Ann Peebles – I Can’t Stand the Rain

Neb. town abuzz over tourism idea: electric chair

By ANNA JO BRATTON, Associated Press

LINCOLN, Neb. – Residents of a small southwest Nebraska town have a question for state officials: You’re not doing anything with that old electric chair, are you?

The Nebraska Supreme Court ruled last year that the state’s use of the electric chair was unconstitutional. Some people in McCook — population just under 8,000 — think “Old Sparky” could be a tourist attraction and have offered to take it off the state’s hands.

Fifteen men were executed in the chair, which is about 210 miles east of McCook at the Nebraska State Penitentiary in Lincoln.

Corrections department spokeswoman Connie Nemec says there are no immediate plans to move the chair.

news.yahoo.com

Sky-high costs to use a toilet?

LONDON (Reuters) – Ryanair’s chief executive said Europe’s largest budget carrier might start charging passengers for using the toilet while flying, but his spokesman cautioned Michael O’Leary often just made things up at will.

“One thing we have looked at in the past and are looking at again is the possibility of maybe putting a coin slot on the toilet door so that people might actually have to spend a pound ($1.43) to spend a penny in future,” O’Leary told BBC television.

He said this would not inconvenience passengers traveling without cash. “I don’t think there is anybody in history that has got on board a Ryanair aircraft with less than a pound.”

A spokesman said the airline had considered the fee as a possible source of extra revenue since passengers had the option of not using the toilet on board, but added that “maybe O’Leary was just taking the p*ss this morning.”

“Michael makes a lot of this stuff up as he goes along and while this has been discussed internally there are no immediate plans to introduce it,” Stephen McNamara said in a statement.

O’Leary has a reputation as a cost-cutter, expanding Ryanair by offering low headline fares and charging extra for items such as additional luggage.

Last week, Ryanair announced it was to shut all check-in desks at airports and have passengers check in online instead.

“We’re all about finding ways of raising discretionary revenue so we can keep lowering the cost of air travel,” he said.

(Reporting by Tim Castle and Andras Gergely; Editing by Dan Lalor, John Stonestreet)

($1 = 0.7004 pound) reuters.com

Criminal charges were dismissed Monday against Jane Balogh, the Federal Way woman who registered her dog to vote in protest of what she contends are lax standards for voters to prove their identity and citizenship.
By Keith Ervin
Seattle Times staff reporter

Criminal charges were dismissed Monday against Jane Balogh, the Federal Way woman who registered her dog to vote — but not without a hiccup along the way. Read Full Story Here