Lil Wayne to head to jail

Lil Wayne to head to jail

NEW YORK — Lil Wayne heads to jail in February in his New York gun case, just days after his next album comes out. The rap star’s sentencing date is Feb. 9, set in a Manhattan state court Tuesday.

He pleaded guilty in October to attempted criminal possession of a weapon. The charge stemmed from a 2007 traffic stop of his tour bus. His plea deal calls for a year in jail. Lil Wayne’s next album, “Rebirth,” is due Feb. 1.

Informant: Blame alcohol

ST. LOUIS — A gangster-turned-FBI informant whose exploits were the basis of the 1990 Martin Scorsese mob film “Goodfellas” says his struggles with alcohol are to blame for his weekend arrest after a drunken disturbance at a hotel. Police hauled 66-year-old Henry Hill, of Topanga, Calif., away in handcuffs Sunday after the dustup in a Drury Inn lobby in Fairview Heights, Ill. He was in the St. Louis area for a showing of his artwork.

Hill is free on bond on charges of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

Dickens’ toothpick for sale

NEW YORK — An ivory and gold toothpick once owned by Charles Dickens is being auctioned in New York City. It’s being offered by heirs to the Barnes & Noble family and is up for sale Tuesday at Bonhams New York. The pre-sale estimate is $3,000 to $5,000. The toothpick is engraved with the author’s initials.

An authentication letter from sister-in-law Georgina Hogarth says Dickens used the toothpick “when travelling and on his last visit to America.” Dickens died in 1870.

Today’s birthdays

Actress Liv Ullman is 71. Journalist Lesley Stahl is 68. Writer-producer Steven Bochco is 66. Singer Benny Anderson of ABBA is 63. Actor Benjamin Bratt (“Law and Order”) is 46. Actress Anna Popplewell (“The Chronicles of Narnia” films) is 21.