28 — Wednesday, April 21. 1999 — North Shore News Those dam Stag beetles are so cute ACCORDING to an April New York Times report, the purchase price in Japan of giant stag beetles has dropped recently to about $300 from a iccl price in che early 1990s of about $6,000. The beetles, which resemble 4-inch-leng cockroaches, are traditional Japanese pets that, according to insect salesman Katsutoshi Misaki, “have differ- ent personalities.” Added Misaki, “When I hold it in my hand, I fect real affection for it.” One breeder said a rare pet beetle sold in 1993 for about $30,000. 000 The school board of San _ Juan Capistrano, Calif, voted in April to approve in principle a new, 600-pupil secondary school that would cater to stu- dents of average academic abil- ities and who avoid extracurric- ular activities. The board believes such students lose motivation when schooled alongside higher achievers. Said aschool district official, “This is going to require strong mar- keting.” 000 Recently retired Air Force Sgt. Charles O. Hamilton Jr. was arrested in Upper pine a Md. » ip March legedly attempuing to enter a toddler's bedroom at night. Police believe Hamilton is the serial burglar who sneaks into houses at night, sometimes wearing a diaper under his pants, to ctserve and photo- 01 joys sleeping, sometimes aker defily ath ing their shorts and dressing them in diapers. A storage Tock er belonging to Hamilton was found to contain photos of his peeping bande along with about a thousand diapers, some of them soiled, many with boys’ names on them with pho- tographs inside showing the : named boy wearing the diaper. . . 900 _, Lancia Kaiser filed a lawsuit in February against the Ohm - “nestaurant in’ New York City, *~ claiming thac her 400 guest birthday. ‘party: there December (among the guest, |. Barry Belafonte and Quincy. © ”. Jones) did not meet her expec- : tations, The restaurant owner '~ said it was a lovely party. and that he fay complied wit with the coniact, bur Kaiser said she was so unfulfilled that she wants $30 yaillion in damages. 000 In Belleville, Ill., Rochelle Chouinard sued booking agent Patricia Neuf for $227 for fail- ing to supply a satisfactory stripper for her husband’s 50th birthday party. Chouinard said she specifically asked for a woman with at least a 40-inch chest and who would do a nurse-like act, but received what she estimated to be a 36A woman who merely did a tradi- tional striptease. In February, 2 judge tossed out Chouinard’s lawsuit. Qg00 In Edwardsville, I. in February, Joseph Schrage filed a lawsuit against a local Pizza Hut for the “mental. anguish” caused when he got a bad pizza one night in 1997, He said the pizza made him sick, but he offered no proof when he made his initial claim against the _ company. The Pizza Hut man- ager said Schrage’s experience hasn’t driven him away: “He’s still a current, regular customer. He comes in about twice a week.” Q000 In February, a jury in New Britain, Conn., awarded con- vieted rapist-murderer Kevin King, 27, more than $2 million in damages for injuries suffered when he tried to escape from prison in 1996, .In_ that attempt, King had attacked a male guard with a homemade fae bur.a little while later, two other guards subdued King, causing some bruises and a cut below one eye, but also, according to his lawyer, » causing: him “anxiety” and “terror” that he would be further roughed up by the guards. King’s lawyer had sought to settle for $20,000, but the six jurors saw fit to award him 100 times that amount. Qo00 In November, inmate Luis Romero, 38, filed a lawsuit against jailers in Farmington, N.M., for injuries he suffered when he fell out of his bunk and hit his head while trying to change a light bulb in his cell. And two months earlier, inmate Guadalupe Mendoya was turned down by a Wisconsin Court of Appeals in his lawsuit against Green Bay jailers for injuries he suffered when he fell out of bed while still inebriated from the 25 drinks he had had earlier that night. 000 In November in Lake St. Croix Beach, Minn., firefight- ers assisted a 13-year-old boy who had gotten his lip stuck in an eggbeater. And in Taipei, Taiwan, in February, doctors removed a chopstick from the eye socket of Japanese tourist Satoshi Kinoshida; it had pene- trated more than an inch. And in December, firefighters in Gosport, England, were called to a home to extricate teacher John Gueran, 42, who had become stuck headfirst with, according to London’s Daily Telegraph his “backside in the air,” behind a pantry trying to retrieve his son's Christmas gift. 900 Latest. Highway Truck Spills: 36 tons of Tootsie Rolls, Blow Pops and other candy, near downtown Nashville, Tenn., January; thousands of surgical scalpels, scattered over a half-mile stretch of Route 10 near Walton, N.Y., January (puncturing the tires of'a dozen motorists); and 8 million dimes near Gore, Okla., en route from the Denver Mint to the Federal Reserve Bank in Litde Rock, Ark., March. 000 In January, a jury in Ringgold, Ga., acquitted Alvin Ridley, 56, of murdering his wife. Because most neighbours and relatives of the couple had not seen Virginia Ridley in 25 years, and because Alvin was an eccentric loner living in a dilap- idated, roach-infested house in the Appalachian mountains, rumours long had it that Alvin had enslaved Virginia shortly after their wedding and eventu- ally killed her. However, Alvin said Virginia died of an cpilep- tic seizure and persuaded the jury of the couple’s love by showing Virginia’s prolif diaries, which describe her sim- ple lifestyle, passion for privacy, and intense, almost high school crush-like obsession with her husband. 900 After decades of failed or meaningless “studies” by advo- cates of the medical effective- ness of relieving pain by attach- ing magnets to various parts of the body, a New York Medical College researcher announced one in January that some authorities believe actually pass- es muster. In a report on 24 patients with diabetes, Dr. Michael I. Weintraub wrote in the American Journal of Pain Management, those with mag- nets enclosed in foot pads reported less pain than those vat simulated magnets in the pad. Weintraub theorized that a certain nerve in the foot might be responsive to the electrical energy created by the magnetic An addition is being proposed for Capilano Elementary School at 1230 West 20th Street and you are invited to join North Vancouver School District #44 and Grant and Sinclair Architecis at a meeting to discuss the project. April 27 7:00 pm. Formal Presentation to begin at 7:30 pm Date: Time: Location: Capilano Elementary School, 1230 West 20th St., North Vancouver The proposed development consists of the addition of seven classrooms, a multipurpose room, and increased special education area. Renovations include tiie general office, foyer entrance, special education, the relocation and renovation of the library, and enhanced accessibility features. Two portable classrooms located on the east side of the site will be removed upon completion of the project. The meeting is being held by the applicants in compliance with District of North Vancouver policy. The applicants will present details of the proposals and discuss any concerns resi- denis may have. information packages are being distributed to the residents within 3501 m of the site. If you | would like to receive a copy or if you would like more information, contact the District of North Vancouver Community Planner, Robert Brennan at 990-2358 or John Lewis at 903: § - 3444, or Paul Grant at 681-9191 or bring your questions and comments to the meeting. . This is not a Public Hearing. Council will receive a report from staff on issues raised at the meeting and will formally consider the proposal at a later date.” a Affordably priced like so many wonderful items in our store, this bistro set is available in a choice of brilliant summer colours. Chair and table may be purchased separately. From unique to antique —- we have Vancouver's best selection’ of absolutely, truly fabulous things for the home. 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