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(Stations: Please sub the following for V2685, slugged Cooler Copy, which moved at 3:05 a.m., Eastern time. The earlier one contained outdated material that had moved Monday)
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! COOLER COPY !
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Obit-Rain Man
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A relative says Kim Peek, the man who inspired the title character in the Oscar-winning movie "Rain Man," has died. He was 58.
Fran Peek says his son had a heart attack Saturday and was pronounced dead at a hospital in the Salt Lake City suburb of Murray.
Peek was a savant with a remarkable memory. Fran Peek says his son could read a book just once and memorize it.
Kim Peek inspired Barry Morrow when he wrote "Rain Man," the movie that won four Academy Awards, including best actor for Dustin Hoffman, who played the title role.
Baby Belugas-Chicago
CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago's Shedd Aquarium has welcomed a new baby beluga whale for the second time in a week.
The aquarium announced Monday that beluga whale Naya (NY'-ah) gave birth Sunday afternoon to a 5-foot, 6-inch male calf that weighs 152 pounds. Beluga whale Puiji (poo-EE-jee) had given birth to a male baby last week that weighed in at 162 pounds and was 5-feet, 4-inches long.
Shedd senior vice president Ken Ramirez says Naya needed some assistance during her birth. He says the newborn and his mother were briefly separated for observation but are now reunited.
He says the Shedd remains "cautiously optimistic" as officials watch for the pair to bond and nurse.
The calf's father is Naluark, who also sired the baby born to Puiji last week.
Obama-Swine Flu
President and first lady get swine flu shots
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama have received their swine flu shots.
Obama said Monday that he and his wife "just got the shots." He did not elaborate, and the White House had no immediate comment.
The president also encouraged others to get vaccinated against the H1N1 strain of flu, now that the vaccine is available to the general public. The vaccines had been restricted to high-risk groups such as children.
Obama says people should know the vaccine is safe when he let his daughters, 11-year-old Malia and 8-year-old Sasha, get their shots in October when the vaccine first became available.
Obama commented in an Oval Office interview with American Urban Radio Networks.
Papa's Shot
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Papa John's founder John Schnatter is promising a free pizza to every fan who saw him sink a shot from midcourt at a University of Louisville basketball game.
He banked one in after a few tries at halftime of the Oral Roberts-Louisville game last week.
Video posted by the company on YouTube shows Schnatter celebrating wildly after hitting the long shot in Freedom Hall.
The company estimates that if all 18,868 fans claim the free large one-topping pizza, it will add up to a $174,000 giveaway.
Papa John's says the free pizza offer is good through Dec. 27. Fans must call the store, order carryout and surrender their game ticket when they pick up the pizza.
Frank Zappa Day
BALTIMORE (AP) — Baltimore's mayor has declared a "Frank Zappa Day" on the birthday of the late rocker and native son.
Mayor Sheila Dixon declared the special day Monday. The eccentric musician was born in Baltimore on Dec. 21, 1940. He died in 1993.
Last week, Baltimore's public art commission decided that it will erect a bust of Zappa outside a public library.
The bust was given to Baltimore by fans of Zappa from Lithuania, where his music was popular among the avant-garde in the early 1990s. A similar bust is a tourist attraction in Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital.
