News In Brief

Frankly, yes, I am upset

When Gary Hollo returned from vacation to find his rented house completely trashed, he wasn't about to brush it off. Quite the contrary, he pressed charges against 10 adults and 27 juveniles who he says were involved in a week-long, spring break party - among them his own son. The teenager usually lives with his mother but broke into the house in Carlisle, Ohio, to throw the bash, police said. Hollo said although it was hard to have his son investigated, he wanted to set an example.

There's a minimum payment?

Even if you're carrying a hefty balance on your credit card, it probably doesn't begin to compare with the charges a Saudi prince has rung up. Abdullah bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz is overdue to the tune of $720,673 at a Saks Fifth Avenue branch in a posh Miami suburb, the store claims. A company lawyer said much of that is from a $1.5 million shopping spree in May 1998. And as the prince hasn't sent a payment in 13 months, Saks has gone to court to collect.

Annual ranking of the US's lushest and best-kept lawns

All too often, homeowners think of their lawns as in constant need of mowing. But for some, keeping the grass in tiptop shape is an art form. Milwaukee-based Briggs & Stratton, which makes engines for outdoor power equipment, honored the latter sentiment by choosing the most outstanding public lawns in the US for 2000. Its list (in alphabetical order):

The Alamo, San Antonio

Doubleday Field, Cooperstown, N.Y.

George Eastman House, Rochester, N.Y.

Georgia International Plaza, Atlanta

Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island, Mich.

"The Lawn" at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Va.

Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, Great Falls, Mont.

Magnolia Plantation and Its Gardens, Charleston, S.C.

US Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md.

(c) Copyright 2000. The Christian Science Publishing Society