Florida

Vaccine may help smokers kick the habit

The world’s 1.3 billion smokers soon might have a powerful new way to kick the habit — a vaccine against nicotine.

Nearly 60 percent of smokers who achieved high levels of antibodies against nicotine after receiving the vaccine stopped smoking completely for at least six months, according to a new study presented Saturday at a meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Orlando, Fla.

About one-third of those who developed lower levels of antibodies stopped smoking, about the same fraction as those who received a placebo vaccine, according to Dr. Jacques Cornuz of Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois in Lausanne, Switzerland, who led the study.

Only about one-third of people who received the vaccine achieved the highest levels of antibodies. Before the company can begin larger clinical trials, Cornuz said, it must find ways “to intensify the immunization scheme” so that more people achieve the necessary antibody levels.

That might mean more injections, he said, or higher levels of the immunizing agent in each dose. He estimated it would be as long as three years before new trials could begin.

California

Treatment of animals at Neverland questioned

Did the King of Pop stone the King of Beasts at Neverland’s zoo? Or did he conspire with the two cantankerous chimps that bit his bedroom maids?

As Michael Jackson’s trial grinds on, Santa Barbara County prosecutors seem almost as eager to nail him for mishandling wild animals at Neverland ranch as they are to convict him on child molestation charges.

Three times in the past eight days of trial, prosecutors badgered three different witnesses about an incident 15 years ago when Jackson and a friend threw stones at the lion’s cage to make the sluggish beast roar.

And before that, they harped on Jackson’s failure to rein in two pet chimpanzees, Bubbles and Max, who bit two of Jackson’s maids and smeared feces in his bedroom.

Tennessee

Manager denies guilt in carnival ride death

The general manager of a Tennessee amusement park denied responsibility Saturday in the death of a woman who fell from a carnival ride last year after her safety harness broke.

Charles Stan Martin, 56, took the stand on the fourth day of his trial on charges of second-degree murder in the March 2004 death of June Carol Alexander.

Alexander, 51, plunged 60 feet to her death when her seat harness came loose on a rotating gondola-like ride called The Hawk at Rockin’ Raceway in Pigeon Forge.

Prosecutors allege the ride’s safety system was bypassed to keep the ride in operation. The system was designed to shut down the ride if a harness was not fastened.

Defense attorney Bryan Delius requested an acquittal after Dist. Atty. Gen. Al Schmutzer rested the prosecution’s case. Judge Richard Vance rejected the request. The trial was scheduled to resume Monday.

Atlanta

Businesses cashing in on runaway bride

Maybe hot sauce is the cure for cold feet.

“Jennifer’s High Tailin’ Hot Sauce,” a nod to the saga of runaway bride Jennifer Wilbanks, has sold briskly since its debut Wednesday.

“I’m in the hot sauce business and this is the hottest thing I’ve got right now,” said “Pappy” David Ryan, who runs Pappy’s Peppers in Lawrenceville, Ga. and says he’s sold 10 cases of the private-label sauce.

He’s not the only one cashing in: Herobuilders.com, a Danbury, Conn.-based manufacturer, has sold out of its first batch of 250 Runaway Bride action figures at $24.95 each.

The foot-tall figures feature a dark-haired woman in jogging pants with a colorful towel similar to the one Wilbanks wore over her head and a midriff-baring jogging shirt that says “Vegas Baby.”

Wilbanks items have also flooded eBay since a man auctioned off a slice of toast carved with a drawing of the runaway bride for $15,400. (The winning bidder has refused to pay.)

Washington

Realtors association agrees to rework policy

The board of directors of the National Association of Realtors agreed Saturday to rework its policy on Internet home sales in an attempt to head off an antitrust clash with the federal government.

The Justice Department has been investigating whether competition would be stifled by a proposed rule that would allow real estate brokers to withhold their detailed listings from the Web sites of competitors.

A conflict has been simmering within the real estate business between traditional full-service brokerages and newer Internet-based discount companies over the control of listings. It came to a boil this week as the association, whose members include about a million real estate agents, held its mid-year meeting as the Justice Department was considering an antitrust suit over the group’s Internet policy.