The mayor personally distributed thousands of fliers discouraging underage drinking only to find they mistakenly contained the phone number for a sex talk line.
Edmond Mayor Saundra Naifeh and more than five dozen volunteers went door-to-door Saturday to deliver 22,000 fliers. The city attorney notified Naifeh Saturday night after the police department learned of the mistake.
"Obviously, it made me feel sick," Naifeh said. "I had a blister on one foot (from going door-to-door) when the city attorney told me the number was wrong. I have no idea how the error happened."
Callers dialing the number were promised "exciting live talk" if they called a second number offering provocative telephone conversations or text messages costing 99 cents to $2.99 a minute.
City Manager Larry Stevens called the wrong listing an inadvertent error that occurred when the card was designed by the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.
Naifeh said writing a story identifying the nature of the wrong telephone number was sensationalism and tabloid news.
"It will change the focus of what we were doing," she said. "It is not part of the story."
Naifeh had chosen the campaign to fight underage drinking as Edmond's contribution to Make A Difference Day, a national day set aside to help neighbors and the community.
20061023
Bostonians light 30,128 pumpkins
Bostonians on Saturday lit 30,128 pumpkins on Boston Common, shattering the world record for the most jack-o'-lanterns lit in one place.
"It's fantastic," said Jim Laughlin, a spokesman for Life is Good, the Boston clothing company that sponsored the event. "We've been going after this record for a long time."
The old record of 28,952 lit pumpkins had been held since 2003 by Keene, N.H. That city tried to keep up with their own attempt Saturday, but lit only 24,682 pumpkins.
In Boston, an estimated 100,000 people crowded onto the Common to slice, scoop, and sculpt pumpkins and to savor pumpkin pie and pumpkin soup. Mayor Thomas M. Menino greeted children, who were dressed as ghosts and angels.
Keene, a city of 22,000 people, did not go down without a fight. "We had more pumpkins lit than people who live here," said Alan Davis, an organizer.
The friendly competitions raised thousands of dollars for charities.
"It's fantastic," said Jim Laughlin, a spokesman for Life is Good, the Boston clothing company that sponsored the event. "We've been going after this record for a long time."
The old record of 28,952 lit pumpkins had been held since 2003 by Keene, N.H. That city tried to keep up with their own attempt Saturday, but lit only 24,682 pumpkins.
In Boston, an estimated 100,000 people crowded onto the Common to slice, scoop, and sculpt pumpkins and to savor pumpkin pie and pumpkin soup. Mayor Thomas M. Menino greeted children, who were dressed as ghosts and angels.
Keene, a city of 22,000 people, did not go down without a fight. "We had more pumpkins lit than people who live here," said Alan Davis, an organizer.
The friendly competitions raised thousands of dollars for charities.
20061017
20061006
Reverse psychology lands driver in hot water
An Australian has been charged with reckless driving after trying to reverse 310 miles across the outback, local media reported on Friday.
Police in Western Australia state were shocked when they saw a 23-year-old man driving in reverse along The Great Eastern Highway at 30 miles per hour on Thursday, said Australian radio.
When police pulled the driver over he said his transmission had failed so he had no choice but to drive in reverse from the gold mining town of Kalgoorlie to Perth on the coast.
The driver told police he had reached speeds of 50 miles per hour but had to slow down because he was swerving too much.
The man was charged with reckless driving and is due to appear in court on Monday, said Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio.
Police in Western Australia state were shocked when they saw a 23-year-old man driving in reverse along The Great Eastern Highway at 30 miles per hour on Thursday, said Australian radio.
When police pulled the driver over he said his transmission had failed so he had no choice but to drive in reverse from the gold mining town of Kalgoorlie to Perth on the coast.
The driver told police he had reached speeds of 50 miles per hour but had to slow down because he was swerving too much.
The man was charged with reckless driving and is due to appear in court on Monday, said Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio.
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