hBoy auditions to be zoo campaign spokeskid

hBoy auditions to be zoo campaign spokeskid
Christopher Shierloh, 10, auditions to be a spokeskid for "Bucks for the Baby" campaign for the Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester, N.Y. Auditions took place Saturday at the Medley Centre in Irondquoit, N.Y. With the birth of a baby elephant fast approaching (due between Feb. 9 and early March), the zoo is developing a new, first-class habitat for New York state's only African elephants.
Protests at Wal-Mart
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- A group of religious protesters demonstrated outside a Wal-Mart superstore Saturday, hoping to turn away customers by calling attention to the retailer's decision to use "happy holidays" rather than "merry Christmas" in its seasonal advertising. But even shoppers who agreed with the protesters weren't willing to interrupt their quest for holiday deals. "I believe in Christ, and I don't like the use of 'xmas' or the use of 'happy holidays,'" said Steven Van Noy, 39, as he left the store loaded down with packages.
3 children die in fire
FOUNTAIN LAKE, Ark. -- Fire broke out in a rural home early Saturday, killing three children while their father was out picking up their mother from work. A passer-by alerted firefighters around 1 a.m., said Garland County Sheriff's Lt. Rodney Neighbors. He said homeowner Christopher Cox got the call from his 13-year-old daughter, Jessica, that the house was on fire. Jessica was able to get out but three other children died inside, Neighbors said. Neighbors identified the victims as Christopher Cox Jr., 15; Trisha Cox, 10; and Shantelle Burroughs, 2. The fire apparently started in a heating unit beneath the floor of the one-story frame-and-brick home, which was destroyed in the blaze.
Bird flu vaccine tests set
WASHINGTON -- In an isolation ward of a Baltimore hospital, up to 30 volunteers will participate in a bold experiment: A vaccine made with a live version of the most notorious bird flu will be sprayed into their noses. First, scientists are dripping that vaccine into the tiny nostrils of mice. It doesn't appear to be harmful -- researchers have weakened and genetically altered the virus so that no one should get sick or spread germs -- and it protects the animals enough to try in people. This is essentially FluMist for bird flu.
Contract talks break off
NEW YORK -- Transit workers and the agency that runs the city's subways and buses broke off contract talks after less than four hours Saturday with no agreement to prevent a strike at the height of the Christmas rush. Ed Watt, secretary-treasurer for the 33,000-member Transit Workers Union, said the negotiations Saturday were limited. Neither union head Roger Toussaint nor Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman Peter Kalikow was involved.
Multimillionaire wounded
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- A former MIT professor and multimillionaire businessman who has been praised for his riveting lectures but also known for his family disputes was ambushed outside his office and shot multiple times, authorities said Saturday. John J. Donovan was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital after the shooting Friday night and later released, hospital spokesman Arch MacInnes said Saturday. The 63-year-old founder of consulting firm Cambridge Executive Enterprises was shot several times, and it wasn't immediately clear why he wasn't more seriously injured, police spokesman Frank Pasquarello said. He didn't know if Donovan was wearing a bulletproof vest but said a belt buckle may have helped saved his life.
Museum architect dies
NEW YORK -- Architect James Ingo Freed, a longtime partner of I.M. Pei and the lead designer of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, has died at the age of 75. His death Thursday at his Manhattan home was announced by his firm, Pei Cobb Freed & amp; Partners. Born in 1930 in Essen, Germany, Freed came to the United States at age 9 as the Nazi terror gathered momentum in Europe.
2-ton sculpture stolen
LONDON -- Thieves using a flatbed truck and a crane snatched a two-ton Henry Moore bronze of a reclining figure from the grounds of the late sculptor's foundation north of London, police said Saturday. The sculpture, valued at more than $5.2 million, was stolen Thursday night from the artist's Hertfordshire county estate, authorities said in a statement. The foundation is offering a substantial reward for information leading to its recovery.
Associated Press