Bird-chasing dog back at work at airport

Bird-chasing dog back at work at airport

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Augusta Regional Airport’s hairiest employee is back at work.

Mayday, the border collie who chases potentially hazardous flocks of egrets and starlings from the fields around the airport’s runways, had a benign tumor removed from her leg in January.

Her handler, Tina Rhodes, told The Augusta Chronicle that the 11-year-old dog has been resting and working part-time as she recovers from the surgery.

Mayday helps keep birds from getting in the way of arriving and departing airplanes at the airport.

Gourmet magazine says wow to Walla Walla

NEW YORK — Walla Walla, Wash., is earning high praise from Gourmet magazine for its food and wine scene.

The magazine says Walla Walla is thriving as a wine region “where it’s still possible to drop by a tasting room, talk to the winemaker and learn more about winemaking than you ever could during a canned tour.”

Gourmet recommends checking out Abeja, an inn and winery; 26Brix Restaurant; CreekTown Cafe, the Whitehouse-Crawford restaurant and Saffron Mediterranean Kitchen, all in Walla Walla, along with Long Branch Cafe & Saloon in nearby Weston and Whoopemup Hollow Cafe in Waitsburg.

Wineries mentioned by the magazine include Leonetti Cellar, Long Shadows Vintners and Pepper Bridge winery.

National Trust honors distinctive destinations

WASHINGTON — The New England waterfront city of Bristol, R.I., and the historic Western mining boomtown of Virginia City, Nev., were among the 12 places honored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s “Dozen Distinctive Destination” awards for 2009.

The list honors places that offer an authentic visitor experience with dynamic downtowns, cultural diversity, attractive architecture, cultural landscapes and a commitment to preservation.

In addition to Virginia City and Bristol, the winners were Athens, Ga.; Buffalo, N.Y.; Fort Worth, Texas; Franklin, Tenn.; Hot Springs, S.D.; Lake Geneva, Wis.; Lititz, Pa.; Santa Barbara, Calif.; Santa Fe, N.M.; and Saugatuck-Douglas, Mich.

For more information, visit www.PreservationNation.org.

New guide to Atlanta for gay travelers

ATLANTA — There’s a new guidebook for gay travelers interested in visiting Atlanta.

“The Out Traveler: Atlanta” (Alyson Books, $15.95) is the latest in a series that also includes books on New York City, South Florida and Hawaii.

The book lists many basic attractions like the Georgia Aquarium, Stone Mountain and “Gone with the Wind” author Margaret Mitchell’s house, along with hotels and bed-and-breakfasts deemed to be “gay-friendly” by the authors, and nightspots and bars like the Atlanta Eagle leather bar, Blake’s on the Park, Burkharts and Mary’s.

For more information, visit OutTravelerAtlanta.com.

Associated Press