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MORNING PREP - MORNING PREP - MORNING PREP - MORNING PREP
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! KICKERS !
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TROOPS-GIRL SCOUT COOKIES
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Returning soldiers are getting a sweet taste of home -- courtesy of the Girl Scouts. About 75 G-I's from the 461st Engineering Company landed at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport this weekend and they were given Girl Scout cookies. The surprise included welcome home signs thanking the soldiers for their service. The engineering unit had been in the Dominican Republic helping to build schools. KSTP-TV reports the giveaway is part of the national "Operation Cookie Care Package." Girl Scout cookie customers have donated 27,000 boxes of the goodies for the program this year.
ARCHITECTURE BALLOON
NEW YORK (AP) — Look up -- especially if you're in Manhattan. New Yorkers will a see large balloon hovering over the city today. And no, it's not a runaway from the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. The NYPD says the balloon is carrying technology to measure the height of the city's buildings. The balloon was sent aloft yesterday and is due for another day of aerial mapping today. The study is being done for a private architecture firm.
DOG BEACH DISPUTE
TREASURE ISLAND, Fla. (AP) — It's pooch lovers versus beach lovers. Sunset Beach off Treasure Island on Florida's west coast is popular with dog owners. It's one of the few places in the area where the four-legged set can get to the water. But apartment owners at the Mansions by the Sea condo complex say there are too many dogs at the beach. The condo complex has removed wooden stairs that provided access to the sand. City officials tell the St. Petersburg Tribune they're trying to work out a compromise.
SMITHSONIAN SLEEPOVERS
WASHINGTON (AP) — A "Night at the Museum" will be the real deal at the Smithsonian in Washington this summer. The Smithsonian Associates will host Smithsonian Sleepovers, at the National Museum of American History and National Museum of Natural History. The program is for kids 8 to 12 and their chaperones. The Smithsonian says they will explore the exhibit halls at night. The kids will also be solving a mystery through an interactive game and watching a movie. Tickets start at $120 for museum members.
RACINE PEEP SHOW
RACINE, Wis. (AP) — Power to the peepers. The annual Peeps exhibit at Wisconsin's Racine Art Museum is now open. One display has the candy Peeps made to look like the Beatles. Another depicts the choir from an area elementary school. The exhibit has nearly 130 displays made from the brightly colored marshmallow candies. Last year's event drew 4,000 people. The Journal Times of Racine reports the Peeps show runs for three weeks.
CYBER CURRENCY-DINER
MOUNT SAVAGE, Md. (AP) — You don't need cash -- or even a credit card to eat at one Maryland diner. The Iron Rail Diner in Mount Savage is now accepting the cyber currency called Dogecoin (DOHJ'-koyn). Co-owner Terry Linn II says taking Dogecoin has benefits to the eatery, including not having to pay credit card fees. The Cumberland Times-News reports a customer posted a picture of the Dogecoin accepted sign that went viral. Linn notes that Dogecoin is a NASCAR sponsor and he figured the cyber currency would have a following.
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