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Noteworthy

By TIMES WIRES
Published August 17, 2006

NOTEWORTHY

In Japan, hopes of an heir are in the air

Upon entering her ninth month of pregnancy, Japan's Princess Kiko entered a hospital Wednesday, with the country's decisionmakers holding their collective breath on whether they will have to address the whole issue of gender equity in royal succession. Seems there are a bunch of girls in the family under Emperor Akihito, and only males can take the throne. Legislators were working on a plan to allow one of the girls to take over - when the time came - when word of Kiko's pregnancy broke. Then they took a wait-and-see approach. If it's a girl, and we'll know in about a month, they'll have to talk reform again.

Too drunk for plane, but not the runway

Christopher Beyerbach wasn't allowed to get on his flight at the Charlotte, N.C., airport Monday night because authorities said he was drunk. If he was denying it, it doesn't help his case that he was later found on the airport tarmac. "Without going into details, in a public facility, you can get to where you aren't supposed to be," said Jerry Orr of the airport. Officials are going over security procedures, presumably with the goal of keeping drunk guys off the runways, and Beyerbach was released on bail after being charged with trespassing, among other things.

NO! NOT CHAD!

Not even a coin flip can decide this race

The City Council race in Pepper Pike, Ohio, was really close. There were two recounts and a coin flip, and still it was not resolved. Then a court picked a winner, but now the state's Supreme Court says that was a mistake. The first count had Rick Bain and Rick Taft in a tie. So they did the coin toss, and Taft wins. Then there was another recount, which made Bain a 1,124-1,123 winner. Then Taft saw - you guessed it - a hanging chad. That chad gives him a tie, and a court decided the earlier coin-toss should stand. But the high court said the lower court needs to consider the whole what-constitutes-a-vote thing, which means the term may expire before they figure out who actually won. The good news: Ohio doesn't have punch cards anymore.

THEM? AGAIN?

If at first, or second, they don't succeed ...

Could be a coincidence. Last week in northern Malaysia, a group of would-be bank robbers tried to steal an ATM, but took a check deposit machine instead. Now comes word that, again in northern Malaysia, thieves had to abort a bank robbery when the arm of the backhoe they were using to rip out an ATM got stuck in the building. If it was the same guys, kudos for at least zeroing in on the right machine this time. Not a lot of evidence was gained from the backhoe they abandoned, though. It was stolen.

'QUOTE'

"I was a member of the first family. I know a lot of the senators. I've got business contacts."

Jack Carter, son of former President Jimmy Carter, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Nevada, on his qualifications.

[Last modified August 17, 2006, 01:31:02]