Minnesota

School credits fish for putting out fire

A smoke alarm summoned firefighters to a school in the middle of the night, but when they arrived the flames already had been put out. Dory took care of it.

Dory is a fish, a Betta kept in a vase on a desk in a third-grade classroom at Trinity Lone Oak Lutheran School in Eagan.

A forgotten candle started a small fire on the desk on Jan. 24, setting off the smoke alarm and shattering the fish bowl, spilling enough water to put out the flames.

Firefighters found a few embers still glowing on the desk — and Dory still alive in a puddle.

Firefighters put Dory in a new container, and now the children in the class are excited about their little hero, said teacher Linda Krienke.

Dory is named for the sidekick who helps find a kidnapped fish in the movie “Finding Nemo.”

New York

Law would let diners keep unfinished wine

Two state legislators are proposing a law that would allow diners to take an unfinished bottle of wine home from a restaurant.

If the bill passes, New York would be one of at least a half-dozen states that allow take-out wine. California, Oregon, Maine, Hawaii and Connecticut all have “doggie bag” laws.

The law could pump up wine sales while also reducing drunken driving, said Assemblyman Bill Magee and Sen. Stephen Saland, who introduced the legislation.

“If they know they can take the opened bottle of wine home, then they probably will, instead of trying to finish it in the restaurant,” Magee said.

A wine bottle would have to be corked when customers take it home, the legislators said, and the bill would require people to buy a full meal when purchasing a bottle.

DNA test ordered for president’s brother

A judge on Friday ordered DNA testing to determine whether President Bush’s brother Neil fathered a child with another woman while he was married.

Neil Bush’s ex-wife, Sharon, requested the tests to defend herself against a defamation lawsuit filed by the other woman’s ex-husband.

Sharon Bush testified during the couple’s contentious divorce that she heard rumors that her husband had an affair with Maria Andrews and is the father of her 3-year-old son. Andrews and Neil Bush are now engaged.

Andrews’ ex-husband, Robert, filed a defamation lawsuit against Sharon Bush in September, saying he is the boy’s father.

Lawmaker wants codes to include feng shui

A legislator wants California’s building codes to accommodate the ancient Chinese tradition of feng shui, which says buildings should be located and designed in ways that create harmonious energy flow.

“We’ve been the recipients of some joking in the Capitol,” state Assemblyman Leland Yee said at a news conference Friday about the measure he introduced in early January.

Yee’s resolution isn’t meant to become law or force cities to change how buildings are constructed. Instead, Yee said, it would encourage building officials to accommodate the concept and be more sensitive to a cultural practice that can improve work and living spaces.

For example, some homeowners haven’t been able to put doors on certain sides of their houses because local building codes don’t accommodate their feng shui-based preference, Yee said.

The building industry is resisting the proposal.

Wisconsin

Suspect in abduction found; ex-wife missing

Hours after a woman called 911 saying her ex-husband had tied her up and put her in the back of his truck, police Saturday found the man and their two young daughters, but not his former wife.

The ex-husband had been seen towing the woman’s car, which later turned up in Milwaukee, sheriff’s officials said.

Between the calls to authorities and the divorced couple’s history of police intervention, Racine County Sheriff Bob Carlson said, “it doesn’t give us a safe feeling.”

David M. Larsen, 39, was arrested without incident in Wheeling, Ill., about 20 miles south of the state line, where he worked as an air traffic controller, Racine County sheriff’s officials said.

Teri Jendusa-Nickolai, 38, is the mother of Amanda Larsen, 6, and Holly Larsen, 4, who were found safe in Elmwood Park, Ill., after being dropped off with a baby sitter there by Larsen.