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The skinny

By TIMES WIRES
Published March 27, 2007

Serial reader

Murder suspect seeks a good newspaper deal

Dale Hausner is sitting in an Arizona jail, accused of being one of the men who terrorized the Phoenix area in a series of late-night shootings. While sitting in jail, he had time to peruse his press clippings, and noticed that the East Valley Tribune devoted a lot of space to his story. So he thought about it and called the paper. He requested the paper give him a "sweetheart deal" on a subscription and explained that they owed it to him. "I've sold a lot of newspapers for you," said Hausner, 33. The Tribune declined his request. Hausner, who called himself "Dale the Innocent" in placing the collect call, is charged in seven murders and prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty.

Philly hates Phoenix

There's a big spat over who's No. 5

In the latest census numbers, it appears that Phoenix has passed Philadelphia as the fifth-largest city in the United States. Philadelphia took it all in stride, immediately accusing Phoenix of "cheating" by annexing suburban areas to boost its population. People from around the City of, um, Brotherly Love immediately started taking potshots at the the Valley of the Sun. They say Phoenix has air- and water-quality issues. They say it has no culture. "Who wants to be in the middle of nowhere? We have New York, D.C., Boston, all these other great cities a train ride away," said Philadelphia native Laura Penna. Wait, did she just argue that Philadelphia was a better city because it's closer to good cities?

Going dark

For birds, it's lights out in Minneapolis

If you live near a beach where sea turtles nest, you know you need to be careful about what kind of exterior lightning you use. A similar thing seems to be happening in Minneapolis. According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the 57-story Wells Fargo Building and 33-story Accenture Buildings will turn off unneeded lighting during certain hours because of potential confusing effects lighting can have on migratory birds. Apparently, the birds sometimes crash into tall buildings, or get dazed by them and circle until they fall.

Emotional rescue

Kleenex says it's okay to cry a lot

A new study says that 80 percent of Americans think people should let their feelings out, but that only 15 percent say they do it often. So, if you need a good cry, just do it. Oh, and it's always interesting to see who is behind these studies ... let's see ... oh! Kleenex. "Kleenex is here to act as the facilitator between encouragement and release so people can share their feelings because, ultimately, they'll just feel better," says Matt Crum of Kleenex.

Compiled from Times wires and other sources by staff writer Jim Webster.

[Last modified March 27, 2007, 01:36:02]