Oprah Winfrey’s Mother Getting Sued for Unpaid Bill

A high-end clothing store in Brookfield, Wisconsin named Valentina is suing Oprah Winfrey’s mother, Vernita Lee, for not paying a bill. A civil complaint states that she owes the store nearly $156,000 for purchases and interest as of July 1st and has not made the monthly minimum payment of $2,000. A nonbinding mediation session is scheduled for September 16th.

Singer Isaac Hayes Dies

The singer Isaac Hayes died on Sunday afternoon after collapsing near a treadmill in his home. He was pronounced dead at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis in Memphis, Tennessee. His wife, son, and wife’s cousin had returned home from the grocery store when they found him collapsed in a downstairs bedroom. A sheriff’s deputy gave him CPR until paramedics arrived on the scene.

Read More on this Story: http://apnews1.iwon.com/article/20080811/D92FSI9O0.html

Florida Store Sells “Santa Hates You” Shirts

A store in Florida called Urban Outfitters is selling a T-shirt that has Santa Claus holding up his middle finger with the words “Santa Hates You.”

Read More of the Story and See the Shirt: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,316945,00.html

Charges Against Actor Shia La Beouf Dropped

The Charges against Shia La Beouf by Walgreens for refusing to leave a downtown drugstore were dropped. In a Chicago courtroom prosecutors said that they received a letter from Walgreen CO and a security company saying that they did not want to continue with the case. He was charged with misdemeanor criminal trespassing after being arrested at the Walgreen store. La Beouf was in the movie “Transformers” and will star in the new movie “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.”

Gap Clothing Store Uses Child Labor

A British newspaper reported that they found children making clothes in a sweatshop in New Delhi, India that the Gap clothing store is running to make clothing. Some of the children were as young as 10 years old and had been sold to the sweatshop by their parents. The children work up to 16 hours per day sewing clothing by hand and some of the children say that they are not being paid. One child said that if a child cried or didn’t work hard enough were hit with rubber pipes or had oily clothes stuffed into their mouths.

Representatives of the Gap clothing store say that they will stop the clothing being made by the children from being sold in their stores and that they will take action to stop the child labor.

Coke and Pepsi Rivalry Gets Physical

The rivalry between Coke and Pepsi Cola turned physical on Friday when a Pepsi deliveryman punched a Coke deliveryman in the face at a Wal-Mart in Pennsylvania.

The two deliverymen were arguing back and forth while they were unloading their products and when the Coke deliveryman left the store, the Pepsi deliveryman punched him in the face. He broke his nose and gave him a black eye. No charges were filed but the incident is considered a simple misdemeanor assault.

Watch Video of Toddler Purse Snatcher

Watch this video of the toddler purse snatcher: http://www.myfoxny.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail;jsessionid=76D9944EF18FF10968DFF71405B1B40F?contentId=4460674&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1&sflg=1

Police Officers Accused of Stealing Snacks

In Robeline, LA the village’s only convenience store, Shop A-Lott, tried to be nice to their police officers by offering them free fountain drinks or coffee at closing time. The store noticed items missing and when they watched the surveillance tapes they saw officers loading plastic bags with dozens of bottled soft drinks and taking many other snacks without paying. The officers were not taken off active duty for the problems they caused.

How to Pick and Store Fruit

Have you ever been in a grocery store and was a little confused on what to look for when selecting the perfect fruit? I’ll tell you some things to look for.

When it comes to bananas you should pick ones that are yellow and have no brown spotting. They can be a little bit green as long as they are not completely green. Do not put bananas in the refrigerator because it makes them rot and darken quicker. You should lay them on their side on a counter. Laying a banana on its back can bruise it and laying it on its side helps it to ripen better.

When it comes to cantaloupe the best time to buy them is between June and August. When picking one you should make sure that it is free of dents and bruises. Minor dents and bruises will not spoil the fruit inside. To check if it’s ripe, gently press your thumb on its stem at the end of the fruit to see if it is soft. You should also sniff it to see if it smells sweet.

When it comes to peaches the best time to buy them is between August and September. To check its ripeness, you should look for golden undertones with a slight reddish color. Sniff the fruit to see if it smells sweet. If it doesn’t have a sweet odor it has been picked too early. It should also be firm and not hard. Do not store peaches in the refrigerator or they will become mushy instead of ripe. You should place them in a paper bag for a day or two so that they ripen correctly.

Strawberries are good to buy any time of the summer. You should check to make sure they are firm, have a vibrant color, and free of bruises. You should also sniff them to see if they smell fresh. Make sure you rinse them thoroughly and store them in an airtight drawer in the refrigerator to keep them fresh longer.

When buying a watermelon you should look for one with a dark green outer shell and that is slightly yellow or lighter green stripes. A watermelon that is too ripe will be sugary and hollow. Make sure it doesn’t have cracks, bruises, or soft spots. Storing a watermelon whole without cutting it makes it last longer.

To check the ripeness of a fruit if helps to flick the fruit with your finger on its side. You should be listening for a ping sound and not a thud sound. A fruit tastes best when you eat it within a few days of buying it.

Terry McMillan's Ex Writes His Own Novel

It is reported that author Terry McMillan's ex-husband, Jonathan Plummer, has written a novel that is due to be on the shelves September 4th. It is called, "Balancing Act: A Novel."

The history between Terry and Jonathan is that Terry, who is 23 years older than Jonathan, met him in Jamaica and had a whirlwind romance that led to her writing the 1996 best selling novel,"How Stella Got Her Groove Back." The book was turned into a movie starring Angela Bassett and Taye Diggs. It later came out that Jonathan was gay, which angered Terry, and he claimed that he told her when she met him. This past March, Terry sued Jonathan for $40 million dollars, saying that he tried to humiliate and embarrass her during their divorce.

The book is about a Jamaican man who is living an ordinary life until a powerful woman who owns a modeling agency finds him and whisks him into her world but the young man finds he has a hidden hunger for a male model.