Wednesday Odds and Ends

A few stories that may have flown past your desk while you weren’t looking

LOS ANGELES - It’s a boy for Kevin Costner and his wife, Christine

Cayden Wyatt Costner was born at 10:30 p.m. Sunday at a Los Angeles area hospital, the 52-year-old actor-director’s publicist, Paul Bloch, said Monday. The baby weighed 7 pounds, 14 ounces.

“Both mother and son are doing well,” said Bloch, adding that the baby has dark hair. He is the couple’s first child. There were no other details.

Costner and Christine Baumgartner wed in September 2004. It was his second marriage and the first for Baumgartner, now 33.

Costner won director and best picture Oscars for 1990’s “Dances With Wolves.”

His film credits also include “The Bodyguard,” “The Untouchables,” “Bull Durham,” “Waterworld,” “Tin Cup,” “JFK” and “Field of Dreams.”

Corzine Resumes Duties

New Jersey Governor Jon S. Corzine resumed his duties Monday, nearly a month after a high’speed crash on the Garden State Parkway almost killed him.

He can walk again, but only slowly and with special crutches, and he plans to work from the governor’s mansion at first rather than trying to return to the Statehouse.

“The most important for me to express, again, is my gratitude for so many people who have made it possible for me to be sitting here,” Corzine said Monday outside the mansion in Princeton. He used the crutches to maneuver down five steps to a chair set up for his news conference.

The governor’s State Police-driven SUV had been going 91 mph - with Corzine unbuckled in the front passenger seat - when it crashed April 12, breaking Corzine’s leg, 11 ribs, his collarbone and his sternum. He underwent three surgeries on the leg and was on a ventilator for more than a week.

Dead Man’s Parents Fight Over His Dog

MEMPHIS, May 7 (UPI) — The Memphis estate of the late Ron Callan Jr. is worth an estimated $2 million, but the heated battle among his survivors is over his dog, Alex.

Of course there are issues over the estate — a boat and $200,000 worth of wine that the 35-year-old owned — but the main focus in court so far has been his 13-year-old Golden Retriever Alex, The Memphis Commercial Appeal reported Monday.

Callan’s parents, who are divorced, are fighting for custody of the dog, since Callan did not leave a will.

The custody battle has been so intense that a judge has appointed an attorney to represent the canine’s interests.

“Obviously, this is a very unusual set of circumstances and is the first time your guardian ad litem has been involved in a matter such as this,” writes attorney Paul Royal of his four-legged client. “At first glance, the petition seems almost frivolous, but after speaking with all parties, it is evident that this is a highly emotional issue for all involved.”

Callan died of a gunshot wound to the chest on New Year’s Day. The death was ruled a suicide.

Outbreak kills 250,000 fish at hatchery

BOISE, Idaho - About 250,000 rainbow trout died in a sudden disease outbreak at a southwestern Idaho fish hatchery, a loss of about 8 percent of Idaho’s annual output of catchable’sized trout.

It was the second such outbreak of ichthyophthirius multifilis in as many years at the state Department of Fish and Game hatchery in Nampa. Officials say it likely resulted when stress from overcrowding weakened the fish, making them more susceptible to the parasite.

The outbreak happened in January, but became public this week because the state agency is trying to manage remaining stocks of 6- to 8-inch fish at its five other hatcheries to make certain lakes and streams still get enough fish to satisfy anglers.

Tom Frew, who manages the Nampa site, said careful manipulation of stocks at other facilities should make up for the losses. He said scientists are assessing just what went wrong. One possible change to avoid future outbreaks, he said, might be to reduce the number of fish raised at the Nampa hatchery and increase it elsewhere.

“The parasite multiplies very rapidly,” said Frew, who estimated the cost of the die-off at $40,000, including fish food and labor. “By the time we see symptoms, the disease has a pretty strong hold on the animal.”

In all, the state produces about 3 million catchable’sized trout every year, among some 26 million total fish produced.

Man blames “mooning” on medication

HAMPTON, Maine, (UPI) — A Hampton, Maine, man accused of showing his buttocks to motorists crossing a bridge blamed his behavior on prescribed medication.

Mark Stretton pleaded guilty in Portsmouth District Court to a charge of indecent exposure-lewdness and told the judge at the time of his September pants droppings he was intoxicated by prescription medication, Seacoast Online reported Tuesday.

“It was due to my medication,” Stretton told the judge. “I’m on a lot of medication and it causes diarrhea, and that’s what happened.”

Portsmouth prosecutor Corey MacDonald said the charges would have been more severe if motorists had been shown more than just Stretton’s buttocks.

“Witnesses saw a rear-end view, if you will,” MacDonald told the court.

Stretton was ordered by the judge to seek medical help for his underlying condition and pay a fine of $500. Half of the fine is suspended pending a year of good behavior.

Have a great rest of the week - The Blue Herald Gang