KEY POINTS:
Reader Jeff King doesn't fancy tasting this apparently new Whitmans chocolate product, spotted at Pak'n Save in Royal Oak.
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Thomas Montgomery, 48, of Buffalo, New York, posed online as an 18-year-old in attempts to get dates with younger women. After finally catching an 18-year-old girl on his hook, Montgomery, the father of two teen girls, was trying to reel her in when an online rival, Brian Barrett, 22, got in the way - so Montgomery shot Barrett.
But Montgomery, a married church deacon, never got his tryst: not only has he been sentenced to 20 years in prison for the killing, the 18-year-old girl turned out to be Mary Sheiler, a 50-year-old woman from West Virginia who used her daughter's photo in her online profile. (source: Thisistrue.com)
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One woman's kindness to a fellow Starbucks patron resulted in more than a thousand others spreading holiday generosity in one northwest Washington town. A regular patron had paid for the person in line behind her a few times before.
But last week her good deed set off a chain of 1013 customers paying for the next person's drink. Many coffee shop patrons tacked on an extra US$10 ($13) or US$20, which Starbucks will donate to its holiday toy drive. (source: AP)
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The mystery of the 50 per cent price increase on perfume at Farmers is explained by Alan Portman: "They had a special 'Farmers Card Day' with up to 50 per cent off on Friday only. I am a retailer and I thought how easy it was for the general public to get the wrong idea and poor Farmers."
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A German restaurateur has come up with a novel solution to a new ban on smoking in restaurants. He has made three holes in the wall of his restaurant so that customers can smoke "outside". Michael Windisch, proprietor of the Maltermeister Turm restaurant in Goslar in the state of Lower Saxony, was frustrated by the state's ban on smoking in bars and restaurants, which was introduced on August 1. His solution was to get out the saw.
With the "smoking point", customers can put their heads through the large hole in the middle and one hand through each of the two smaller side-holes. The patrons can then legally enjoy a cigarette without having to leave the comfort of the inn.
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A reader wants to send a special thanks for a lovely Christmas gift: "Having been to see a specialist for knee surgery in November and being assured ACC would cover the operation, I received a call at 3.50pm on Christmas Eve from some friendly person at ACC to say my claim had been declined. I would like to thank ACC for a wonderful Christmas present and for plenty of warning so I could contact my specialist before the break."
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THhe driver of a minivan who interrupted a local TV newscast while it was on the air by crashing into the station's glass-walled studio has been charged with reckless driving. Gerald Richardson, 25, was seen driving erratically moments before veering into the street-level studio on Sunday night, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
He performed several u-turns on the busy downtown street before crashing the van into a thick glass panel dividing the studio from the footpath, with a panel giving way. The impact was heard on-air and anchorman Ravi Baichwal shouted, "Ho!", interrupting his introduction to the newscast's story about harsh winter weather. He said the studio had become draughty. Small crowds often form outside the studio's windows during newscasts but no one was hurt and the driver was arrested inside the van, the Sun-Times reported.
Initially, Richardson was charged with reckless driving and ticketed for driving without insurance. Richardson's sister later told the newspaper he suffered from mental problems.
