MORNING PREP - MORNING PREP - MORNING PREP - MORNING PREP
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! KICKERS !
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WHITE CHRISTMAS
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Now that Thanksgiving is here -- you can start dreaming of a white Christmas. But if you want a guarantee of a white Christmas head for Fairbanks. The National Climatic Data Center reports the Alaska city has a 100 percent probability of having snow on Christmas day. Spokane, Wash., crooner Bing Crosby's hometown, as a 70 percent chance. Folks in Los Angeles, San Francisco or Charlotte, N.C. will have to keep dreaming, tough. Their chance of a white Christmas is just 1 percent.
DOG CLERK
CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — Cody the clerk isn't your typical gas station attendant. He's a lot furrier -- and walks on all fours. Cody is a chocolate Lab who helps mind the store at a BP gas station and convenience store in Clearwater, Fla. He'll often pop up on two paws when a driver pulls into the drive-through lane. Store owner Karim Mansour says he started bringing Cody to work five months ago for a little company. Cody even has his own BP shirt and name tag.
KITCHEN PYTHON
LAKEBAY, Wash. (AP) — It wasn't a bug or even a mouse in the kitchen that scared the wits of out of one Washington state woman. It was a python. Betty Corey says at first she thought one of her dogs was making the hissing noise. She called 911 and a county animal control officer responded. Officer Brian Boman says the agency will keep the snake at its shelter, in case the owner comes looking for it. Boman figures the snake is someone's escaped pet. Corey says the 4-foot-long ball python probably got into her home through the doggie door.
SPOTTED COW BREWHAHA
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Spotted Cow is causing problems for a Big Apple bar. Spotted Cow is a beer from a Wisconsin microbrewery. But it isn't licensed for sale outside the state. Investigators from the New York State Liquor Authority confiscated 50 cases of Spotted Cow from the Mad River Bar & Grille in Manhattan. A liquor authority spokesman tells the Wisconsin State Journal alcohol sold in the Empire State must come from a wholesale distributor. The liquor authority could yank the bar's license for selling the unauthorized brew. No comment yet from the tavern's owner.
SWEET TOOTH FELONY
TYRONE, Pa. (AP) — A sticky-fingered suspect with the munchies could be facing some serious jail time. Authorities in Tyrone, Pa. charge Sonya Mosey stole three snack cakes worth $4.27. But the crime is charged as a sweet tooth felony. Authorities report Mosey has four prior retail theft convictions. In the latest case she's accused of stealing a Hostess doughnut and two Tastykake items. She's also awaiting trials on a separate felony retail theft case and a number of other charges.
GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE TOURS
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Someday tourists may be able to get up close and personal with San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. Bridge officials are considering a plan for tours. Visitors might be able to take an elevator to the top of its towers, climb on its cables or get a look at its underbelly. A bridge in Australia would serve as a model. For around 200 bucks, visitors to the Sydney Harbour Bridge can climb around the span. Golden Gate officials are trying to close a projected $132 million budget gap over the next five years.
by Jamie Friar
