Ohio
Auction features items from Nancy Drew author
TOLEDO, Ohio – Typewriters and a desk from the home of an author who brought a young sleuth named Nancy Drew to life are going up for auction.
A lifetime of keepsakes, including autographed posters and writing awards, belonging to Mildred Wirt Benson are to be sold at an auction today in Toledo, where she was a newspaper reporter and columnist for nearly 60 years before her death a decade ago.
Benson, who died in 2002 at 96, wrote more than 130 books, including the 1940s Penny Parker mystery series, but she is best known for the Nancy Drew books that inspired and captivated generations of girls.
She wrote 23 of the 30 original Nancy Drew stories using the pseudonym Carolyn Keene. Paid $125 per book, she never collected any royalties.
Pennsylvania
Police: Newlyweds lure man from Craigslist and kill him
SUNBURY, Pa. – A couple married for just three weeks lured a man to his death with a Craigslist ad because they wanted to kill someone together, police said.
Elytte Barbour told officers before his arrest Friday night that he and his wife, Miranda, had planned to kill before, but their plans never worked out until last month when Troy LaFerrara responded to an online posting that promised companionship in return for money, authorities said.
Elytte Barbour, 22, and Miranda Barbour, 18, face criminal homicide charges in LaFerrara’s death. His body was found Nov. 12 in an alley in Sunbury, a small city about 100 miles northwest of Philadelphia. The couple had recently moved to nearby Selinsgrove from Dunn, N.C.
According to Sunbury police, Elytte Barbour told investigators he hid under a blanket in the backseat of the couple’s SUV as his wife picked up LaFerrara at a mall Nov. 11. He told police that, on his wife’s signal, he wrapped a cord around LaFerrara’s neck, restraining him while Miranda Barbour stabbed him.
Oklahoma
4.5 magnitude earthquake rattles central Oklahoma
OKLAHOMA CITY – A 4.5-magnitude earthquake in central Oklahoma shook residents Saturday, just weeks after the two-year anniversary of the strongest earthquake ever recorded in the Sooner state.
The shaking is increasingly commonplace in the state, so after the initial surprise, customers at a central Oklahoma restaurant returned their attention to an in-state college football rivalry game.
Marty Doepke, general manager of Pops Restaurant in Arcadia, said there was no damage at the restaurant that’s known for its selection of about 600 soft drinks – hundreds of which are displayed along shelves.
“It shook a bit, that’s for sure. Everybody just kind of stopped and looked around,” Doepke said.
Washington, D.C.
Obama taps former top aide to work on health law
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama is bringing a former top aide with deep ties to Congress back to the White House to help get his health-care overhaul back on track after a bungled rollout.
Officials say Phil Schiliro, who as Obama’s top liaison to Capitol Hill helped push the Affordable Care Act through Congress, is taking on a short-term assignment to help coordinate policy surrounding the law.
He will work with the Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, other agencies and members of Congress.
Associated Press
