News In Brief

YOU'VE GOT THE WRONG GUY

What do Stanley Burnside and Beatrice Concrete Co. have in common, other than Nebraska mailing addresses? Only that both own trucks the faraway city of New York claims violated its parking regulations. Burnside, the city says, owes almost $190 in fines - although he has never been to New York, and his old Ford hasn't been driven in almost three years because the transmission conked out. Last year, the Big Apple tried to dun the cement company $115 before dismissing the ticket as an obvious mistake. Now, officials are pledging to do the same for Burnside. "Then maybe he'll visit our wonderful city," a spokesman said optimistically.

NEXT TIME TAKE THE BUS

But it could be worse for the Nebraskans; they could live in Britain. A study for the Automobile Association there found Britons pay the most for fuel, spend the most time in traffic jams, and are more likely to have their vehicles broken into than their counterparts anywhere else in Europe.

World's highest peak soars higher than once thought

Mt. Everest is seven feet taller than it was a month ago. No, it didn't experience a growth spurt. Its height above sea level simply was recalculated using Global Positioning System satellite equipment transported to the summit as part of a project jointly sponsored by the National Geographic Society and Boston's Museum of Science. The highest spots on each of the world's continents (in feet):

Asia

Mt. Everest 29,035

South America

Mt. Aconcagua 22,834

North America

Mt. McKinley 20,320

Africa

Mt. Kilimanjaro 19,340

Europe

Mt. Elbrus 18,510

Antarctica

Vinson Massif 16,864

Australia

Mt. Kosciusko 7,310

- Associated Press/The World Almanac 1999

(c) Copyright 1999. The Christian Science Publishing Society