Keeping the litter box hidden, the laundry folded and closets fresh

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the problems I was having with mycat, Endora, who was peeing indiscriminately in my living room. I gotan electronic device that chased her from her corner ... to directlyunder my bed, where she began -- you guessed it -- peeing.

Her aversion to her litter box was becoming a disaster, so Idecided on a simple solution: switch litter boxes.

I settled on Hidden Litter's Sierra Rock Stone Coat Contemporarywith Ivy litter box ($208, with litter pan). If you live in a cityapartment, space may be tight and if you're like me, your litter boxis in some place unwieldy, such as the bathroom. With this product,you don't have to be embarrassed -- it's …

Elected officials oppose forcing ex-felons to pay for jail time; State claims move will raise $14 million a year

A number of elected officials Tuesday voiced outrage over a state bill that will allow the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) to force ex-felons to pay for their incarceration--a plan that will raise $14 million a year for the state.

IDOC would reportedly use an "aggressive" collection agency to force ex-felons to pay for their past incarceration, and the plan would be a part of parole approval.

The program was first revealed by Rep. Monique D. Davis (D-27th), but, it was denounced by Alds. Ike Carothers (29th), Walter Burnett (27th), Ed H. Smith (28th), Freddrenna Lyle (6th), and Rep. Danny K. Davis (D-7th) who said it will only increase the already high recidivism …

Consumer group asks US government to ban Avandia

The U.S. government should ban the diabetes drug Avandia because of a wide variety of life-threatening risks, including heart and liver damage, a consumer group said Thursday.

The consumer group, Public Citizen, filed a petition with the federal Food and Drug Administration to have Avandia removed from the market.

It was the second setback in as many weeks for the GlaxoSmithKline medication, which at one time had shown great promise to reduce the blood sugar levels of people with Type 2 diabetes. Last week, the American Diabetes Association and a European counterpart jointly released updated treatment guidelines for doctors that pointedly recommended that …

Carmarthen Chamber of Agriculture

IN a photograph which recently appeared on this page, the correctcaption should have read: Carmarthen Chamber of …

Hilton Sent Back to Jail in Hysterics

LOS ANGELES - She was taken handcuffed and crying from her home. She was escorted into court disheveled, without makeup, hair askew and face red with tears. Crying out for her mother when she was ordered back to jail, Paris Hilton's cool, glamorous image evaporated Friday as she gave the impression of a little girl lost in a merciless legal system.

"It's not right!" shouted the weeping Hilton. "Mom!" she called out to Kathy Hilton, who also was in tears.

The 26-year-old hotel heiress tried to move toward her parents but was steered away by two sheriff's deputies, who held her by each arm and hustled her from the courtroom.

Superior Court Judge Michael T. Sauer …

FIFA to release financial-scandal documents

ZURICH (AP) — FIFA President Sepp Blatter promised Friday to release the files from a 10-year-old corruption scandal that could name senior officials who took millions of dollars in kickbacks.

FIFA has previously stopped a Swiss court from releasing documents identifying who received payments from the former ISL marketing agency, which collapsed in 2001.

On Friday, Blatter said his executive committee — including members implicated in the case — will reopen the ISL dossier at a Dec. 16-17 meeting in Tokyo.

"We will give this file to an independent organization outside of FIFA so they can delve into this file and extract its conclusions and present them to us," Blatter …

Azarenka routs Sharapova to win Australian title

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Victoria Azarenka started celebrating, then suddenly did a double-take to ask her coach, "What happened?"

The answer: She had just produced one of the most lopsided Australian Open final victories to capture a Grand Slam title and the No. 1 ranking for the first time.

Azarenka routed three-time Grand Slam winner Maria Sharapova 6-3, 6-0 in 1 hour, 22 minutes on Saturday night, winning 12 of the last 13 games after dropping her first service game and falling behind 2-0.

"It's a dream come true," she said. "I have been dreaming and working so hard to win the Grand Slam, and being No. 1 is pretty good bonus. Just the perfect ending and the …