| Leapin' Labs
Dock diving, a performance sport for dogs, is picking up speed thanks in part to the Outdoor Channel television series “DockDogs." Among the animal handlers featured on the show are John Nicholson Jr. and John Nicholson III of Hazel Dell. Here's a video clip of the father and son training their Labrador retrievers to do high and long jumps in the family pool. .
Lawrence eatery makes magazine’s list
Brown said she wants it to be more energy efficient and sustainable. A couple of ideas she mentioned were more eco-friendly to-go containers and a more efficient water heating system. Karen Black, co-owner of Local Burger, said she expected the new restaurant to go up in the Kansas City area. —Edited by Sasha Roe .
Kroger plans mega store in Bonsack area
A giant in the grocery business plans to spread its footprint into a growing area of Roanoke County. Kroger officials said Friday that the company will build its largest Roanoke Valley store on a 22.8-acre site at the corner of Valley Gateway Boulevard and U.S. 460 in the Bonsack area. The 84,000-square-foot store will offer a gas station, as do some other Kroger stores. The Cincinnati-based chain is pumping $22.4 million into the development of this grassy site, which is near Integrity Windows, a large manufacturer of windows and doors that opened several years ago. Other retails shops and restaurants are planned adjacent to the new store. Four additional outparcels, for lease or for sale, would front U.S. 460. Kroger will own the retail center, having purchased the land from Fralin & Waldron, a Roanoke real estate company.
ComEd plans to push efforts that cut bills
ComEd customers may pay more for new conservation programs but could save in the long run, consumer advocates and the utility said Thursday. The Illinois Commerce Commission, which regulates ComEd, has approved energy efficiency programs proposed by ComEd, downstate utilities and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. Different programs will roll out at different times. They include discounts on energy efficient light bulbs; the pick up and recycling of older, inefficient refrigerators; air conditioning "tune ups" and other measures designed to reduce energy consumption. ComEd said consumers overall could save roughly $155 million during the lifetime of the programs, possibly up to 10 years. That could save 1.2 megawatts of power, or enough to power 140,000 homes for one year, ComEd spokesman John Dewey said.
Cuban legislature to name Fidel Castro successor
The younger Castro has provisionally held power since his brother fell ill in July 2006 and the stage is set for him to be formally confirmed as head of state. Raul Castro, at 76 the world's longest serving defence minister, is the obvious pick for a government that feels threatened by the Bush administration at the vulnerable moment of losing the charismatic leadership of its founder Fidel Castro, debilitated by illness, after 49 years at the helm. "National defence and internal stability are the watchwords right now," a member of the ruling Communist Party said, requesting anonymity. "More than anything, Raul signifies stability and continuity at a time of great anxiety and uncertainty," said Frank Mora, an expert on Cuba at the National War College in Washington.
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