■UNITED STATES
Music mogul Klein dies
Record label mogul Allen Klein, who handled the affairs of both the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, died in New York on Saturday after a battle with Alzheimer’s disease, a spokesman said. He was 77. The former New Jersey accountant secured a fortune as one of the savviest and most infamous players in the music business during is 50 year career. He played a key role during the bitter demise of the Beatles, coming on board in 1969 at the behest of John Lennon, Ringo Starr and George Harrison. Paul McCartney was fiercely opposed to Klein, preferring the legal expertise of his high-powered father-in-law Lee Eastman. The feud set the scene for the court battle that led to the group’s dissolution. Klein also managed the Rolling Stones during the 1960s and ended up owning the rights to their recordings and copyrights from that decade — to the eternal regret of Mick Jagger.
■UNITED STATES
Champ keeps hot dog record
Joey Chestnut, 25, chomped down a record 68 hot dogs, capturing his third straight July Fourth hot-dog eating contest at Coney Island, an annual showcase for flamboyant hot dogging contestants eager to show they really are what they eat. Chestnut of California hoisted the US flag and then stood proudly like an Olympic athlete as The Star-Spangled Banner played following his 68 to 64 dog victory over his archrival, six-time titleholder Takeru Kobayashi. Chestnut coasted to victory in contrast to last year, when he and his Japanese rival both gobbled 59 hot dogs, forcing a dramatic five hot dog eat-off before Chestnut emerged victorious.
■UNITED STATES
Couple top pit-spitters
A husband and wife are tops at this year’s International Cherry Pit Spitting Championship. Rick “Pellet Gun” Krause, of Tuba City, Arizona, spit for the win on Saturday at the contest, held in Eau Claire, Michigan. In somewhat windy conditions, he shot a pit 14.75m. Organizers say his wife Marlene took first place in the women’s contest, spitting a pit 11.8m.
■UNITED STATES
Pot sellers offer tax increase
Vendors of “medical marijuana” at legal herbal clinics in Oakland, California, are offering to pay increased taxes in a move that many believe could save the state from bankruptcy. Medical marijuana is big business in California. In Oakland last year “pot clubs” rang up sales of more than US$20 million. Currently those clubs pay a minimal tax of US$1.20 for every US$1,000 of marijuana sold. However, in a move rare among business owners, the medical marijuana clinics are offering to raise the tax they pay to US$18 for every US$1,000 of weed sold. The marijuana tax, which goes to ballot this month, would bring in about US$400,000 of annual revenue in Oakland alone. If adopted statewide, the taxes could be worth billions.
■MEXICO
Arrests sought in fire case
Federal prosecutors say they have obtained nine arrest warrants for the owners and legal representatives of a day care center where a fire killed 48 children. The attorney general’s office says the suspects, including one health sector official, face charges of improper use of authority. Some are also charged with negligent injury and negligent homicide. State prosecutors in the northern state of Sonora previously reported charges against 18 people in the June 5 fire. But the federal office said on Saturday that the number is 14, without explaining the difference.
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