News In Brief

... AND DON'T COME BACK!

The folks at the Anchorage (Alaska) Zoo are hoping that the Trouble they've been having the last few weeks is over. Shouldn't that be trouble with a small "t"? No. Trouble is the name they gave a young grizzly that twice broke INTO the zoo, to visit another bear that's one of the attractions. The intruder tore up a fence, ate the feed intended for the waterfowl, and killed a goose that was a favorite with visiting children. A curator shot it with a tranquilizer dart, and the fish and game department hauled it back to its natural habitat.

A SPLASH OF REALITY?

Water use is a big issue in the arid West. Example: Prescott, Ariz. Its voters are being asked in a referendum whether the taps should be shut off - not for lawn sprinklers but because of the annual Fourth of July "soakfest" in the main square. Fun's fun, everyone agrees. But some revelers had taken to tossing water balloons that were frozen or spiked with bleach, and, opponents say, it's time they dried up.

Sure-to-please Secretaries Day gift? It's not a Chia Pet

If you're an office assistant, know someone who is, or employ one, you probably need no reminder that today is Secretaries Day. But did you know that the name soon will change to a more contemporary-sounding - and politically correct - Administrative Professionals Day? And what is it that such persons say they'd most appreciate on their special day? According to results of a survey by OfficeClick.com, a Web site for the more than 10 million administrative professionals, it's a gift certificate to a day spa. The least: not being recognized at all or being handed a bunch of flowers from the boss's own garden at 4:30 p.m. The gifts respondents said they'd like most, and the percentage for each:

Gift certificate to day spa 22%

Being given the day off 21%

Gift certificate for two to a choice restaurant 15%

Prepaid professional development/training seminar 11%

Book or CD of my choice 10%

(tie) Flowers 10%

- Business Wire

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