing the attraction's ticket receipts back to investors in the United States proves an even more complex labyrinth to navigate. ...
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Amy Winehouse dress fetches $68,000 at auction
Wed,30 Nov 2011 07:15 AM PST
Reuters -  LONDON (Reuters) - A printed chiffon dress worn by the late singer Amy Winehouse for the cover of her chart-topping album "Back to Black" has sold for 43,200 pounds ($68,000) at auction. The hammer price, minus buyer's premium, was 36,000 pounds, still well above pre-sale estimates of 10-20,000 pounds, said a spokeswoman for Kerry Taylor Auctions which specializes in high-end vintage fashion. Proceeds from the Disaya-designed dress will go to the Amy Winehouse Foundation, a charity set up by her father Mitch to help young people struggling with ill health, poverty or addiction. ...
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Graveyard guitar robber faces jail
Wed,30 Nov 2011 07:14 AM PST
Reuters - MILWAUKEE (Reuters) - A Wisconsin cemetery worker could spend 10 years in jail after pleading no contest to stealing an electric guitar from a casket. The cream-colored Fender Telecaster was laid upon the body of Randall Jourdan, who wished to be buried with his "pride and joy," the criminal complaint said. The guitar was recovered from the suspect's home the next day. "I have to have that guitar. It's too expensive to be in a crypt," Steven Conard allegedly told a groundskeeper at the Allouez Catholic Cemetery and Chapel Mausoleum near Green Bay where he was working, the complaint said. ... Full Story | Top |
Thanksgiving spat over chair ends in knife attack
Wed,30 Nov 2011 07:13 AM PST
Reuters - MILWAUKEE (Reuters) - A Wisconsin man who allegedly attacked a fellow guest at a Thanksgiving Day dinner after she ignored his claim to a specific chair at the dining table has been charged with attempted homicide. Kendrick Carr, 23, allegedly pulled a foot-long butcher knife on the woman after she refused to stand up from the chair he said he wanted to sit in, according to the criminal complaint filed in Racine County Circuit Court on Monday. The woman defended herself with a broom and was unharmed, according to the complaint. ... Full Story | Top |
Three asset managers win $254 million Powerball prize
Tue,29 Nov 2011 07:04 AM PST
Reuters - (Reuters) - In a twist of lottery fate, three Connecticut money managers took home the state's largest Powerball jackpot. The trio came forward with the winning ticket at a press conference on Monday. Tim Davidson, Brandon Lacoff and Greg Skidmore, of Connecticut-based Belpointe Asset Management, claimed the $254 million prize -- the result of a $1 ticket purchased at a gas station by Davidson in Stamford. Belpointe has about $82 million in assets under management, according to SEC documents. The winning digits were 12, 14, 34, 39, 46, with a Powerball number 36. ... Full Story | Top |
Woman gives birth at airport restroom
Tue,29 Nov 2011 07:04 AM PST
Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A woman gave birth in a restroom at Baltimore's airport after arriving on a flight, an airport spokesman said on Monday. The woman gave birth to a boy on Sunday afternoon at Concourse D of Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, the spokesman said. Police and emergency medical personnel were called to the restroom and a Maryland Transportation Authority police officer assisted at the birth, he said. The woman and the baby were transported to the Baltimore-Washington Medical Center and are in good condition, a hospital spokesman said. ... Full Story | Top |
When fitness takes a happy holiday
Mon,28 Nov 2011 07:25 AM PST
Reuters -  NEW YORK (Reuters) - It's the season when yoga classes are canceled and gyms go on holiday schedules, so to avoid the fitness consequences of all those Christmas parties, experts suggest making a workout plan and sticking to it. "I tell my clients to make sure they have a routine in their back pocket," said Colorado-based fitness instructor Stacey Lei Krauss, "something equipment-free that can be done in a small space, especially if you don't have easy access to a gym over the holidays. ...
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Mayor ends hunger strike over cuts
Mon,28 Nov 2011 06:48 AM PST
Reuters - BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Romanian mayor Florin Cazacu Saturday ended a six-day hunger strike over cuts in heating subsidies after the government handed his town extra funds for fuel oil. He said thousands of residents in Brad have shivered at home after the government scrapped a centralized heating subsidy which, Cazacu said, left the central Romanian town with a 3 million lei ($912,500) shortfall. Winter temperatures around Brad fall as low as minus 30 degrees Celsius (-22 Fahrenheit). The government said Friday it would give Brad 1 million lei, which Cazacu said was a beginning but not enough. ... Full Story | Top |
No word from the sponsors for China's drama watchers
Mon,28 Nov 2011 06:44 AM PST
Reuters - BEIJING (Reuters) - In a dose of reality television, Beijing-style, China has ordered a ban on advertisements during broadcasts of TV dramas in a bid "to unify thinking," the country's top broadcasting regulator said on Monday. The government's latest move to clean up China's airwaves was announced by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) and will come into effect from January. ... Full Story | Top |
Vending machine offers DIY banners at Dutch airport
Thu,24 Nov 2011 01:10 PM PST
Reuters -  AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Ever wanted to meet and greet your loved ones at the airport to be sure they don't miss you in the crowds? Then try Amsterdam's Schiphol airport, which now has the world's first vending machine capable of printing out personalized giant canvas banners in just a few minutes. You can pick your message, whether that is "Missed you Mummy," "I love you," "Will you marry me?," or anything else that makes you stand out from the crowd, choose the font and background design, pay between four and 15 euros ($19.98)depending on the length of the banner, and hit the button. ...
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Russian anchor off air for finger gesture in Obama story
Thu,24 Nov 2011 12:06 PM PST
Reuters - MOSCOW (Reuters) - A famous Russian TV anchor has been taken off the air for making an obscene gesture after mentioning U.S. President Barack Obama in a live newscast, the channel said on Thursday. Tatiana Limanova, an award-winning journalist and host of a news show on the REN-TV private channel, waved her middle finger when presenting a story about the APEC summit in the United States, a moment after mentioning Obama. The video went viral on the internet, with many viewers speculating the gesture had been meant to insult the U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
Nike creates jacket based on Ibra's tattoos
Thu,24 Nov 2011 07:40 AM PST
Reuters -  STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Zlatan Ibrahimovic has inspired sportswear manufacturer Nike to create a jacket based on the tattoos on the Sweden and AC Milan forward's upper body. "Tattoos are an art form and were very suitable for this project," Nike Nordic PR manager Jeannette Francke told Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet. "It's a very personal jacket." Ibrahimovic will get to keep one of the four jackets made with another going on display in a store in the Swedish capital Stockholm. "To get a jacket like this is both unexpected and fun," said the striker. ...
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UK burglar abuses "dumb" victim in apology letter
Thu,24 Nov 2011 05:57 AM PST
Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - A convicted British burglar forced to write a letter of apology delivered a barely literate diatribe in which he blamed his "dumb" victim for the crime because the kitchen window was open. The letter from the unnamed crook, which was not delivered to the victim, was released by West Yorkshire police in the northern English city of Leeds to demonstrate the mindset of the criminals who target people's homes. ... Full Story | Top |
Mayor stages hunger strike as residents shiver
Thu,24 Nov 2011 05:19 AM PST
Reuters - BUCHAREST (Reuters) - A Romanian mayor has begun a hunger strike to protest against cuts in heating subsidies imposed under a government austerity drive, reawakening memories of the harsh final years of communism. Mayor Florin Cazacu said 10,000 residents in the central Romanian town of Brad were braving low temperatures at home because his town hall lacked 3 million lei ($925,200) from the state budget to buy fuel oil for the winter season. "People are suffering from cold, this is why I began this protest," Cazacu told Reuters. "I took an oath ... ... Full Story | Top |
More victims reported in "fix-a-flat" cosmestic surgery case
Wed,23 Nov 2011 01:54 PM PST
Reuters - MIAMI (Reuters) - More alleged victims are coming forward in the case of a Florida resident accused of injecting "super glue" and flat-tire repair materials into the buttocks of a woman in a botched illegal cosmetic surgery procedure, the Florida Department of Health said on Tuesday. Oneal Ron Morris, 30, was arrested by Miami Gardens police on Friday in Fort Lauderdale and charged with causing bodily injury and practicing healthcare without a license. Police referred to Morris as a man though he had the appearance of a woman in the arrest photo released by police. ... Full Story | Top |
Mayor stages hunger strike as residents shiver
Wed,23 Nov 2011 09:16 AM PST
Reuters - BUCHAREST (Reuters) - A Romanian mayor has begun a hunger strike to protest against cuts in heating subsidies imposed under a government austerity drive, reawakening memories of the harsh final years of communism. Mayor Florin Cazacu said 10,000 residents in the central Romanian town of Brad were braving low temperatures at home because his town hall lacked 3 million lei ($925,200)from the state budget to buy fuel oil for the winter season. "People are suffering from cold, this is why I began this protest," Cazacu told Reuters. "I took an oath ... ... Full Story | Top |
Woman jailed for stealing $1 million from Mark Twain House
Tue,22 Nov 2011 09:39 AM PST
Reuters - (Reuters) - A former employee of author Mark Twain's historic Connecticut home who admitted to embezzling more than $1 million from it in a long-running scheme was sentenced on Monday to 3-1/2 years in prison and ordered to pay restitution of and taxes on the stolen funds. Judge Warren Eginton of U.S. District Court in Bridgeport, Connecticut, sentenced Donna Gregor, 58, of East Hartford to 42 months in prison and three years of supervised release for the theft, David Fein, U.S. Attorney for Connecticut, said in a statement. ... Full Story | Top |
Gynecologist faces charge for secret photos
Tue,22 Nov 2011 09:38 AM PST
Reuters - BERLIN (Reuters) - A German prosecutor said on Monday that 700 women had agreed to press charges against a gynaecologist who is suspected of secretly taking thousands of pictures of patients during check-ups in his practice. As many as 3,000 female patients may have fallen victim to the doctor's hidden camera during examinations at his office in the town of Schifferstadt in western Germany, local state prosecutor Lothar Liebing said. "He stands accused of secretly taking photos of female patients' private body parts," Liebing said. ... Full Story | Top |
Greyhound bus driver leaves passengers stranded
Tue,22 Nov 2011 09:38 AM PST
Reuters - ST. LOUIS (Reuters) - Greyhound bus company is conducting an investigation after a bus driver left 45 passengers stranded for about eight hours in the middle of the night at a gas station in the state of Missouri. "It was certainly unprecedented and absolutely inexcusable," said company spokeswoman Maureen Richard, adding that the unidentified female driver, who is based in Memphis, Tennessee, was cooperating with officials. The woman was driving a route on Friday from Memphis to St. Louis, which is normally a six-hour trip. ... Full Story | Top |
Desperate fans burn ticket booth at stadium
Mon,21 Nov 2011 07:24 AM PST
Reuters - JAKARTA (Reuters) - Success-starved Indonesia soccer fans, desperate to watch the final of a regional tournament against rivals Malaysia, set a ticket booth on fire at the national stadium in Jakarta ahead of the game Monday. Police doused the flames and fired warning shots in the air, scattering a crowd of thousands of supporters who were unable to get into the Bung Karno stadium, with a capacity of 88,000, after tickets quickly sold out. ... Full Story | Top |
Nebraska refuses pot-promoting vanity plate, ACLU sues
Mon,21 Nov 2011 07:22 AM PST
Reuters - OMAHA, Neb (Reuters) - The American Civil Liberties Union is suing Nebraska's motor vehicle department for refusing to issue a personalized license plate that refers to an unofficial holiday known as National Pot Smoking Day. An attorney who supports marijuana legalization had requested a plate reading "NE 420", letters and numerals that refer to Nebraska and April 20, the date of the unofficial holiday. Frank Shoemaker, the attorney from Holbrook, Nebraska, who requested the plate, is the sponsor of a petition drive for a state ballot measure next year to legalize marijuana. ... Full Story | Top |
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