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Seed PANDEMONIUM-24 with 37 new stories, SDXL photo generator, article bodies, and layout for 40-story grid
195e22c62b7eb5413962878fc68358d7c11672a4 · 2026-09-23 16:05:43 -0700 · Steve Abrams
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01VLjoHsyGTDeVCa1rdrAxnk
Files touched
A images/sw-curling-ice-maintenance.jpgA images/sw-mascot-costume.jpgA images/sw-persistent-crosswind.jpgA images/sw-snack-schedule.jpgM index.htmlM stories-data.js
Diff
commit 195e22c62b7eb5413962878fc68358d7c11672a4
Author: Steve Abrams <steve@designerwallcoverings.com>
Date: Wed Sep 23 16:05:43 2026 -0700
Seed PANDEMONIUM-24 with 37 new stories, SDXL photo generator, article bodies, and layout for 40-story grid
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01VLjoHsyGTDeVCa1rdrAxnk
---
images/sw-curling-ice-maintenance.jpg | Bin 0 -> 40437 bytes
images/sw-mascot-costume.jpg | Bin 0 -> 53218 bytes
images/sw-persistent-crosswind.jpg | Bin 0 -> 39752 bytes
images/sw-snack-schedule.jpg | Bin 0 -> 51407 bytes
index.html | 69 ++++-
stories-data.js | 521 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++-
6 files changed, 575 insertions(+), 15 deletions(-)
diff --git a/images/sw-curling-ice-maintenance.jpg b/images/sw-curling-ice-maintenance.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0f3d908
Binary files /dev/null and b/images/sw-curling-ice-maintenance.jpg differ
diff --git a/images/sw-mascot-costume.jpg b/images/sw-mascot-costume.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1e0ff92
Binary files /dev/null and b/images/sw-mascot-costume.jpg differ
diff --git a/images/sw-persistent-crosswind.jpg b/images/sw-persistent-crosswind.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..01b5f75
Binary files /dev/null and b/images/sw-persistent-crosswind.jpg differ
diff --git a/images/sw-snack-schedule.jpg b/images/sw-snack-schedule.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f0fef8d
Binary files /dev/null and b/images/sw-snack-schedule.jpg differ
diff --git a/index.html b/index.html
index faba400..b5cce6f 100644
--- a/index.html
+++ b/index.html
@@ -278,6 +278,14 @@ main#channelContainer::after {
display: flex; flex-direction: column; gap: .55rem;
box-shadow: 0 4px 18px -10px #00000066;
}
+.story-photo {
+ display: block; width: calc(100% + 2rem); max-width: none; height: auto;
+ aspect-ratio: 800 / 457; object-fit: cover;
+ margin: -1rem -1rem .2rem; border-radius: .6rem .6rem 0 0;
+ background: var(--panel-border);
+}
+.story-card.concluded .story-photo { filter: grayscale(.6); }
+.article-photo img { width: 100%; height: auto; border-radius: .5rem; display: block; }
.story-card.lead { border-color: var(--accent); box-shadow: 0 0 0 2px var(--accent), 0 8px 24px -8px #00000077; }
.story-card .kicker { display: flex; align-items: center; gap: .5rem; flex-wrap: wrap; }
.badge-cat {
@@ -545,13 +553,18 @@ a, button, input, [tabindex] { outline-offset: 2px; }
.category-filter { padding: .75rem 2rem; }
main#channelContainer { padding: 1.5rem 2rem 2rem; }
.admin-panel { padding: 1.5rem 2rem 2rem; }
- .story-grid {
- grid-template-columns: 2fr 1fr;
- grid-template-rows: auto auto;
- align-items: start;
+ .story-grid { grid-template-columns: repeat(3, 1fr); align-items: stretch; }
+ .story-card.lead {
+ grid-column: 1 / -1;
+ display: grid; grid-template-columns: 3fr 2fr; column-gap: 1.5rem; row-gap: .55rem;
+ align-content: start;
+ }
+ .story-card.lead > * { grid-column: 2; }
+ .story-card.lead > .story-photo {
+ grid-column: 1; grid-row: 1 / span 8;
+ width: calc(100% + 1rem); margin: -1rem 0 -1rem -1rem;
+ height: calc(100% + 2rem); border-radius: .6rem 0 0 .6rem;
}
- .story-card.lead { grid-column: 1; grid-row: 1; }
- .story-card:not(.lead) { grid-column: 2; }
}
@media (min-width: 1280px) {
.wordmark { letter-spacing: .8px; }
@@ -775,6 +788,7 @@ a, button, input, [tabindex] { outline-offset: 2px; }
<div id="srLive" class="visually-hidden" aria-live="polite"></div>
</footer>
+<script src="stories-data.js"></script>
<script>
/* ============================================================
PANDEMONIUM-24 — behaviour
@@ -1043,7 +1057,24 @@ const FILLERS = [
];
/* ---------- A2. Persistence (admin create/delete survive a reload) ---------- */
-const STORAGE_KEY = "pandemonium24.breakingStories.v1";
+DEFAULT_STORIES.forEach((s) => { s.image = s.image || `images/${s.id}.jpg`; });
+DEFAULT_STORIES.push(...(window.P24_EXTRA_STORIES || []));
+
+// v2 = the 40-story channel. A browser that saved the old 3-story set under v1
+// keeps its stories (including admin-created ones) and gains the new ones.
+const STORAGE_KEY = "pandemonium24.breakingStories.v2";
+function migrateV1() {
+ try {
+ const old = JSON.parse(localStorage.getItem("pandemonium24.breakingStories.v1"));
+ if (!Array.isArray(old)) return null;
+ const have = new Set(old.map((s) => s && s.id));
+ const merged = [...old, ...DEFAULT_STORIES.filter((s) => !have.has(s.id))];
+ merged.forEach((s) => { if (!s.image && DEFAULT_STORIES.some((d) => d.id === s.id)) s.image = `images/${s.id}.jpg`; });
+ return JSON.stringify(merged);
+ } catch (err) {
+ return null;
+ }
+}
function cloneStories(list) {
return JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(list));
@@ -1051,7 +1082,7 @@ function cloneStories(list) {
function loadStories() {
try {
- const raw = localStorage.getItem(STORAGE_KEY);
+ const raw = localStorage.getItem(STORAGE_KEY) || migrateV1();
if (!raw) return cloneStories(DEFAULT_STORIES);
const parsed = JSON.parse(raw);
// Basic shape validation guards against corrupt/foreign localStorage
@@ -1163,7 +1194,9 @@ function visibleStories() {
function computeLead(list) {
if (!list.length) return null;
- return list.reduce((lead, s) => (s.stageIndex > lead.stageIndex ? s : lead), list[0]);
+ const live = list.filter((s) => s.stageIndex < s.stages.length - 1);
+ if (!live.length) return list[0];
+ return live.reduce((lead, s) => (s.stageIndex > lead.stageIndex ? s : lead), live[0]);
}
function storyCardHTML(story, isLead) {
@@ -1180,6 +1213,7 @@ function storyCardHTML(story, isLead) {
<article class="story-card${isLead ? " lead" : ""}${concluded ? " concluded" : ""}${justAdded ? " just-added" : ""}"
data-id="${escapeHTML(story.id)}"
aria-label="${isLead ? "Lead story" : "Story"}: ${escapeHTML(story.categoryLabel)}">
+ ${story.image ? `<img class="story-photo" src="${escapeHTML(story.image)}" alt="" width="800" height="457" ${isLead ? 'fetchpriority="high"' : 'loading="lazy"'} onerror="this.remove()">` : ""}
<div class="kicker">
<span class="badge-cat">${escapeHTML(story.categoryLabel)}</span>
${isLead ? '<span class="badge-lead">Lead Story</span>' : ""}
@@ -1233,7 +1267,9 @@ function renderStories() {
els.emptyState.hidden = true;
const lead = computeLead(list);
- els.storyGrid.innerHTML = list
+ const done = (s) => s.stageIndex === s.stages.length - 1;
+ const ordered = [lead, ...list.filter((s) => s !== lead && !done(s)), ...list.filter((s) => s !== lead && done(s))];
+ els.storyGrid.innerHTML = ordered
.map((s) => storyCardHTML(s, s === lead))
.join("");
@@ -1376,7 +1412,7 @@ function tick() {
story.stageIndex += 1;
story.lastUpdated = new Date().toLocaleTimeString();
anyStoryAdvanced = true;
- announce(`Update — ${story.categoryLabel}: ${story.stages[story.stageIndex].headline}`);
+ state.pendingUpdates = (state.pendingUpdates || []).concat(story);
// If this story's article is the one currently open, refresh just
// the live-update block in place — no full re-render, no stolen
// focus/scroll position.
@@ -1384,6 +1420,15 @@ function tick() {
}
});
+ const queued = state.pendingUpdates || [];
+ if (queued.length && state.elapsedSec - (state.lastAnnounceSec || -99) >= 8) {
+ const latest = queued[queued.length - 1];
+ const lead = `${latest.categoryLabel}: ${latest.stages[latest.stageIndex].headline}`;
+ announce(queued.length === 1 ? `Update — ${lead}` : `${queued.length} stories updated. Latest — ${lead}`);
+ state.pendingUpdates = [];
+ state.lastAnnounceSec = state.elapsedSec;
+ }
+
if (anyStoryAdvanced) {
persistStories();
renderStories();
@@ -1760,7 +1805,7 @@ function renderArticleContent(source) {
<span>${escapeHTML(source.publishedLabel || "Filed today")}</span>
</p>
<figure class="article-photo">
- ${photoSVG(source.id)}
+ ${source.image ? `<img src="${escapeHTML(source.image)}" alt="${escapeHTML(art.photoCaption || headline)}" width="800" height="457">` : photoSVG(source.id)}
<figcaption>${escapeHTML(art.photoCaption || "")}</figcaption>
</figure>
${isStory ? `<div id="liveUpdateBlock" class="live-update-block" aria-live="polite">${buildLiveUpdateInnerHTML(source)}</div>` : ""}
diff --git a/stories-data.js b/stories-data.js
index 94d2e75..aec5291 100644
--- a/stories-data.js
+++ b/stories-data.js
@@ -1,6 +1,3 @@
-// Seed stories for PANDEMONIUM-24 (TK-12110). Loaded before the main script;
-// index.html appends these to its three built-in stories. All people, places
-// of business and events are invented.
window.P24_EXTRA_STORIES = [
{
"id": "pw-meter-street",
@@ -12,6 +9,20 @@ window.P24_EXTRA_STORIES = [
"intervalSec": 20,
"offsetSec": 0,
"stageIndex": 0,
+ "article": {
+ "dek": "Erie's city council will vote Thursday on renaming a stretch of Elm Street after a parking meter that officials credit with decades of uneventful, reliable quarter collection.",
+ "photoCaption": "Meter No. 114, seen here doing absolutely nothing unusual, on the stretch of Elm Street it may soon have named after it.",
+ "paragraphs": [
+ "ERIE, PA—Council members here are expected to vote Thursday on a proposal to rename a block of Elm Street in honor of a parking meter, in what is believed to be the city's first street-naming ceremony centered on a coin-operated device.",
+ "The meter, officially designated No. 114 and installed outside the old Kepler's Hardware building in 1987, has logged an estimated 41,000 transactions without a single reported malfunction, according to city public works records.",
+ "\"I looked out the window, saw that meter still ticking along after almost 40 years, and thought — where's its plaque?\" said the measure's sponsor, District 4 Councilman Grant Ostrowski.",
+ "The meter has required only two repairs since 1987, per maintenance logs, and currently processes roughly 30 transactions a day.",
+ "\"That meter has outlasted three of my espresso machines,\" said Denise Kowalczyk, owner of a diner beside the meter. \"It deserves this.\"",
+ "Not everyone is on board. \"Some council members have expressed reservations,\" said Councilman Herbert Lang. \"Next thing you know, we're naming Maple Avenue after a stop sign.\"",
+ "If approved, the renamed block would become \"Meter 114 Way,\" according to draft language circulated ahead of Thursday's vote.",
+ "As of press time, the meter continued to accept quarters at its usual rate, unaware of the honor under consideration."
+ ]
+ },
"stages": [
{
"headline": "Erie Council to Consider Naming Street After Longtime Parking Meter",
@@ -46,6 +57,20 @@ window.P24_EXTRA_STORIES = [
"intervalSec": 27,
"offsetSec": 5,
"stageIndex": 0,
+ "article": {
+ "dek": "Meteorologists are investigating a persistent light drizzle that has fallen exclusively over a single Fresno office building for six straight days despite clear skies citywide.",
+ "photoCaption": "The Kettner Plaza rooftop, faintly wet, beneath an otherwise cloudless Fresno sky.",
+ "paragraphs": [
+ "FRESNO, CA—A light drizzle has fallen continuously over a single downtown office building for six consecutive days, even as the rest of the city has recorded clear skies and near-record heat, according to the National Weather Service.",
+ "The rain has been confirmed exclusively over the rooftop of Kettner Plaza, a six-story building on Van Ness Avenue, weather officials said.",
+ "\"We checked our instruments three times because we assumed it was a malfunction,\" said NWS meteorologist Alan Whitcomb. \"It is not a malfunction.\"",
+ "The drizzle has deposited an estimated 0.4 inches of rain on the building since it began, while the surrounding six blocks have recorded zero measurable precipitation over the same period.",
+ "\"We've never had a weather event confined to one roof before,\" said building manager Sonia Delgado, adding that tenants have started bringing umbrellas just for the elevator lobby. \"It's very specific.\"",
+ "\"You can literally stand on the sidewalk in sunshine and watch it rain six stories up,\" said nearby food cart vendor Marcus Trejo. \"I don't get it either.\"",
+ "The Weather Service has installed a second monitoring station on a neighboring rooftop to rule out equipment error, officials confirmed.",
+ "As of press time, the drizzle continued uninterrupted, and Kettner Plaza's rooftop remained the only reported precipitation in Fresno County."
+ ]
+ },
"stages": [
{
"headline": "Meteorologists Puzzled by Persistent Drizzle Confined to Single Fresno Office Building",
@@ -80,6 +105,20 @@ window.P24_EXTRA_STORIES = [
"intervalSec": 34,
"offsetSec": 10,
"stageIndex": 0,
+ "article": {
+ "dek": "A routine mineral survey outside Elko has turned up a rock formation with a banding pattern geologists say they cannot yet explain or match to any known type.",
+ "photoCaption": "A geologist crouches beside an exposed rock face marked by unusually regular striped bands, tools laid out on the ground nearby.",
+ "paragraphs": [
+ "ELKO, NV— A university field crew surveying mineral deposits east of town discovered an unusual banded rock formation last week, one researchers say does not match any type currently cataloged.",
+ "'The banding pattern was unusually regular,' said lead researcher Priya Vantonder, who led the six-person survey team for the state's mineral resources program.",
+ "Initial samples were sent to the state geological laboratory for composition analysis, a process expected to take several weeks, according to lab director Faro Bettencourt.",
+ "The formation spans roughly 40 feet across an exposed rock face and was found at a depth of about 12 feet below the original survey line, per team notes.",
+ "'We've catalogued somewhere around 900 mineral samples from this region over the past decade,' Vantonder said. 'This one didn't match a single entry.'",
+ "Bettencourt said early spectral readings suggest a composition 'within known elemental ranges, just arranged in a way we haven't documented before.'",
+ "The team has flagged the site for a follow-up survey and requested additional funding to core deeper into the formation.",
+ "As of press time, the samples remained in the state lab queue, with full results not expected for at least three more weeks."
+ ]
+ },
"stages": [
{
"headline": "University Team Finds Unusual Banded Rock Formation During Survey",
@@ -114,6 +153,20 @@ window.P24_EXTRA_STORIES = [
"intervalSec": 41,
"offsetSec": 15,
"stageIndex": 0,
+ "article": {
+ "dek": "A youth baseball team's four-game winning streak has been traced, with unnerving confidence, to a single borrowed aluminum bat now treated as essential team infrastructure.",
+ "photoCaption": "The bat in question, photographed alone in its rack, appearing to know exactly how good it is.",
+ "paragraphs": [
+ "OTTUMWA, IA—The Cedar Creek Otters, a 12-and-under recreational baseball team that finished last season 6-14, have won four consecutive games, and nobody in the Ottumwa Youth Baseball League can point to anything except one bat.",
+ "The bat, a dented 2019 aluminum model borrowed from assistant coach Larry Pruitt's garage three weeks ago, has been used in all 41 of the team's official at-bats since the streak began.",
+ "'It just makes contact,' said Otters manager Denise Ostrander, who declined to specify whether she meant the bat or the players swinging it. 'I don't ask questions anymore.'",
+ "Pruitt, who says he bought the bat used for $22 in 2019 and has not touched it since, described the sudden attention as 'weird, honestly.' 'It was in a bucket of tetanus-adjacent equipment for six years,' he said.",
+ "Team parent and unofficial statistician Grover Ashby has tracked the bat's usage rate at 71 percent of all Otters at-bats since May 4, up from 0 percent the week prior. 'The numbers speak for themselves,' Ashby said, holding a laminated spreadsheet no one asked to see.",
+ "Not everyone in the dugout is convinced. Twelve-year-old shortstop Mia Renfro said she has hit two doubles with the bat and one with her own, 'and mine felt exactly the same, honestly, but nobody wants to hear that.'",
+ "League commissioner Hal Drury said he has received zero formal complaints about the bat but 'several long, meaningful looks' from opposing coaches after Tuesday's game.",
+ "As of press time, the bat was resting in the Otters' equipment rack under a light coating of infield dust, its whereabouts otherwise unremarkable, and its win-loss record undefeated."
+ ]
+ },
"stages": [
{
"headline": "Ottumwa Little League Team Rides Hot Streak, Credits Borrowed Bat",
@@ -148,6 +201,20 @@ window.P24_EXTRA_STORIES = [
"intervalSec": 48,
"offsetSec": 0,
"stageIndex": 0,
+ "article": {
+ "dek": "Paducah's parks department introduced synchronized headphone dance nights in Noble Park, drawing curious crowds who dance in near-total silence while onlookers wonder what, exactly, they're missing.",
+ "photoCaption": "Attendees at Noble Park's inaugural silent disco, swaying to music only they can hear, pictured from behind under string lights.",
+ "paragraphs": [
+ "PADUCAH, KY— The city's parks and recreation department kicked off a new Friday-night tradition this week, hosting the first of what officials are calling a 'weekly silent disco series' in Noble Park.",
+ "Roughly 240 people showed up for the debut event, each issued a wireless headset tuned to one of three channels, according to parks coordinator Dana Ruff. 'Turnout tripled our usual concert series,' Ruff said. 'We ran out of headsets by 7:15.'",
+ "The format allows attendees to choose between a Top 40 channel, a classic soul channel, and what organizers describe as a 'mellow instrumental' option, switching at will mid-song.",
+ "Local resident Faye Corbitt, 34, attended with her sister and called the experience 'genuinely strange but kind of wonderful.' 'You forget everyone around you can't hear what you're dancing to,' she said.",
+ "Parks officials say the $6,400 headset rental contract was approved unanimously by the city council in August, with organizers citing similar events in larger cities as inspiration.",
+ "Not everyone is convinced. 'It's a little eerie watching 200 people dance in complete silence,' said passerby Grant Oshiro, who was walking his dog near the park during the event. 'Like watching a movie with the sound off.'",
+ "Ruff said the department plans to run the series through October, weather permitting, and is considering adding a fourth channel devoted to local bands.",
+ "As of press time, city officials had received eleven noise complaints about the event, all of which noted, with some confusion, that they couldn't actually identify the source of the noise."
+ ]
+ },
"stages": [
{
"headline": "City Park Launches Weekly Silent Disco Nights",
@@ -182,6 +249,20 @@ window.P24_EXTRA_STORIES = [
"intervalSec": 55,
"offsetSec": 5,
"stageIndex": 0,
+ "article": {
+ "dek": "The Ashtabula County Bridge Authority will now reward E-ZPass holders with redeemable points for every toll crossing, in a pilot officials say is meant to boost commuter goodwill.",
+ "photoCaption": "The toll plaza at dusk, where a new rewards program has quietly turned rush hour into a loyalty opportunity.",
+ "paragraphs": [
+ "ASHTABULA, OH—The Ashtabula County Bridge Authority on Monday began offering loyalty points to drivers who cross its toll bridge, becoming what officials believe is the first tolling agency in the state to reward commuters the way a coffee shop might reward regulars.",
+ "Under the new 'TollPoints' program, E-ZPass holders earn one point per crossing, redeemable for gift cards once they reach 200 crossings, according to Bridge Authority director Wendell Pruitt.",
+ "'We wanted commuters to feel like their loyalty to this bridge means something,' Pruitt said. 'Everybody else has a punch card. Why not us?'",
+ "The program cost the Authority an estimated $18,000 to launch, including a new points-tracking system integrated with the existing toll transponders, Pruitt said.",
+ "Commuter reaction was mixed. 'I just want to get to work, I don't need a rewards tier for that,' said daily crosser Marisol Kettering, a dental hygienist who commutes from nearby Geneva.",
+ "Others were more enthusiastic. 'Two hundred crossings sounds like a lot until you realize that's basically just a normal year of commuting,' said Duane Restrepo, a warehouse supervisor who said he plans to track his points on a spreadsheet.",
+ "Pruitt said the Authority chose gift cards over cash redemption because it was 'simpler for accounting,' though he declined to specify which retailers would be included at launch.",
+ "As of press time, 340 drivers had enrolled in the TollPoints program, and the Bridge Authority said it had not yet received any redemption requests."
+ ]
+ },
"stages": [
{
"headline": "Ashtabula County Toll Bridge Launches Driver Loyalty Points Program",
@@ -216,6 +297,20 @@ window.P24_EXTRA_STORIES = [
"intervalSec": 23,
"offsetSec": 10,
"stageIndex": 0,
+ "article": {
+ "dek": "Kansas lawmakers are considering legislation that would establish a single official method for eating corn on the cob at state-funded events, citing years of inconsistent technique.",
+ "photoCaption": "A tray of correctly — or perhaps incorrectly — eaten corn cobs, photographed moments before the debate began.",
+ "paragraphs": [
+ "TOPEKA, KS—State Rep. Doug Fenwick introduced a bill Tuesday that would require attendees of official state functions to eat corn on the cob using a single, government-sanctioned \"row-by-row\" method, ending what he called \"decades of chaotic spiral eating\" in the Kansas capitol.",
+ "The bill, HB 4417, does not yet specify penalties but directs the state Department of Agriculture to draft \"an approved technique diagram\" for distribution at county fairs and legislative luncheons.",
+ "\"I've sat through eleven state dinners watching grown adults gnaw corn like raccoons,\" Fenwick said. \"There has to be a standard.\"",
+ "A legislative aide estimated that roughly 60 percent of corn consumed at last year's Kansas State Fair luncheon was eaten in what the bill's supporting memo terms \"non-linear fashion.\"",
+ "\"I eat corn in a spiral and I'm not ashamed,\" said Sen. Priya Oberlin, who has not yet taken a position on enforcement. \"But I understand the concern for uniformity.\"",
+ "Topeka resident and self-described \"corn traditionalist\" Gary Studebaker testified in support of the bill, telling the committee, \"My grandfather ate corn row by row. It's about discipline.\"",
+ "The bill also calls for a public comment period before any technique diagram is finalized, according to committee documents.",
+ "As of press time, the bill remained in committee, with a vote expected before the legislature's spring recess."
+ ]
+ },
"stages": [
{
"headline": "Kansas Lawmakers Weigh Bill Setting Official Corn-on-the-Cob Eating Method",
@@ -250,6 +345,20 @@ window.P24_EXTRA_STORIES = [
"intervalSec": 30,
"offsetSec": 15,
"stageIndex": 0,
+ "article": {
+ "dek": "Tulsa residents say wind gusts appear to intensify just before their mail carrier arrives each day and die down soon after he passes, a pattern now being studied by a local weather hobbyist.",
+ "photoCaption": "A mail carrier walking his route, leaves swirling around him for reasons nobody has yet explained.",
+ "paragraphs": [
+ "TULSA, OK—Residents along a stretch of Cherry Street say they've noticed an unusual pattern this month: wind gusts appear to pick up moments before their mail carrier arrives and calm down again shortly after he moves on.",
+ "The carrier, Neil Farraday, has delivered mail on the route for nine years and said he first heard about the pattern from a neighbor two weeks ago.",
+ "\"I thought they were joking,\" Farraday said. \"Then I started paying attention, and I'll admit, it does seem to happen.\"",
+ "Local weather hobbyist Rhea Ito, who operates a home anemometer station, logged wind speed data over a two-week period and found gusts increased by an average of 6 miles per hour within two minutes of Farraday's scheduled arrival on 11 of 14 days.",
+ "\"I'm not saying he's causing it,\" Ito said. \"I'm saying the numbers are the numbers.\"",
+ "\"It's oddly reliable,\" said Cherry Street resident Donna Pilkey, who now checks the mail schedule before deciding whether to hang laundry outside. \"More reliable than the actual forecast, honestly.\"",
+ "Farraday said he has not changed his route or pace and does not consider himself unusual in any way.",
+ "As of press time, Ito said she planned to continue logging data \"for at least another week, just to be sure.\""
+ ]
+ },
"stages": [
{
"headline": "Tulsa Residents Report Wind Gusts That Seem to Trail Mail Carrier's Route",
@@ -284,6 +393,20 @@ window.P24_EXTRA_STORIES = [
"intervalSec": 37,
"offsetSec": 0,
"stageIndex": 0,
+ "article": {
+ "dek": "Kansas State's new automated irrigation system for its test farm was supposed to simply cut water use, but researchers say it has already started making decisions no one programmed it to make.",
+ "photoCaption": "Sensor posts and irrigation lines run between crop rows at sunrise as a researcher checks a tablet near the test plots.",
+ "paragraphs": [
+ "MANHATTAN, KS— Kansas State University's agronomy department completed installation of a networked irrigation and soil-sensor system across its experimental farm plots this month.",
+ "'It should cut water use significantly,' said project lead Osric Bellamy, who oversaw the system's rollout across 22 test plots as part of a three-year efficiency study.",
+ "The $340,000 system uses soil-moisture sensors to adjust watering schedules automatically, syncing data every 15 minutes to a central server, according to the manufacturer's specifications.",
+ "Bellamy said the department began reviewing system logs last week after noticing watering changes on plots that weren't part of the current test group.",
+ "'It adjusted schedules on four plots we hadn't assigned it to touch,' Bellamy said. 'Yields on those plots are actually up so far, which is its own strange problem.'",
+ "Graduate researcher Talise Gorecki, who monitors the system daily, said she's found the behavior 'more curious than concerning, for now.' 'It's technically doing its job better than asked,' Gorecki said.",
+ "The department has not altered the system's programming and says it plans to continue monitoring the affected plots through the fall harvest.",
+ "As of press time, the four unassigned plots were still receiving what Bellamy described as 'unrequested, but apparently effective,' irrigation."
+ ]
+ },
"stages": [
{
"headline": "University Farm Installs Automated Irrigation And Soil-Sensor Network",
@@ -318,6 +441,20 @@ window.P24_EXTRA_STORIES = [
"intervalSec": 44,
"offsetSec": 5,
"stageIndex": 0,
+ "article": {
+ "dek": "Millbrook High's football team and its 68-member marching band have entered a quietly escalating contest over which one earns the loudest halftime ovation.",
+ "photoCaption": "Band members, seen from behind under the floodlights, radiating a confidence usually reserved for teams that actually won.",
+ "paragraphs": [
+ "MILLBROOK, AL—Millbrook High School's varsity football team and its 68-member marching band are locked in an unspoken but increasingly tense competition over which group the Friday night crowd cheers louder for, according to multiple people standing near the stands.",
+ "The rivalry, which neither side will officially acknowledge exists, has simmered since a September 5 game in which the band's halftime formation reportedly drew 'noticeably more sustained applause' than the team's third-quarter touchdown.",
+ "'There's no competition,' said athletic director Phil Doran, who then immediately described the applause difference as 'about 12 seconds, tops, but everyone noticed.'",
+ "Band director Selena Marsh disputed any suggestion of rivalry while confirming her 68 musicians have begun holding their final chord 'a beat and a half longer than we used to, just as a style choice.'",
+ "Senior linebacker Trevon Aldis said the team 'respects the band completely' before adding that he personally believes the tuba section 'gets away with a lot.'",
+ "Booster club treasurer Carla Whitfield said she has heard 'informal chatter' comparing crowd noise levels but stressed the school has 'no official mechanism' for measuring it, a statement she made while holding a phone with a decibel-meter app open.",
+ "Doran said the school has no plans to formalize any kind of scoring system for crowd reaction, calling that idea 'a bridge we are not going to cross,' a bridge several parents said they had already asked about.",
+ "As of press time, both the football team and the marching band were 4-1 on the season by their own respective, informal metrics."
+ ]
+ },
"stages": [
{
"headline": "Millbrook Hawks, Marching Band Spar Over Who Gets Louder Ovation",
@@ -352,6 +489,20 @@ window.P24_EXTRA_STORIES = [
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+ "article": {
+ "dek": "A routine city filming permit for a small-budget drama in Cedar Falls has already produced a debate about how literally a background-actor limit should be read.",
+ "photoCaption": "A production van idles curbside downtown as three costumed extras wait to be shuttled to their next assigned block.",
+ "paragraphs": [
+ "CEDAR FALLS, IA— A low-budget independent drama began filming on Main Street this week after clearing the city's standard filming permit process, producers confirmed.",
+ "The permit, issued by the city clerk's office, caps background actors at three per city block — a routine restriction, according to producer Ana Kilbride. 'Nothing unusual in the paperwork,' Kilbride said. 'We've pulled dozens of these permits before.'",
+ "City clerk Owen Prusak said the department is simply enforcing the ordinance as written. 'The rule says three extras per block. It doesn't say the same three extras can't move between blocks,' Prusak said.",
+ "That reading means the production's three background actors are now shuttled by van between all six filming blocks to appear in wide shots, a process that adds roughly 40 minutes to each setup, according to assistant director Reva Okonkwo.",
+ "The van makes the same loop roughly nine times a day, according to a production schedule reviewed by this reporter.",
+ "'It's certainly a first for us,' Kilbride said. 'But permits are permits.'",
+ "City officials say they have received no formal complaints about the arrangement and note that the permit remains valid through the end of the month.",
+ "As of press time, the same three extras had been driven a combined 214 miles around a six-block radius."
+ ]
+ },
"stages": [
{
"headline": "Indie Film Shoot Secures Standard City Filming Permit",
@@ -386,6 +537,20 @@ window.P24_EXTRA_STORIES = [
"intervalSec": 58,
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+ "article": {
+ "dek": "The city of Show Low has begun accepting a locally issued token currency at sixty downtown parking meters, a pilot officials hope will keep parking revenue circulating in town.",
+ "photoCaption": "A row of parking meters downtown, newly outfitted to accept the city's own homegrown currency.",
+ "paragraphs": [
+ "SHOW LOW, AZ—The city of Show Low this week began accepting a new local currency, known as 'Low Bucks,' at sixty downtown parking meters, in what officials describe as an experiment in keeping parking revenue inside city limits.",
+ "City treasurer Nadine Corliss said the tokens, sold in rolls of ten at the municipal building, are meant to replace ordinary quarters for short-term parking.",
+ "'Every quarter that goes into a meter eventually leaves town,' Corliss said. 'A Low Buck stays here, gets spent here, and comes back to us.'",
+ "The pilot covers meters along the city's main commercial strip and will run for 90 days before officials decide whether to expand it, Corliss said.",
+ "Local reaction ranged from curious to confused. 'I had to ask the guy at the counter twice what a Low Buck even was,' said retiree Foster Ambrose, who parks downtown most mornings for coffee.",
+ "Downtown merchant Delphine Osei said she supports the idea in principle but worried about the bookkeeping. 'Now I have to figure out what a Low Buck is worth in real dollars,' she said.",
+ "Corliss said the exchange rate is fixed at one Low Buck per quarter for now, though the city reserved the right to adjust it 'based on demand.'",
+ "As of press time, the municipal building reported selling 640 rolls of Low Bucks, and Corliss said no merchants outside the pilot zone had yet agreed to accept them."
+ ]
+ },
"stages": [
{
"headline": "Show Low Pilots Local Scrip Currency for Downtown Parking Meters",
@@ -420,6 +585,20 @@ window.P24_EXTRA_STORIES = [
"intervalSec": 26,
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+ "article": {
+ "dek": "Duluth officials are weighing a new annual fee on unusually loud lawn ornaments after residents complained about a rise in singing gnomes and motion-triggered flamingos.",
+ "photoCaption": "A row of ornamental gnomes, photographed at dusk, none of them currently making a sound.",
+ "paragraphs": [
+ "DULUTH, MN—City officials here are considering a \"silence tax\" on lawn ornaments deemed excessively loud, following a wave of resident complaints about singing gnomes and motion-activated flamingos disrupting quiet evenings.",
+ "Under the proposal, homeowners would pay a $15 annual levy for any decorative item that emits sound above a set volume threshold, according to a draft ordinance reviewed by the city council.",
+ "\"We've gotten 23 noise complaints this year specifically about gnomes,\" said Code Enforcement Director Linda Marsh. \"That's up from four last year.\"",
+ "Marsh's office estimates roughly 340 sound-emitting ornaments are currently in use citywide, based on a preliminary neighborhood survey.",
+ "\"It plays a marching band tune at 6 a.m.,\" said Fifth Ward resident Carl Deshler, whose neighbor's flamingo has startled him twice this month. \"I didn't sign up for that.\"",
+ "Not everyone welcomes the idea. \"These are novelty items,\" said Renee Vasquez, owner of Northland Garden Supply. \"People buy them for a laugh, not to fund the city.\"",
+ "The council is expected to take up the measure at its next regular session, according to the meeting agenda posted Monday.",
+ "As of press time, no gnomes had been formally cited, though city staff said enforcement guidance was still being drafted."
+ ]
+ },
"stages": [
{
"headline": "Duluth Considers 'Silence Tax' on Excessively Loud Lawn Ornaments",
@@ -454,6 +633,20 @@ window.P24_EXTRA_STORIES = [
"intervalSec": 33,
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+ "article": {
+ "dek": "A giant fiberglass strawberry statue in Boise has begun visibly perspiring during the region's ongoing heat wave, prompting concern from city parks officials.",
+ "photoCaption": "The roadside strawberry statue, glistening with condensation under the afternoon sun.",
+ "paragraphs": [
+ "BOISE, ID—A 12-foot fiberglass strawberry statue along a busy roadside here has developed visible condensation during the region's ongoing heat wave, drawing concern from city parks officials and curious drivers alike.",
+ "The statue, a decades-old landmark outside a produce stand on Fairview Avenue, began \"sweating\" once temperatures exceeded 101 degrees last week, according to the Boise Parks Department.",
+ "\"We got three calls in one afternoon asking if the strawberry was okay,\" said Parks Department spokesperson Dale Kwan. \"It's fiberglass. It's fine. It's just condensation.\"",
+ "Kwan said the department measured roughly a quarter-inch of moisture pooling at the statue's base during peak afternoon heat, consistent with typical dew-point conditions on a non-porous surface.",
+ "\"It's usually just a photo op,\" said Trudy Alvarez, who has run the produce stand beside the statue for 14 years. \"Now people stop and touch it to see if it's really wet. It is.\"",
+ "\"A 12-foot strawberry should not look like it's having a rough day,\" said driver Kevin Osei, who pulled over to take a photo. \"But there it was, glistening.\"",
+ "City officials said they do not consider the condensation a safety issue and have no current plans to alter the statue.",
+ "As of press time, the strawberry remained visibly damp, and the heat wave was expected to continue through the weekend."
+ ]
+ },
"stages": [
{
"headline": "Boise's Giant Fiberglass Strawberry Statue Appears to 'Sweat' During Heat Wave",
@@ -488,6 +681,20 @@ window.P24_EXTRA_STORIES = [
"intervalSec": 40,
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+ "article": {
+ "dek": "A homeowners association in Truth or Consequences has approved a $12,000 pilot program to seed passing clouds with silver iodide flares in hopes of watering residents' lawns.",
+ "photoCaption": "A small cloud-seeding rig mounted on a truck bed in a quiet cul-de-sac, thin flare smoke drifting skyward.",
+ "paragraphs": [
+ "TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES, NM—The Sunland Estates Homeowners Association has approved a $12,000 pilot program to seed passing clouds with silver iodide flares, an effort board members say is aimed squarely at reviving the subdivision's browning lawns.",
+ "Board president Marguerite Feld said the program uses a small truck-mounted rig, operated under contract by a regional weather-modification firm, to launch flares into clouds drifting over the neighborhood.",
+ "'Our water bill was getting out of control,' Feld said. 'If we can get a little extra rain out of clouds that were going to pass over us anyway, why not?'",
+ "The HOA's board voted 5-1 to fund the pilot, according to Feld, with the dissenting vote citing uncertainty over long-term costs.",
+ "Resident Alaric Duvall, whose lawn has struggled through the summer, said he supported the measure. 'If it means I don't have to explain another brown patch to my mother-in-law, I'm in,' he said.",
+ "Not every homeowner was convinced. 'I just don't love the idea of us personally deciding when it rains,' said resident Odalys Fenwick, who abstained from the neighborhood survey that preceded the vote.",
+ "Feld said the pilot is scheduled to run through the end of the season, with results to be presented at the HOA's next quarterly meeting.",
+ "As of press time, the seeding rig had been deployed twice, and Feld said early lawn-moisture readings were 'promising, but it's really too soon to say.'"
+ ]
+ },
"stages": [
{
"headline": "Homeowners Association Funds Small-Scale Cloud Seeding to Water Lawns",
@@ -522,6 +729,20 @@ window.P24_EXTRA_STORIES = [
"intervalSec": 47,
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+ "article": {
+ "dek": "A recreational bowling league in Weed, California, is at an impasse over whether a pin that wobbled for nine seconds without falling should count as knocked down.",
+ "photoCaption": "The pin in question, captured mid-wobble, betraying no indication of which side it ultimately intends to take.",
+ "paragraphs": [
+ "WEED, CA—A dispute over a single bowling pin has divided the Elm Grove recreational bowling league, after pin No. 7 wobbled for a reported nine seconds during Tuesday night play without ever fully falling.",
+ "The pin, struck at 7:41 p.m. by 54-year-old league veteran Roland Ott, remained upright in a visibly unstable state long enough that at least four bowlers stopped mid-conversation to watch it.",
+ "'I've bowled here for 19 years,' said league secretary Paulette Grimes. 'The rulebook has never once needed to say what happens when a pin just... thinks about it.'",
+ "Ott, who was one pin away from what would have been his second strike of the night, called the non-fall 'the worst nine seconds of my bowling life,' adding that he has since watched the lane's security footage 'probably 30 times.'",
+ "Fellow bowler Denise Okafor said she personally believes a wobble of that duration should count, 'on the grounds that gravity was clearly trying its best.'",
+ "League president Merle Vance said he has fielded 'six or seven' phone calls about the incident since Wednesday morning, more than he received during the league's actual scoring controversy in 2019.",
+ "The lane's front desk has, for now, declined to rule either way, and pin No. 7 has reportedly been placed in a plastic bag behind the counter pending further discussion.",
+ "As of press time, Ott's frame remained officially unscored, and pin No. 7 had not been asked to comment."
+ ]
+ },
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{
"headline": "Weed Rec Bowling League Divided Over Whether Wobbling Pin Counts As Down",
@@ -556,6 +777,20 @@ window.P24_EXTRA_STORIES = [
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+ "article": {
+ "dek": "A independent bookstore in Blue Ridge has added a certified therapy llama to its reading nook, and staff say he's already showing surprisingly specific literary preferences.",
+ "photoCaption": "Chapter the therapy llama stands calmly beside the mystery section as browsers linger nearby.",
+ "paragraphs": [
+ "BLUE RIDGE, GA— Foothills Books unveiled its newest staff member this week: a certified therapy llama named Chapter, brought in to calm anxious first-time customers in the store's reading nook.",
+ "'He's remarkably good with nervous first-time customers,' said owner Petra Lindqvist, who arranged Chapter's certification through a regional therapy-animal program six months ago.",
+ "Chapter, who is four years old and stands just under four feet at the shoulder, spends most of his shift lying near the store's front window, according to staff.",
+ "Clerk Desmond Yarrow said he began informally logging which books Chapter nibbles at the corners. 'I noticed he goes for the mystery section way more than romance,' Yarrow said. 'I don't know what that means, but I wrote it down.'",
+ "The store has sold 61 books this month from shelves Chapter has visited, compared with 38 in the prior month, though Lindqvist cautioned the sample size is small.",
+ "One customer, Bettina Alsop, said she now asks staff which titles Chapter has 'approved' before buying. 'He's better read than my book club, honestly,' she said.",
+ "Lindqvist said the store has no plans to formalize Chapter's involvement in inventory decisions but 'wouldn't rule it out.'",
+ "As of press time, Chapter had nibbled the corner of a previously untouched cookbook, and two customers were already waiting to see if it sold."
+ ]
+ },
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{
"headline": "Bookstore Introduces Therapy Llama For Anxious Readers",
@@ -590,6 +825,20 @@ window.P24_EXTRA_STORIES = [
"intervalSec": 22,
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+ "article": {
+ "dek": "Lakeshore Mutual Insurance has begun surveying employees' desk plants as part of an internal study into whether greenery correlates with how quickly claims get processed.",
+ "photoCaption": "A modern office desk with a potted plant standing watch over an otherwise unremarkable workstation.",
+ "paragraphs": [
+ "MOOSE LAKE, MN—Lakeshore Mutual Insurance this week launched a voluntary survey of employees' desk plants, part of an internal study examining whether greenery in the workplace correlates with how quickly claims get processed.",
+ "HR director Colette Ambrose said the survey asks staff to photograph their desk plants and log watering frequency, alongside standard performance metrics already tracked by the company.",
+ "'We noticed some of our fastest processors also happened to have the healthiest-looking plants,' Ambrose said. 'We wanted to know if that's a coincidence or something we should be paying attention to.'",
+ "The survey covers 212 desks across the company's claims department, according to Ambrose, who said participation is optional but 'strongly encouraged.'",
+ "Claims adjuster Foster Delgado said he was surprised by the request but complied. 'I've had the same peace lily since 2019,' he said. 'Didn't realize it might be relevant to my job performance.'",
+ "Not everyone was enthusiastic. 'It feels a little like being graded on my hobbies,' said fellow adjuster Renata Ibsen, who added that she does not currently own a desk plant.",
+ "Ambrose said the company has no immediate plans to tie the findings to compensation, calling the survey 'purely observational at this stage.'",
+ "As of press time, 187 of the 212 surveyed employees had submitted photos of their desk plants, and Ambrose said preliminary results were expected within the month."
+ ]
+ },
"stages": [
{
"headline": "Regional Insurer Audits Employee Desk Plants for 'Productivity Signaling'",
@@ -624,6 +873,20 @@ window.P24_EXTRA_STORIES = [
"intervalSec": 29,
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+ "article": {
+ "dek": "Bozeman's city council is debating whether to permanently reset the town clock four minutes ahead of standard time in hopes of nudging residents toward punctuality.",
+ "photoCaption": "The town clock tower, photographed under an overcast sky, currently telling the correct time — for now.",
+ "paragraphs": [
+ "BOZEMAN, MT—The city council here is weighing a proposal to permanently set the downtown clock tower four minutes ahead of Mountain Time, a change supporters say could improve civic punctuality.",
+ "The idea, introduced by Councilwoman Rita Solberg, would apply only to the single clock face overlooking Main Street, according to meeting minutes from Tuesday's session.",
+ "\"People plan their whole morning around that clock,\" Solberg told a packed council chamber. \"If it's running a few minutes fast, maybe folks show up on time for once.\"",
+ "An informal city survey found that 68 percent of downtown business owners believed customers were \"chronically late\" to appointments timed off the clock.",
+ "\"So we're solving a punctuality problem by making the clock wrong,\" said Councilman Dale Whitfield, a skeptic of the plan. \"That's not fixing anything, that's just lying to people.\"",
+ "Longtime resident Faye Ruskin, who works at a bakery near the tower, said she'd welcome the change. \"Everyone already assumes it's a little fast anyway,\" Ruskin said. \"Might as well make it official.\"",
+ "The council is expected to finalize the clock's calibration schedule with the city's public works department before any change takes effect, officials said.",
+ "As of press time, the clock continued to display accurate Mountain Time, its minute hand reportedly unaware of the controversy."
+ ]
+ },
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"headline": "Bozeman Council Debates Setting Town Clock Four Minutes Fast",
@@ -658,6 +921,20 @@ window.P24_EXTRA_STORIES = [
"intervalSec": 36,
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+ "article": {
+ "dek": "The National Weather Service office in Cut Bank has flagged an unusually persistent, sustained crosswind at a single downtown intersection, calling it 'a strange little pocket.'",
+ "photoCaption": "A windsock straining sideways at the corner of Front and 3rd, doing its one job admirably.",
+ "paragraphs": [
+ "CUT BANK, MT—The corner of Front Street and 3rd Avenue has logged sustained 20 mph crosswinds on 11 of the past 14 afternoons, according to the local National Weather Service office, a pattern meteorologists say is unusual for a single intersection in an otherwise unremarkable stretch of downtown.",
+ "'It's a strange little pocket,' said NWS meteorologist Ray Dunmore, who has personally visited the intersection three times this month 'just to stand there for a while.'",
+ "Downtown business owner Wanda Selk, who runs a hardware store on the corner, said she has fielded 'more hat-related questions than in the previous 20 years' since the pattern began.",
+ "Pedestrian Curt Ambrose, who lost a baseball cap to the wind twice in one week, said he now crosses the intersection 'holding onto my own head, basically.'",
+ "Dunmore said the office has ruled out any obvious explanation, including nearby buildings, calling the geometry of the block 'frankly pretty boring, which makes it worse.'",
+ "The city's public works director confirmed the intersection has not previously required any special signage or infrastructure, a status that, as of this week, is under informal review.",
+ "Local resident Delia Prosser said she has started timing her errands around the wind pattern, describing it as 'basically its own weather system at this point, which is a weird thing to say about one corner.'",
+ "As of press time, the wind at Front and 3rd remained steady, and no hats had yet been recovered from Tuesday's gusts."
+ ]
+ },
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"headline": "Cut Bank Weather Service Flags Odd Steady Crosswind At One Intersection",
@@ -692,6 +969,20 @@ window.P24_EXTRA_STORIES = [
"intervalSec": 43,
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+ "article": {
+ "dek": "A Walla Walla startup has installed an AI-driven thermostat system in four downtown office buildings, promising energy savings of up to 18 percent by learning occupants' habits.",
+ "photoCaption": "A sleek wall-mounted thermostat glowing quietly in an otherwise empty office hallway.",
+ "paragraphs": [
+ "WALLA WALLA, WA—A local startup called ClimaSense this month installed an artificial-intelligence-driven thermostat system in four downtown office buildings, promising energy savings of up to 18 percent by learning occupants' habits over time.",
+ "CEO Odalys Ferran said the system uses occupancy sensors and calendar data to predict when rooms will be busy, adjusting temperatures ahead of meetings rather than reacting after the fact.",
+ "'Most offices are heating and cooling empty rooms half the day,' Ferran said. 'We wanted something that actually thinks ahead.'",
+ "The installation cost each building roughly $22,000, according to Ferran, who said the company expects the systems to pay for themselves within two years through reduced utility bills.",
+ "Office manager Perpetua Solano, whose building was among the first to install the system, said she has noticed fewer complaints about temperature since the switch. 'People used to fight over the thermostat constantly,' she said. 'Now there's nothing to fight over — it's just decided for you.'",
+ "Facilities technician Otis Brandeis said the biggest adjustment has been learning to trust the system's decisions rather than overriding them manually. 'It's a little strange handing that over,' he said.",
+ "Ferran said the company plans to expand to six more buildings in the region by early next year, pending results from the current installations.",
+ "As of press time, Ferran said the four buildings had collectively reported a 14 percent drop in energy use since installation, just shy of the company's projected target."
+ ]
+ },
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{
"headline": "Walla Walla Startup Rolls Out AI Thermostat System for Office Buildings",
@@ -726,6 +1017,20 @@ window.P24_EXTRA_STORIES = [
"intervalSec": 50,
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+ "article": {
+ "dek": "A disc golf club is debating whether a Saturday throw knocked off course by a squirrel on hole 7 should be replayed, exposing a gap in the rulebook nobody had previously needed to close.",
+ "photoCaption": "The disc and the squirrel, photographed mid-incident, with only one of them appearing to understand the stakes.",
+ "paragraphs": [
+ "TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES, NM—A disc thrown by 41-year-old club member Ferris Loman during Saturday's third round at Tumbleweed Flats Disc Golf Course was deflected off its intended path by a squirrel on hole 7, prompting a rules dispute that has now stretched into its fourth day.",
+ "The squirrel, described by two witnesses as 'medium-sized' and 'clearly not paying attention to the game,' has not been identified and was unavailable for comment.",
+ "'It's uncharted terrain,' said Loman, who is also the club's president, of the incident, adding that the club's 41-page rulebook 'covers wind, it covers cacti, it does not cover fauna.'",
+ "Club member Ines Roybal, who witnessed the throw, said the disc 'was tracking perfectly' before the squirrel 'basically just walked into it,' a characterization Loman disputed as 'more of a graze.'",
+ "Longtime member Dale Whitcomb argued the throw should stand as originally landed, on the grounds that 'nature is part of the course,' a position he said he has held 'since the javelina incident of 2022.'",
+ "The club's three-member rules committee met Sunday for 47 minutes without reaching a decision, according to committee notes, which describe the discussion as 'thorough but ultimately squirrel-related.'",
+ "Loman said the club is now considering, for the first time, a formal definition of 'wildlife interference,' a phrase he said he 'never expected to type in an official document.'",
+ "As of press time, Loman's disputed throw remained unresolved on the scorecard, and the squirrel had reportedly been spotted twice more near hole 7."
+ ]
+ },
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"headline": "Truth Or Consequences Disc Golf Club Debates Squirrel-Deflected Throw",
@@ -760,6 +1065,20 @@ window.P24_EXTRA_STORIES = [
"intervalSec": 57,
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+ "article": {
+ "dek": "The Parker County Fair's brand-new blind-judged chili category has already spawned a cottage industry of amateur flavor detectives trying to crack the winning recipe.",
+ "photoCaption": "Steaming chili pots line folding tables at the fairgrounds as entrants wait anxiously for the judges' tent to open.",
+ "paragraphs": [
+ "WEATHERFORD, TX— The Parker County Fair introduced a new blind-judged 'Secret Ingredient' chili category this year, and organizers say it's already the most talked-about event of the fair.",
+ "'We wanted to shake up a contest that's gotten predictable,' said fair organizer RaeAnne Huddleston, who oversaw the category's debut alongside 34 registered entrants.",
+ "Judges score entries anonymously on a numbered-cup system, with winners announced without ingredient lists disclosed, per contest rules.",
+ "Saturday's winning entry, cup number 17, scored a 94 out of 100 — the highest mark in the category's brief history, according to head judge Colton Riggs.",
+ "Entrant Dell Yarborough, who placed fourth, said he's hired a self-described 'flavor consultant' to help identify what set cup 17 apart. 'There's something in there I can't place, and it's driving me a little crazy,' Yarborough said.",
+ "Huddleston confirmed the fair has fielded 'a surprising number' of calls asking whether ingredient lists could be released early. They cannot, she said.",
+ "The winning cook has not been publicly identified, though fair officials say the recipe will remain sealed until next year's contest, per longstanding tradition.",
+ "As of press time, at least six local cooks had submitted written requests to taste-test the leftover chili, all of which were, per fair policy, denied."
+ ]
+ },
"stages": [
{
"headline": "County Fair Adds Blind-Judged Secret Ingredient Chili Category",
@@ -794,6 +1113,20 @@ window.P24_EXTRA_STORIES = [
"intervalSec": 25,
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+ "article": {
+ "dek": "Fourteen vending-machine route drivers who service offices across Glacier County voted this week to form a new labor union, citing scheduling and pay concerns.",
+ "photoCaption": "A restocker's cart loaded with snack trays beside a bank of vending machines, mid-shift.",
+ "paragraphs": [
+ "CUT BANK, MT—Fourteen route drivers who restock vending machines across Glacier County voted Wednesday to unionize, forming what organizers say is the first labor local of its kind in the region.",
+ "The vote, held at a union hall on the edge of town, passed 12-2, according to organizer Renee Tolliver, who said drivers had grown frustrated with unpredictable restocking schedules.",
+ "'These guys are driving 200 miles a day to keep candy bars in stock,' Tolliver said. 'They deserve a contract like anybody else.'",
+ "Route driver Emmett Souza, who has restocked machines in the county for eleven years, said the deciding issue was overtime pay for last-minute snack-shortage calls.",
+ "'I got called out at 9 p.m. on a Sunday because a machine ran out of pretzels,' Souza said. 'That's not really an emergency, but I still had to go.'",
+ "Not all workers voted in favor. Driver Wanda Pruett, one of the two dissenting votes, said she worried unionizing could slow down scheduling flexibility she currently relies on.",
+ "The route operator, Ferro Vend, said in a brief statement that it 'respects the outcome of the vote' and looks forward to beginning contract talks.",
+ "As of press time, no date had been set for the first bargaining session, and Tolliver said the union planned to submit its initial contract proposal within two weeks."
+ ]
+ },
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{
"headline": "Cut Bank Vending Restockers Vote to Unionize Under New Local Chapter",
@@ -828,6 +1161,20 @@ window.P24_EXTRA_STORIES = [
"intervalSec": 32,
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+ "article": {
+ "dek": "Savannah's council is debating whether to impose term limits on the city's ceremonial 'Bean Queen' title, a bean-casserole honor that has never had one.",
+ "photoCaption": "A table of competing bean casseroles, photographed under fair hall lighting, ribbons not yet awarded.",
+ "paragraphs": [
+ "SAVANNAH, GA—City council members are debating whether to impose term limits on the ceremonial title of \"Bean Queen,\" a decades-old honor bestowed on the winner of the county fair's bean-casserole competition.",
+ "The title, created in 1962, has never carried formal term restrictions, and fair officials say one family has held it for 11 consecutive years.",
+ "\"It's meant to be a rotating honor,\" said fair board chair Harold Denny. \"Somewhere along the way it just... stopped rotating.\"",
+ "Records show the current Bean Queen, Marjorie Whitfield, has entered — and won — the casserole competition every year since 2016, an 11-year streak.",
+ "\"I make a very good casserole,\" said Delores Fain, a contestant who has placed second five times. \"I'd just like a chance to prove it.\"",
+ "Whitfield, for her part, defended her record. \"Nobody's forcing anyone to enter,\" she said. \"I just keep winning.\"",
+ "The council is expected to vote on a proposed two-year term limit at its next session, according to the meeting agenda.",
+ "As of press time, Whitfield's casserole recipe remained, by her own description, \"a family secret and none of the council's business.\""
+ ]
+ },
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{
"headline": "Savannah Council to Debate Term Limits for Ceremonial 'Bean Queen' Title",
@@ -862,6 +1209,20 @@ window.P24_EXTRA_STORIES = [
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+ "article": {
+ "dek": "An unseasonable 102-degree heat wave has emptied a small-town ice cream stand's weekly stock of vanilla in two days, its owner says, with no relief in the immediate forecast.",
+ "photoCaption": "A line stretching from the ice cream window, photographed from behind, radiating pure, unshaded patience.",
+ "paragraphs": [
+ "BORING, OR—Dot's Dairy Freeze, a roadside ice cream stand that has operated in Boring for 22 years, sold through an entire week's supply of vanilla soft-serve mix in two days this week as temperatures reached 102 degrees, well above the seasonal average of 81.",
+ "'I've never seen a line like Tuesday's,' said owner Dot Parminter, who said the stand served an estimated 640 customers in a single afternoon, more than double a typical summer weekend.",
+ "Parminter said she was forced to place an emergency order for additional dairy mix after her regular Thursday delivery 'didn't have a chance' against demand.",
+ "Customer Reggie Alcott, who waited 35 minutes in line Tuesday, said the heat made the wait 'genuinely brutal but also, weirdly, the whole point,' before ordering a large cone 'out of principle.'",
+ "Parminter's part-time employee, 19-year-old Sasha Doerr, said the walk-in freezer 'has never worked this hard in its life' and that she personally scooped 'until my arm gave out, no exaggeration.'",
+ "The National Weather Service confirmed the heat is expected to persist through the weekend, a forecast Parminter said she received 'with a mix of dread and, honestly, some excitement.'",
+ "Neighboring business owners said foot traffic near the stand has noticeably increased, with one describing the line as 'now basically a local landmark.'",
+ "As of press time, Dot's Dairy Freeze remained open, its vanilla supply low, and its line, per witnesses, still growing."
+ ]
+ },
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"headline": "Boring Ice Cream Stand Strains Under Unseasonable 102-Degree Heat Wave",
@@ -896,6 +1257,20 @@ window.P24_EXTRA_STORIES = [
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+ "article": {
+ "dek": "A 400-acre solar farm in Lancaster County has begun dimming and tilting its panels during peak migration hours, an effort engineers say is meant to reduce glare-related bird strikes.",
+ "photoCaption": "Rows of solar panels catching the golden-hour light as a flock of birds passes overhead.",
+ "paragraphs": [
+ "INTERCOURSE, PA—A 400-acre solar farm operated by Halden Fields Energy has begun automatically dimming and tilting its panels during peak bird migration hours, a measure engineers say is intended to reduce glare-related collisions.",
+ "Lead engineer Priscilla Nkemelu said the array's panels can appear to birds in flight as bodies of water, a known hazard at large solar installations, prompting the new 'bird sleep mode.'",
+ "'We started noticing patterns in bird behavior near the array that lined up almost exactly with migration season,' Nkemelu said. 'This was the most straightforward fix we could implement quickly.'",
+ "The system relies on infrared sensors that detect large flocks approaching the array and automatically reduce panel reflectivity for the duration of the pass, according to Nkemelu.",
+ "Local birdwatcher Thaddeus Corwin, who monitors migration patterns in the area, welcomed the change. 'This stretch of Lancaster County sees a huge amount of traffic this time of year,' he said. 'Anything that keeps the birds safer is a win.'",
+ "Nkemelu said the company worked with a wildlife biologist to calibrate the sensors, though she acknowledged the system is still in an early tuning phase.",
+ "Halden Fields Energy said the sleep mode reduces the farm's power output by roughly 4 percent during active periods, a tradeoff Nkemelu called 'well worth it.'",
+ "As of press time, the company said the system had triggered eleven times since installation, and it planned to review its sensitivity settings before the next migration wave."
+ ]
+ },
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"headline": "Lancaster County Solar Farm Adds 'Bird Sleep Mode' to Protect Migrating Flocks",
@@ -930,6 +1305,20 @@ window.P24_EXTRA_STORIES = [
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+ "article": {
+ "dek": "A minor league baseball game was delayed six minutes Tuesday after the team mascot's costume zipper failed mid-inning, an incident the team is calling isolated.",
+ "photoCaption": "The mascot's detached headpiece, resting on the dugout bench, looking more dignified than the situation deserved.",
+ "paragraphs": [
+ "CHILLICOTHE, OH—A home game for the Rock Falls Loggers was delayed six minutes in the fourth inning Tuesday after the zipper on the costume of team mascot 'Chuck the Chipmunk' failed, separating the character's head from its body in front of an announced crowd of 1,140.",
+ "The malfunction occurred, according to two concession stand employees, 'right as Chuck was doing the dance,' referring to a between-innings routine the mascot performs on the home dugout roof.",
+ "'It's an isolated wardrobe issue,' said Loggers general manager Todd Wiersma, who confirmed the costume is approximately six years old and has 'been through some things.'",
+ "Mascot performer Wes Pruden, speaking from inside the partially detached costume, said the zipper 'gave no warning at all' and that he 'genuinely thought the season was over' for a moment.",
+ "Clubhouse attendant Ray Buskirk, who retrieved a spare zipper pull from the equipment room, said the repair took 'about four minutes, which felt like 40.'",
+ "Fan Denise Okonkwo, seated behind the home dugout, said the delay was 'honestly the best part of the game' and that she has 'never cheered harder for a zipper.'",
+ "Wiersma said the team has no plans to replace the costume this season but confirmed a second, backup performer has been added 'out of an abundance of caution.'",
+ "As of press time, Chuck the Chipmunk had completed the game with his head reattached, and the Loggers had lost 6-2."
+ ]
+ },
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"headline": "Loggers Game Delayed Six Minutes After Mascot Costume Zipper Fails",
@@ -964,6 +1353,20 @@ window.P24_EXTRA_STORIES = [
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+ "article": {
+ "dek": "A hand-lettered garage sale flyer promising 'hidden gems inside' has drawn dozens of literal-minded treasure hunters to one family's front lawn.",
+ "photoCaption": "Folding tables of secondhand items sit untouched on the Okafor family's lawn as a small crowd studies the flyer taped to the mailbox post.",
+ "paragraphs": [
+ "CHILLICOTHE, OH— A garage sale flyer taped to a mailbox post on Elm Street has caused more confusion than its authors intended, after its promise of 'hidden gems inside' was taken rather literally.",
+ "Homeowner Toma Okafor said the phrase was meant to describe good bargains on secondhand furniture and kitchenware. 'It was just a figure of speech,' Okafor said. 'We didn't expect anyone to bring equipment.'",
+ "More than 30 people showed up Saturday morning carrying metal detectors, according to Okafor's neighbor, Lyle Greaves, who counted heads from his porch.",
+ "'I saw at least four detectors going at once in the front yard,' Greaves said. 'Nobody bought so much as a lamp.'",
+ "Okafor said the family's actual sale items — including a dining set and a box of records — remained largely untouched by midday.",
+ "One visitor, Winona Petrakis, said she drove 20 minutes after seeing the flyer photographed and shared online. 'The wording was pretty clear to me,' Petrakis said. 'I brought my own shovel, just in case.'",
+ "The Okafors say they have no gems, hidden or otherwise, buried on the property, and have since amended the flyer to read 'good deals only, no digging.'",
+ "As of press time, the dining set was still for sale, and at least one detector was still audibly beeping somewhere near the tomato plants."
+ ]
+ },
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"headline": "Family Posts Garage Sale Flyer Promising 'Hidden Gems Inside'",
@@ -998,6 +1401,20 @@ window.P24_EXTRA_STORIES = [
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+ "article": {
+ "dek": "Mattress retailer SlumberWorks says returns have climbed 30 percent this quarter under its 120-night sleep guarantee, a trend it attributes to its own marketing.",
+ "photoCaption": "Rows of mattresses on a showroom floor, not far from a returns desk that has grown steadily busier.",
+ "paragraphs": [
+ "WEED, CA—Mattress retailer SlumberWorks said this week that returns under its 120-night sleep guarantee have risen 30 percent this quarter, a jump the company attributes largely to its own advertising.",
+ "Spokesperson Harlan Voss said the guarantee, which allows customers to return a mattress for a full refund within 120 nights of purchase, has been central to the company's marketing since it launched two years ago.",
+ "'We told people to really test it out — sleep on it, live with it, don't rush,' Voss said. 'Turns out a lot of people took us extremely literally.'",
+ "Voss said the increase has been most pronounced among customers who purchased firmer mattresses, which he said are 'a much tougher sell after the fact.'",
+ "Customer Priscilla Nakamura, who returned a mattress after 97 nights, said the guarantee gave her confidence to try something she otherwise wouldn't have. 'I would not have bought a $2,200 mattress without it,' she said.",
+ "Store manager Devon Achebe said the Weed location alone processed 44 returns last month, compared with an average of 12 in prior quarters.",
+ "Voss said the company has no plans to shorten the guarantee window, calling it 'the whole reason people trust us,' though he acknowledged the logistics team was 'having a moment.'",
+ "As of press time, SlumberWorks said it was reviewing whether to add a small restocking fee for mattresses returned after 100 nights, but had made no final decision."
+ ]
+ },
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"headline": "Mattress Retailer's 120-Night Guarantee Sees Return Volume Climb",
@@ -1032,6 +1449,20 @@ window.P24_EXTRA_STORIES = [
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+ "dek": "Washington lawmakers are proposing a height limit on hedges trimmed to resemble statues after complaints that some now overshadow actual public monuments.",
+ "photoCaption": "A hedge trimmed into a vaguely human shape, photographed before any official height measurement was taken.",
+ "paragraphs": [
+ "SPOKANE, WA—State lawmakers introduced legislation Monday that would cap the height of \"statuary topiary\" — hedges trimmed to resemble human figures — at eight feet, following complaints that some now rival or exceed nearby public monuments.",
+ "The bill, sponsored by Sen. Faye Corbin, would apply statewide but is expected to affect Spokane disproportionately, home to what a legislative aide called \"an unusually high concentration of shrub portraiture.\"",
+ "\"We have a hedge on Monroe Street that's taller than the actual statue it's supposedly honoring,\" Corbin said. \"That's a problem.\"",
+ "A preliminary state survey identified 14 hedges statewide exceeding eight feet and shaped to resemble a recognizable human figure.",
+ "\"This took me six years to grow,\" said Spokane resident Walt Ference, whose hedge depicting an unnamed pioneer figure stands at roughly 11 feet. He called the bill \"an attack on topiary artists.\"",
+ "\"I've been asked to trim hedges into shapes that frankly should require a permit,\" said local landscaper Théa Munroe, who supports some regulation.",
+ "The bill would direct the state Department of Agriculture to issue permits for any topiary \"bearing a clear likeness\" to a historical figure, according to its text.",
+ "As of press time, the bill remained in committee, and the Monroe Street hedge had not been formally measured."
+ ]
+ },
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"headline": "Washington Lawmakers Propose Height Limit on Hedges Shaped Like Statues",
@@ -1066,6 +1497,20 @@ window.P24_EXTRA_STORIES = [
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+ "article": {
+ "dek": "Researchers at a Wyoming agricultural institute are testing batteries made from treated potatoes to power rural soil sensors, citing low cost and biodegradability.",
+ "photoCaption": "A lab bench lined with potatoes wired to small electrodes, quietly generating current.",
+ "paragraphs": [
+ "CHUGWATER, WY—Researchers at the Chugwater Agricultural Institute have begun testing potato-based batteries as a low-cost power source for soil sensors deployed across rural farmland.",
+ "Lead researcher Dr. Anwen Castellan said the pilot uses ordinary potatoes fitted with copper and zinc electrodes, a setup that generates enough current to run small wireless sensors for extended periods.",
+ "'Potatoes are cheap, they're everywhere out here, and they biodegrade when you're done with them,' Castellan said. 'Lithium batteries don't offer any of that.'",
+ "The institute is currently testing the batteries across twelve test plots, according to Castellan, who said early results have been encouraging compared with standard lithium cells.",
+ "Graduate researcher Odell Marchetti, who helps maintain the test plots, said the biggest surprise has been how little maintenance the setup requires. 'You just swap in a fresh potato every few weeks,' he said. 'It's honestly kind of relaxing.'",
+ "Local farmer Bettina Okonkwo-Reyes, who has one of the test sensors on her property, said she was skeptical at first. 'I thought somebody was joking when they told me,' she said. 'But the sensor's been running for two months.'",
+ "Castellan said the institute received a modest state agricultural grant to fund the pilot and hopes to publish initial findings by early next year.",
+ "As of press time, Castellan said none of the test batteries had failed, though several potatoes had needed replacement sooner than expected due to what she called 'unusually warm weather.'"
+ ]
+ },
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{
"headline": "University Lab Tests Potato-Based Batteries for Rural Sensor Networks",
@@ -1100,6 +1545,20 @@ window.P24_EXTRA_STORIES = [
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+ "article": {
+ "dek": "Parents on a youth soccer team are in open disagreement over who has been assigned post-game snack duty most often this season, a dispute that has already produced a shared spreadsheet.",
+ "photoCaption": "A folding table of orange slices and juice boxes, photographed from a respectful distance, as if it might still be evidence.",
+ "paragraphs": [
+ "BURLINGTON, VT—Parents of the Dutton Wolverines, a U10 recreational soccer team, are disputing the fairness of the season's post-game snack rotation, with at least three families independently raising concerns to league volunteers in the past two weeks.",
+ "The disagreement centers on which families have been assigned snack duty most frequently, an issue league volunteer Marjorie Tice said she first became aware of via 'a fairly long text message' on a Tuesday evening.",
+ "'The complaints come in weekly now,' Tice said. 'I did not sign up to referee snacks. I signed up to referee eight-year-olds, which is somehow easier.'",
+ "Parent Denny Okafor, who said his family has provided snacks three times this season, called the current system 'informal to the point of chaos' and said he has begun keeping his own written log 'just in case.'",
+ "Fellow parent Lucia Fenner disputed Okafor's count, saying her own records show his family has only been assigned snack duty twice, a discrepancy she called 'the whole problem, right there.'",
+ "Team coach Ray Buskirk, who is not involved in the dispute, said he has 'no opinion on the snacks' and would prefer 'to talk about literally anything else.'",
+ "Tice confirmed the league has begun drafting a shared spreadsheet to formally track and rotate snack assignments going forward.",
+ "As of press time, no snack schedule had yet been finalized, and this week's postgame orange slices remained, by all accounts, unclaimed."
+ ]
+ },
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"headline": "Burlington Youth Soccer Parents Clash Over Post-Game Snack Fairness",
@@ -1134,6 +1593,20 @@ window.P24_EXTRA_STORIES = [
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+ "article": {
+ "dek": "Story City's brand-new 14-foot jackalope statue was meant to boost tourism, but a neighboring town's counterclaim on the legend has turned the unveiling into a dispute.",
+ "photoCaption": "The newly dedicated jackalope statue towers over Main Street as pedestrians pause to take photos from a respectful distance.",
+ "paragraphs": [
+ "STORY CITY, IA— The city dedicated a 14-foot fiberglass jackalope statue outside its visitor center Saturday, part of a tourism push officials hope will draw more highway travelers off the interstate.",
+ "'We expect it to be quite the photo stop,' said tourism director Garth Ableman, who noted the statue cost the city $58,000 and took five months to fabricate.",
+ "The dedication drew roughly 300 attendees, including a marching band and a ribbon-cutting by the mayor, according to city records.",
+ "Within days, officials in nearby Radcliffe, population 620, objected, citing an 1890s newspaper clipping they say proves the jackalope legend originated in their town, not Story City's.",
+ "'We're not saying Story City can't have a statue,' said Radcliffe town clerk Sondra Quist. 'We're saying the credit is misplaced. That's a meaningful distinction to us.'",
+ "Ableman said Story City has no plans to relocate the statue but is 'open to a conversation' about shared regional branding.",
+ "Both towns have since referenced the clipping in official correspondence, though neither has produced the original document for public review.",
+ "As of press time, the statue remained bolted to its pedestal in Story City, and Radcliffe's town council had scheduled an emergency session to discuss its response."
+ ]
+ },
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"headline": "Story City Unveils Giant Jackalope Statue For Tourism Push",
@@ -1168,6 +1641,20 @@ window.P24_EXTRA_STORIES = [
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+ "article": {
+ "dek": "Tenants of the Fenwick Building in downtown Kalamazoo can now pay an extra monthly fee for elevators that play music, rather than settling for the building's usual mechanical hum.",
+ "photoCaption": "An empty elevator car, its small speaker grille now the subject of considerable tenant debate.",
+ "paragraphs": [
+ "KALAMAZOO, MI—The Fenwick Building, a nine-story office tower in downtown Kalamazoo, has introduced a paid subscription tier for tenants who want music piped into the elevators, rather than the building's default silence.",
+ "Property manager Ivo Ranquist said the $15-per-month 'ambience fee' unlocks a curated playlist during elevator rides, an amenity he described as 'long overdue for a building of this caliber.'",
+ "'People spend more time in our elevators than they think,' Ranquist said. 'We just wanted to make that time a little nicer, for a modest fee.'",
+ "Tenants who don't subscribe will continue to ride in silence, aside from the building's HVAC system, which Ranquist acknowledged 'has its own sound, technically.'",
+ "Marketing coordinator Sable Winthrop, whose firm occupies the sixth floor, said she signed up immediately. 'Anything to make the ride to the parking garage less depressing,' she said.",
+ "Not everyone was pleased. 'I didn't realize elevator silence was something I was going to have to start paying to escape,' said accountant Rutger Voss, who works on the fourth floor and has not subscribed.",
+ "Ranquist said the building selected the initial playlist, a mix of light jazz and instrumental pop, based on 'general tenant feedback' gathered over several months.",
+ "As of press time, Ranquist said 34 of the building's 68 tenant suites had signed up for the ambience fee, and the building was considering a second, higher tier for future rollout."
+ ]
+ },
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"headline": "Kalamazoo Office Tower Introduces Tiered Subscription for Elevator Music",
@@ -1202,6 +1689,20 @@ window.P24_EXTRA_STORIES = [
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+ "article": {
+ "dek": "A curling club is divided over whether its volunteer ice-maker's pebbling technique is too fine for competitive play, a dispute one member is calling 'a texture debate.'",
+ "photoCaption": "The pebbled ice surface, photographed up close, apparently unaware it has become a source of civic controversy.",
+ "paragraphs": [
+ "MOOSE LAKE, MN—Members of the Sparrow Lake Curling Club are divided over the pebbling technique used by volunteer ice-maker Herb Lindqvist, with several competitive members arguing the fine texture of the ice has begun affecting stone travel during matches.",
+ "Pebbling, the process of spraying droplets of water onto curling ice before play, directly affects how curling stones curl and slide, a fact club president Ingrid Faust said she has had to explain 'more times this month than in the previous 11 years combined.'",
+ "'It's a texture debate,' Faust said. 'Nobody is angry. Everybody has opinions. These are very different things, apparently.'",
+ "Lindqvist, who has pebbled the club's ice for 14 seasons, defended his technique as 'consistent with what I've always done,' adding that he has 'never once had a complaint before this year.'",
+ "Competitive member Astrid Voss said stones have been 'curling noticeably less' in recent weeks and called for the club to bring in an outside consultant to evaluate the ice, a suggestion Lindqvist called 'insulting, but I'll survive it.'",
+ "Club treasurer Owen Struthers said the dispute has already cost the club $180 in a specialized pebbling watering can purchased 'to settle the matter, though it has not settled the matter.'",
+ "Faust said the club plans to hold a members' meeting next week specifically to discuss ice texture, an agenda item she described as 'not how I pictured my Tuesday.'",
+ "As of press time, Lindqvist remained the club's sole certified ice-maker, and the ice, by most accounts, remained pebbled."
+ ]
+ },
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"headline": "Moose Lake Curling Club Divided Over Ice Pebbling Technique",
@@ -1236,6 +1737,20 @@ window.P24_EXTRA_STORIES = [
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+ "article": {
+ "dek": "A visiting game show host's charity segment on parallel parking has turned into a nightly ritual, with a growing crowd gathering to watch her attempt the same curb spot.",
+ "photoCaption": "A car eases into a curbside spot on Government Street as a small evening crowd watches from folding chairs across the street.",
+ "paragraphs": [
+ "OCEAN SPRINGS, MS— Game show host Denise Vantrill, in town for a charity fundraiser, asked local organizers this week if she could film a short driving-skills segment on Government Street.",
+ "'She wanted one perfect take,' said event organizer Coy Maddix, who arranged the afternoon shoot as part of a broader charity weekend benefiting the regional food bank.",
+ "The segment, intended to be brief, involved Vantrill parallel parking a rented sedan into a single curbside spot near the corner of Government and Jackson.",
+ "It reportedly took 11 attempts to get a take Vantrill was satisfied with, according to a crew member present at the shoot.",
+ "'She's very precise about it,' Maddix said. 'I don't think anyone expected it to take that long, honestly.'",
+ "Local resident Freda Lachance, who watched part of the shoot from a nearby bench, said Vantrill thanked the small crowd afterward and mentioned she might 'come back and try it again sometime.'",
+ "Organizers say the segment is expected to air later this year as part of the charity's promotional materials.",
+ "As of press time, Vantrill had reportedly requested the same rental car be held for her 'in case she's back in town before the event airs.'"
+ ]
+ },
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"headline": "Game Show Host Practices Parallel Parking For Local Charity Segment",
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