Tuesday - 10/21/2008

So goes another Tuesday for Carolina Country Cruizin with Matt and Dee. Join us tomorrow for another day for a winning and fun. Keep it rolling with Wheelz 100.5!

Dead Goldfish Offered the Vote in Illinois

The only "agent of change" Princess ever supported was the person who freshened the water in her fishbowl.

So election officials in Chicago's northern suburbs want to know why voter registration material was sent to the dead goldfish.

"I am just stunned at the level of people compromising the integrity of the voting process," said Lake County Clerk Willard Helander, a Republican, who said she has spotted problems with nearly 1,000 voter registrations this year.

Beth Nudelman, who owned the fish, said Princess may have landed on a mailing list because the family once filled in the pet's name when they got a second phone line for a computer.

"There was no fraud involved," said Nudelman, a Democrat who supports Barack Obama. "This person is a dead fish."

The paperwork sent to a "Princess Nudelman" likely came from the "Women's Voices, Women Vote" project, which sent nearly 1 million mailings to Illinois households in August using a list that mistakenly included some pets, said Sarah Johnson, a spokeswoman for the not-for-profit group that encourages single women to vote.

The mailing list, purchased from a vendor, included names from warranties, magazine subscriptions and other sources, Johnson said. The group attempted to screen out obvious pet names.

"Fido's not going to be left on there, but if a cat is named is Polly, she may be," Johnson said. Princess could be a person's name, she insisted. "I went to high school with two Princesses."

Nudelman said the only address on the registration card was the Lake County clerk's office. She said she wrote election officials a humorous note explaining why the fish was ineligible to vote.

The Illinois mailing generated 63,500 returned voter applications, Johnson said. Applicants were instructed to fill in a driver's license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number so election officials would be able to validate their identity.

"We obviously don't want to add more work for any election official," Johnson said. "At the end of the day, our goal is same as theirs: To give as many people as possible the chance to make voices heard in our democracy."

Steve Sturm, legal counsel for the Illinois State Board of Elections, said the mailing generated numerous complaints from residents throughout the state.

Lake County election officials contacted Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan's office Monday afternoon, said spokeswoman Robyn Ziegler. The sheriff's office and state's attorney's office were "already working on it," she said.

The McCain-Palin campaign has lately raised questions about the voter registration practices of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. ACORN is accused of submitting false registration forms for some of the voters it has registered. The FBI has joined nearly a dozen states in investigating.*Foxnews.com*

Best/Worst County Fair Foods

It’s that time of year again – county fair time. County fairs are known for a lot of things – especially the food. StarPulse has listed the best and worst of county fair foods:

Worst:

1. Red Candy Apples

2. Deep Fried Dill Pickles with Horseradish Dipping Sauce

3. Scotch Eggs (Served at Fairs in Minnesota, Scotch Eggs are hard boiled eggs covered with a meat mix and deep fried.)

Best:

1. Cotton Candy

2. Fried Dough/Funnel Cakes/Doughboys with Powdered Sugar

3. Fried Donuts

4. Grilled Sausage with Peppers and Onions

5. French Fries with Vinegar

6. Corn Dogs

7. Pies

8. Giant Pickles

9. Caramel Apples

10. Kettle Corn

11. Soft Pretzels

12. Grilled Corn on the Cob

13. Italian Ice/Shaved Ice

14. Deep Fried Snickers Bars

When it comes to pulling practical jokes, Brad Paisley is the king. But the king was dethroned when he arrived home after the last performance of the Paisley Party Tour -- he was met at his private plane by cops with a warrant for his arrest. After being hand cuffed and pushed into a squad car, the two arresting officers told him the charges were brought by his tour mate Jewel for excessive guitar noodling. Even though Brad knew it was a joke, the experience of being handcuffed was "sobering, no doubt about it."

Kimberly Williams-Paisley cooked up a unique way to tell Brad she was expecting their second child. She sent their son 20-month old Huck into their bedroom to wake up Brad with a positive pregnancy test in hand. Brad tells us, "I looked at him and he's all happy. I said, 'You don't get it. This is really bad for you and I. This isn't going to be fun for us for the next nine months. We're in for it.'" The new little Paisley is due in April. 

Environmentally friendly activists and Willie Nelson are making water from air. Nelson has a machine installed on his property that actually makes water from air. The air-to-water machine was introduced to him through his friend Ed Russell, who is partnering with Nelson to market and sell the machines. The machine collects water from the air like a dehumidifier, filters it and treats it with ultraviolet light to rid the water of mold and bacteria. The home-sized machine stores the water in a reservoir and can produce up to eight gallons.

New in stores today is Lee Ann Womack's Call Me Crazy -- her first C-D in three years. Lee Ann took a break from music to spend time with her daughtersAubrey, now 17, and Anna who is nine.

Craig Morgan releases his fifth studio album, That's Why, today. Craig will cap off the week with his induction into the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday night.

Carrie Underwood's special holiday edition of her album Carnival Ride, which includes an second disc of Christmas favorites, is available starting today exclusively at Wal-Mart.

Tim McGraw's children's book, My Little Girl, is in stores today. Tim wrote the book as a gift to fathers and their daughters.

Keith Urban is releasing a D-V-D from his Love, Pain and the Whole Crazy World Tour. The disc, which comes out on November 11th, will only be available at Wal-Mart, Sam's Club and WalMart-dot-com. In addition to performance highlights, the D-V-D will also include outtakes, in-studio footage of Keith's recording session for "You Look Good in My Shirt" and exclusive photos.

Trace Adkins is bewildered by this year's presidential campaigns. He tells Muncie, Indiana's Star Press, "[It's] off-the-chart weird. Here you've got a highly celebrated, decorated, legitimate American hero who has to wake up every morning going, 'How the hell is this happening? How am I losing?'" Trace plans to cast his vote early this year -- he's worried that the polls will be crowded on Election Day.

How To Save $8,919.45 A Year

During these tough times, consumers are looking to stretch every dollar they can. According to Money magazine, here are six ways you can save:

1. Strategic shopping (potential annual savings: $5,200): Stephanie Nelson, founder of www.couponmom.com , a site that tracks deals at your local grocery store, says shoppers can save an average of $50 to $100 a week on their groceries if they spend about 30 minutes once a week planning out their supermarket trip. Nelson also advises consumers to use coupons. “It’s free money, so why not take it,” Nelson says.

2. Skip Starbucks (potential annual savings: $2,425): David Bach, author of “Go Green, Live Rich,” says it’s very easy to save a few thousand dollars a year simply by eliminating that morning coffee and a muffin. He calls it the “latte factor.” You’d be surprised how that $5 breakfast-on-the-go every morning adds up. The same goes for lunch. The average American worker who buys lunch during the workweek spends $6.60 a day. Buying enough ingredients to pack a lunch from home just three days a week can save you about $600 a year.

3. Upgrade your appliances (potential savings: $150): Using compact fluorescent light bulbs saves about $30 in electricity costs over each bulb’s lifetime. But to really impact your bottom line, consider upgrading an old appliance like a refrigerator or dishwasher. Newer energy efficient appliances can save $50 to $150 a year in energy costs, according to Energy Star.

4. Go generic (potential savings: $161.20): Generic brands can cost 20% to 50% less than the name brand and you’re not likely to tell the difference. For example, just buying the store’s own brand of butter instead of Land O’Lakes can save about 25%. If you switch to your supermarket’s generic brand of milk as well, that will translate into about $3 a week in savings.

5. Pay an extra $1 on your credit cards (potential savings: $203.25): Everyone knows that carrying a credit card balance can be costly. But if paying off that balance isn’t in the cards, even the smallest change can pay huge dividends. Instead of buying a soda from a vending machine, put that buck toward your credit card balance. For example, if you typically pay $100 a month on a $5,000 balance with a 14% APR, try upping that payment by just a buck a day. By paying an extra $30 a month, you’ll pay off your balance in 52 months rather than 76 months, or cut your payments by two years! And you’ll save $874 in interest payments over that time

6. Sitter sharing (potential annual savings: $780): Care.com helps families find local caregivers and suggests teaming up with neighboring parents to share one babysitter. Although most providers pro-rate their fees according to the number of children they are watching, families that pool together can still save between 20% to 50% off the cost of childcare while they enjoy their weekly date night.

Police in Blue Ash, Ohio, say an 89-year-old woman is facing a charge of petty theft after neighborhood children started accusing her of refusing to give back their footballs. Edna Jester was arrested last week after one child’s father complained that she kept his kid’s ball after it landed in her yard.

A Washington state man is lucky he only suffered scraps and bruises after getting stuck in an apartment garbage chute.  Vancouver firefighters say they arrive on the scene Sunday to find the 74-year-old face down on the tenth floor chute with his wife holding his legs to keep him from falling.  They say he would have fallen all the way down if she hadn't held onto to him.  The elderly man apparently slipped into the chute while leaning over and trying to unclog it.  He suffered a few minor injuries. 

A North Carolina man is getting some recognition for his post-mortem plans.  The "Raleigh News & Observer" reports 75-year-old Grady Hunter entered his homemade coffin in the North Carolina State Fair's craft and hobbies competition.  He took home the first-place blue ribbon for his efforts.  Hunter noted that, as a homebuilder, he's never lived in a house he didn't build.  So he naturally didn't want to spend eternity resting in a box made by someone else.  Hunter's coffin features an inclined foam pad and pictures of his family.  He said of his creation, quote, "I'm tickled to death with it."

A new book reveals that infidelity might be hereditary. In “The Truth About Cheating,” family counselor and author M. Gary Neuman interviewed 200 men – 100 cheaters and 100 non-cheaters. According to the poll, 53% of the cheating husbands admitted they have immediate family members who have cheated. By comparison, only 33% of faithful men in the survey reported they have family members who have cheated. Find out more at www.truthaboutcheating.com

Delta Enterprises recalled nearly 1.6 million cribs, made in China, Indonesia and Taiwan, yesterday after it said two babies died. The company did not provide any details on the deaths and declined to answer any questions. The family-owned company that sells the cribs, strollers and other products for babies, said the cribs that are being recalled are no longer in stores. The New York-based company has contacted the Consumer Product Safety Commission and was arranging to provide replacement and repair parts to customers that bought the cribs between 1995 and 2005. More information regarding the cribs and the recall is expected to be released today by the government.

A woman decided to go to jail rather than pay her $7.45 bill at a Fort Pierce, Florida, Waffle House. Police said Maryanne O’Neill, 66, ordered coffee and a sandwich on Saturday, finished both and then left, telling a Waffle House employee she was going across the street to see a friend but would return shortly. The worker notified authorities after O’Neill refused to settle the bill before leaving. When police arrived, an officer told O’Neill to pay or go to jail. She decided to go to jail. Maryanne faces up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine if convicted.

A bikini-clad Faith Hill graces the December 2008 cover of Shape Magazine, on newsstands November 10th. It marks Faith’s first time ever posing in a bikini – and she looks HOT! Hill says the shoot was “my 41st birthday present to myself.” She recently returned to her three-times-a-week Pilates routine, saying, “I could bend in ways I haven’t been able to since I was a teenager. My husband [Tim McGraw] loves it!”

As we reported yesterday, Craig Morgan’s fifth studio album, “That’s Why,” arrives in stores today. In support of the release, he’ll appear live on ABC’s “Good Morning America” this Friday to sing “Love Remembers.” He also has interviews set up that day with ABC News Now, CBS News and Fox News. Craig returns to Nashville on Saturday, where he’ll be inducted as the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry.

Keith Urban is releasing his new “Love, Pain and the whole crazy World Tour” DVD exclusively at all Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club on November 11th. The DVD includes Keith performing 18 songs from his recent world tour. The live DVD also includes bonus footage; exclusive outtakes, in-studio footage of Keith re-recording his No. 1 hit “You Look Good In My Shirt,” as well as exclusive photographs. Keith is currently recording an album in Nashville that will be released next year. The first single will be released in a couple of weeks.

As the father of three girls, Tim McGraw understands the challenges that face dads who want to please their daughters. So the children’s book he’s co-written with Tom Douglas has some simple advice – As long as you’re spending time with them, it doesn’t really matter what you do. “My Little Girl” will be in stores today. It tells the story of a father who spends a fun day with his little girl doing nothing. Faith Hill wrote the forward for the book. Find out more online at www.timmcgraw.com

Miranda Lambert is learning some new tricks. She writes on her blog that she’s just bought a horse named Playboy. Miranda says she has “wanted to learn how to ride for a long time” but never had the time or the right horse until now. She describes Playboy as “a redhead with a spicy personality.” Lambert hopes to get into barrel racing in the future.

A polar bear at the Milwaukee County Zoo who fell into his 17-foot-deep moat a week ago has resisted delicacies strategically placed to lure him back to his lair. The 18-year-old polar bear named Zero is in good shape, appears to be comfortable, and shows no desire to return to his former living quarters. The bear, who was born at the zoo, is having a good time rambling around the moat and has yet to be tempted by fish, lard and meat placed up the stairs to his lair. Zero, who was chasing one of his toys when he fell into the moat, was uninjured. A similar accident occurred 15 years ago.

Dorothy Peterson, of North Mankato, Minnesota, recently returned from the Huntsman World Senior Games in Utah. She won the gold medal in table tennis, at the ripe old age of 85. Dorothy said the only other person in her age division is rather frail and might not compete next year, so she’s on the lookout for some worthy competition. Peterson was one of the oldest female participants of the 9,000-plus competitors.

Joe The Plumber’s Plunger

Item number: 320311328851

Bidding ends: October 23rd

With no bids at press time, starting bid: $0.99

Item location: Port Saint Lucie, FL

Seller says: “Have you seen the recent news about ‘Joe the Plumber’ during the third and last presidential debate? I have been privileged to have been given this artifact through private sources, and it even says ‘Joe’ on the handle. Own this piece of political history which has a dual purpose. Rumor has it that this ‘might’ have been used to plunge a very well-known presidential candidate’s fixture. Don’t worry, we sanitized it!”

That's it for a Tuesday, come back tomorrow for more Carolina Country Cruizin' with Matt and Dee! We will have more winning and fun! Keep it rolling on Wheelz 100.5!

*Information from Premiere, Dail Global Prep, Foxnews.com, and Metro Networks*