News In Brief

Now about that... for decades, Don King seethed as passing cars kicked up dust from the unpaved road in front of his home in rural Benton, Pa. So when he could stand the situation no longer, he finally did something about it. Meaning ... he moved to another house, right? No, he moved the road. With the OK of Benton and state officials - and the help of family members - he spent $25,000 of his own money to rebuild the route so it now passes behind the house. The work has taken three years to finish. A vote on whether the town should take over maintenance of the road is expected soon.

Sorry I can't talk now Speaking of roads and drivers, Michael Schmid has turned himself in to the police because he was caught on TV using a cellphone while at the wheel of his car - in violation of the law. The transgression carries a fine of about $20. Schmid apologized and says he fully supports the ban. Which is just as well, since he's Austria's minister of transportation.

Volume of political ads on TV is heaviest so far in Missouri

'Tis the season for political ads. Especially if you live in such "battleground" states as Missouri and Michigan, according to a study of major TV markets by the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University. Missouri's No. 1 ranking was partly because of a tight US Senate race, but the dynamics have since changed with the death of the Democratic contender, Gov. Mel Carnahan. Brennan's compilation of the most-saturated markets, with the number of ads that aired in each by all candidates, parties, and interest groups in all political races between June 1 and Oct. 10:

1. St. Louis 18,755

2. Kansas City, Mo. 14,872

3. Seattle-Tacoma, Wash. 14,234

4. Detroit 13,490

5. Spokane, Wash. 13,191

6. Flint-Saginaw, Mich. 12,436

(tie) Grand Rapids, Mich. 12,436

8. Philadelphia 11,006

9. Louisville, Ky. 10,345

10. Scranton, Pa. 9,016

- Associated Press

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