| Gunfire didn't raise alarm
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Gunfire happens enough around Lester Street that neighbors often don't bother to call police. Now residents are wondering whether the shots they heard last weekend are the ones that killed six people and critically wounded three other children.Police did not offer a motive in the slayings on Wednesday, two days after the grisly scene was found inside a small brick house in the community known as Binghampton, where low-income homes sit near cheap motels and junkyards. ''I did hear shooting, but I didn't know where it was. Sometimes guys get crazy and just shoot up in the air,'' said Marie Mackey, 33, who was visiting her mother's house a couple of blocks away Saturday night. ''If I had known, I would have called.''Lt. Joe Scott, a top homicide detective, said the surviving children are witnesses and under police protection.
Movie Stars Help With Obama Ad
MoveOn plans to air the winning commercial on national television, but organizers hope the real benefit could come simply from media attention, Internet buzz and the star power behind it. "The spirit of the contest is to put into video form what it is that you think will help push Obama over the top." said Iliyse Hogue, the campaign director for MoveOn.org Political Action. "It's a great thing for aspiring ad makers and film makers who want to participate in a meaningful way." Participants in the "Obama in 30 Seconds" contest will have until April 1 to submit their entries. MoveOn members, which the organization places at 3.2 million people, will be able to vote on their favorites by watching them on the MoveOn Web site. The top 15 entries will then be judged by a panel of liberal activists, recording artists and Hollywood notables.
Hurricane-plagued business expands with portable building
The Santa Rosa County Commission recently gave the go-ahead for the owners of Juana's Pagoda and Sailor's Grille to expand their operation, adding a portable building for a souvenir/art shop."It's more space to market the merchandise we're already marketing," said owner Ken Rudzki. "Right now, it's scattered hither and yon. The idea was to consolidate and expand."The new facility will add 300 square feet of retail space to the eatery/bar.The portable building is a way to combat hurricanes, he said."If we're in harm's way with Mother Nature, all of these goodies have to be evacuated with us," Rudzki said. "We spend days packing this stuff up. With this portable building, we'll pick it up, put it on a flatbed truck and take it with us."The complex, which started as a boat rental service 18 years ago, sustained damage from Hurricanes Opal, Ivan and Dennis.Rudzki said the new building will be camouflaged to fit in with the island look of what's already there."We wouldn't want anything that didn't seem like it was part of the establishment," he said.
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