July 9 was a sparkling sunny day on Presque Isle Bay when Danny DeVito, the actor/director/producer, led an eight-person entourage onto the vine-covered porch at Smugglers' Wharf for lunch.

Lamar University students, faculty and staff won a total of 49 awards, including 18 first places, in the 2008 Excellence in the Media competition sponsored by the Press Club of Southeast Texas.

Students from nine Christian schools recently competed in the Math Olympics at Northshore Christian Academy in Everett as part of the Association of Christian Schools International Math Olympics.

The Indiana Transmission Plants I and II ; Kokomo Casting Plant and Kokomo Transmission Plant have awarded a total of $10,000 in scholarships on behalf of The Chrysler Foundation to Kokomo-area students for the 2008-2009 calendar school year.

Fans of Toronto writer Pasha Malla can download a free copy of his debut short story collection, The Withdrawal Method , for free until Sunday from anansi.ca, the website of publisher House of Anansi.