(Aug. 23, 1998) Finally tonight, the year 2000 clock is now ticking in New York. The official countdown to the next century started earlier this week, at the 500 days to go mark! Of course, the clock is in Times Square, which is known as the New Year's capitol of the world. And yes, New Yorkers are planning a huge party.

(Aug. 16, 1998)A rule of thumb for any business is to have employees who are good with the cutomers. At this toy store in Boise, "Willow" the cat fits that job description perfectly. Whenever adults or kids come into the store, that first thing they ask is, where's the cat?! Willow is very friendly, and enjoys playing with some of toys, particularly the slide that's set up. Beanie Babies, she really doesn't care much! Willow is so popular, she even has her own mailbox, and she does get fan mail!

(Aug. 9, 1998)Finally tonight, can you say "Speciality store"? How's this? In Southern California, the store is called "Knuckleheads", and it specializes in the Three Stooges! It has everything from t-shirts, comic books, baseball hats. At the grand opening, there were several stooge "look-alikes". Goofy idea for a business? Maybe, but the place has been busy since it opened!

(August 2, 1998)Finally tonight, we saw a familiar face in the Tribune the other day, the Gerber Baby Food Baby. That face actually belongs to Anna Turner Cook, who turns 72 this year. Cook, became one of the world's most famous babies, after an artist entered his sketch of her in an advertising contest! Gerber is celebrating it's 70th birthday this year!

(July 26, 1998) Kudos to Jake Hunt of Lehi, Utah. He's joined many other celebrities in the famous milk mustache ad campaign. He and 24 other high school students around the country recently won the "Scholar Athlete Milk Moustache of the Year" award. And he got his picture in Sports Illustrated, and picked up a nice award. Jake let us in on a secret, for the ad, the mustache was painted on his upper lip!

(July 19, 1998) We want to tell you about a commercial. But not just any commerical--this one is the world's shortest. Don't blink!

The folks at Master Lock are revamping their well-known 'bullet-thru the padlock' theme. For the past 25-years, we've seen the padlock shot with various rifles...but the message has always been the same: stability, security and quality. And, the commerical works! Whether it lasts for 60-seconds, or just one!

And that's exactly what happened when Master Lock showed this spot to focus groups, before it started airing. Everyone knew the history, and everyone liked the ad!

(July 12, 1998) Finally tonight--you have a chance to make a change in the famous board game of Monopoly. After 40 years, the makers of the game want to add another token. They have three choices, and want some help in picking one: The token-candidates are: a piggybank; a bi-plane; and a sack of money.

You can vote in two ways: by phone or by Internet. Here they are: www.monopoly.com, or 888-81-TOKEN (86536). You have until September 30th to cast your vote.

(July 5, 1998) If you're ever looking for a unique way to collect money for charity you might try this approach. A group of youngsters in Pocatello, Idaho would drop off a goat--named Billy--to an un-suspecting person. And the only way they'd take Billy away, was in exchange for a donation! The donor, though, does have the opportunity to tell the kids where to take the goat next!

(June 28, 1998) Quess what's back! Wham-O, the company which brought us the Frisbee, the Hula Hoop and Superball, is planning to re-introduce itself to the public. This summer, the company will launch a major publicity campaign, in hopes of luring a new generation of kids away from their computer games, back to the good old plastic hoops and discs. The 50-state promotion is called the "Wham-O Invasion"!

(May 24, 1998) We know that Wal Mart's are big stores. Now they're getting huge! The company just opened its first two-story Walmart in Los Angeles. The new superstore is larger than two football fields, at 142-thousand square feet. WalMart got its start in rural areas of the country--but now, it's making its way into the urban scene.

(May 17, 1998) The Utah Jazz are popular on Wall Street, at least they're getting some attention in the Wall Street Journal. The market has been "Bullish" lately. But, the Journal says Chicago is "Beat-a-Bull."

In fact, Wall Street's bible sees the Jazz beating the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals, and hooking up with the Bulls again in the NBA Finals. And the Journal predicts in that series that Utah will "take the whole thing."

(May 3, 1998) We spotted a cartoon in the Tribune. The first panel shows a guy climbing onto a ledge, and groaning a lot. The next panel shows him crawling past a sign which says "This Way." In the last panel, he finally arrives at his destination--and says: "First allow me to compliment you on your new power desk, sir!" Haven't we all felt like that a few times!

(April 12, 1998) The tax deadline of April 15th is this Wednesday of course--hopefully you are getting a refund. And hopefully, this doesn't happen to you!

Richard Ramsey from North Carolina received this notice from the IRS--which says he owes 300-million dollars! He did call the IRS.

Richard Ramsey/Owes IRS 300-million? (("THE LADY EXPLAINED TO ME THAT IT MUST BE A MISTAKE. I SAID WELL YEA, I REALIZE IT HAS TO BE A MISTAKE BECAUSE I ONLY MAKE SIX DOLLARS AN HOUR. I CAN'T SEE HOW YOU ALL CAN THINK THAT I OWE YOU THREE HUNDRED MILLION TWENTY EIGHT DOLLARS AND FIFTEEN CENTS."))

The IRS is looking into the problem!

(April 5, 1998) We noticed a lot of businesses passing along good wishes to the University of Utah, in the NCAA Tournament.

A lot of giant newspaper ads. One said, "You won our hearts--congratulations" from US West. Southwest Airlines said: "You've reached Heights even we have trouble comprehending." Congratulations Runnin' Utes, from Channel 7; Another big ad from the tribune and Deseret News. City Weekly also chimed in with a message. And a "Way to Go" ad from BYU! That's nice--it was a fun season!

(March 29, 1998) Working women are doing away with their high heels!

They hurt too much, and cause other foot problems. A recent survey shows that younger women are more likely to go to the office in flats, or even athletic shoes. In fact 20 percent of women wear athletic shoes to work right now. For those who do wear pumps to the office, most stick with a 1-inch heel.

(March 22, 1998) Talent scouts are scouring the country looking for models. But, not the type of models you might think.

The scouts work for Dr. Scholls, and they are looking at people's feet--it's part of a contest! The foot care company is touring 38 cities, looking for "The Most Beautiful Feet in America" The winner gets an all expense paid trip to New York; a trip to a spa; some cash and a year's supply of Dr. Scholl's products, of course.

(March 15, 1998) Finally, you knew it had to happen sooner or later. When you go to your ATM, there's always a little bit of waiting time while the machine processes the transaction. So, why not fill that dead time with a commercial? Yep, some company has figured out how to do it!

((STEVE DELEO, PROJECT SPECIALIST: "WE'RE NOT INCREASING THE TRANSACTION LENGTH, ALL WE'RE DOING IS REPLACING WHAT IS A BLACK AND GREEN SCREEN ON AN ATM THAT SAYS PLEASE WAIT, WHILE YOU'RE TRANSACTION IS BEING PROCESSED."))

There are 6-thousand ATM's in the country--so there's a market for this!

(March 1, 1998) Finally, a story about chocolate and jewelry!

Godiva Chocolate is going to give away this necklace, once owned by Jackie O'Nassis. It's made with rubies, emeralds and diamonds and it's worth is about 156-thousand dollars. The candy company is going to put a certificate inside a box of candy--if you get it, you get the necklace. So, start eating!

(February 22, 1998) Finally tonight, did you eat your Cherrios today? A new study says this stuff is good for you. Apparently, Cherrios is effective in fighting heart disease and high cholesterol.

The University of Minnesota studied 135 people; half of them ate 3 ounces a day; the other half had corn flakes. After 12 weeks, the study says cholesterol levels dropped an average of 18 percent! Ah, the breakfast cereal wars are heating up again!

(January 18, 1998) How's this for a business? It's called "Rent a Husband"!

Basically, it's a compny that deals with guys who want to help out around the house--you know, painting, and making repairs. Kale Warren of Portland, Maine started the business a few years ago, and discovered that the name really attracted calls from women. He has a bunch of "husbands" on his staff, and has more business than he can handle.

Kaile Warren (("LADIES WILL CALL AND SAY 'WELL WHAT DO YOUR HUSBANDS ALL LOOK LIKE? BEFORE YOU SEND EM OVER HERE?' AND I SAY, THEY'RE LIKE EVERY WOMAN'S FANTASY - THEY'RE ALL TALL, DARK AND HANDY."))

Warren plans to open several hundred "Rent A Husband" franchises across the country in the next several years.

(January 11, 1998) Do you know where your cell phone is? If you lose it, you might just try calling the number and see if anyone answers.

In London, Rachel Murray bought her roommate a cell phone for Christmas, but it disappeared from under the tree. So, in an effort to find it, she called the number and heard it ringing--the ring came from inside the pet dog! Charlie chewed up the wrapped package and swallowed the phone! The vet advised to let nature take its course. The phone was "returned" the next day, and it was in perfect working order!

(January 4, 1998) This years ZCMI holiday window displays will live on!

The displays are made of candy--and no one, apparently, wants to see them destroyed. So, "Ripley's Believe it or Not" museum in Montana and the Children's museum Of Utah are interested in making the displays a permanent exhibit. The windows are designed with the themes of such stories as Jack and the Beanstalk, the Little Mermaid and Hansel and Gretel. ZCMI hasn't decided where the windows will go.

(December 28, 1997) Maybe this is something that you can get at one of the after-Christmas sales!

The city of New York is selling the Brooklyn Bridge--they'll try to auction it off on January 2nd, on the QVC shopping channel! Yep, now's your chance to own a landmark. Bidding starts at 25-thousand dollars.

Here's the catch--you can't have it--it'll stay right where it is. But, the proud owner will get his or her name displayed on the 114-year old structure.

(December 21, 1997) Finally tonight--as you know, holiday shopping is very time consuming.

Another piece of real estate for sale--

This time it's an Island--"Governor's Island" in New York Harbor. The Federal Government has owned it for more than 200 years. It was origionally a fort built to protect the harbor during the War of 1812. The price tag: 500-million dollars for the 172-acres!

The feds have given the city and the state of New York first option to buy. So far, no takers!

(December 14, 1997) Finally tonight--as you know, holiday shopping is very time consuming.

But a couple of ladies in Florida have solved that problem. They fly from mall to mall. The business is called "chopper shopper", and for 35-hundred bucks, the pilot will escort customers to some of south Florida's shopping hot spots. The "chopper shopper" flies up to four people to malls from Palm Beach to Miami. Owners are calling it the modern day version of Santa's sleigh.

(December 7, 1997) A new clothing store to tell you about. And all the clothes inside used to be owned--and were worn by Elton John. He opened this store, to sell some of his extravagent outfits for charity. Hundreds lined up to be the first inside when it opened up recently, some of these clothes were created by some of the world's most famous designers.

Elton John spent 4-million for these clothes, and is selling them for a fraction of that. He hopes to raise at least 500-thousand dollars for the Elton John Aids Foundation.

(November 30, 1997) Now, here's an idea we like--
If you get caught speeding in Castle Rock, Colorado, just south of denver, you'll be helping the needy. Traffic violators who appear in the local courts are allowed to make out checks to the Salvation Army, or they can buy gifts to be donated. In other words, if they have a 50-dollar speeding ticket, they make a donation for 50-bucks. The program is called "Santa's Second Chance." And already, it's getting good reviews!

(November 23, 1997) The postal service wants to remind you about some Holiday mailing dates:

December 1st is the deadline, if you need to send packages to Africa, Central & South America, Australia and New Zealand. December 8th for the Middle east, Asia, Europe and the Caribbean. And December 12th for Canada. Earlier the better as usual!

(November 9, 1997) Some more numbers from the NBA: here are the biggest payrolls in the league. As you would expect, the Bulls have the largest--at almost 71-million dollars. The Knicks, Magic, Spurs and Suns round out the top 5. And the Jazz, while being the smallest NBA city, come in about the middle of the pack in terms of payroll--ranked number 16--paying out 28.5 million for this year. Team with the lowest paychecks--the Detroit Pistons at 25-million. (Jordan makes more than their whole team!)

NBA TEAM PAYROLLS
1-Chicago $71 million
2-New York 54 mil
3-Orlando 45 mil
4-San Antonio 43 mil
5-Phoenix 42
16-Jazz 28.8 Million
29-Detroit 25 mil

(November 2, 1997) Finally tonight--you remember the big mansion in southern California, where members of the "Heaven's Gate Cult" used to live?

It's been for sale since the big mass suicide there and next month, the owner is going to try to sell it by holding an auction. He's apaprently had several big offers on the place the 39 cult members took their lives in March. Before the tragedy, the value of the home was 1.6-million dollars. The realtor handling the aucton said a caller recently offered 2-million for the house.

(October 12, 1997) Microsoft's Bill Gates has built a new house in the State of Washington--and he just received his property tax bill: First, let's point out that the 40-thousand square foot house is valued at 53-million dollars! The annual tax bill: 600-thousand! Gates and his family moved in last month. And, after initially protesting the property tax assessment, Gates now says he'll pay it!

BILL GATES HOUSE
VALUE:$53.4 MILLION
ANNUAL PROPERTY TAXES: $600,000

(October 5, 1997) Pay attention to those holiday gift catalogs that are now arriving in your mailbox. If you get the Neiman Marcus Christmas Book, check out the "His & Her" gift for 1997. That gift is made by a company in Salt Lake. It's called the "Windjet". It's a speed boat, that's powered by two jetskis. The jetskis also detach, allowing you a little time away from the main boat!

(("THIS MUST BE QUITE A COUP FOR THE COMPANY TO GET INTO THE NEIMAN MARCUS CATALOG?" SEAN ENRIGHT, WINDJET: "IT MOST DEFINITELY IS. IT IS. THEY HAVE A LOT OF EXPOSURE, 3 AND A HALF MILLION PAYING SUBSCRIBERS. "))

The price of the Windjet? 32-thousand-600 dollars!

(September 28, 1997) Wall Street got a taste of Hollywood this week. A few special guests helped ring in the opening bell on Monday. Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, and Whoopi Goldberg were on hand. The actors were celebrating "Planet Hollywood's" listing on the New York Stock Exchange. All three are part-owners of the restaurant chain. By the way, the market--on this day--closed UP 79-points!

(September 21, 1997) You knew it would take a kid to solve this problem! 14-year old Nicholas Johnson of New Zealand may have come up with the solution to the dreaded computer millenium bug. He's designed a program that will keep computers from getting confused--and shutting down--when we reach the year 2000. That's a problem that scientists all over the world are trying to solve. Nicholas won't talk about the specifics of the program, but he's applied for a patent on it--it's called "Beyond 1999."

(September 14, 1997) Do you have a jar of loose change at home? We all do. From now on, you might take a closer look at those pennies. In an effort to promote coin collecting as a hobby, some coin collectors have put ten rare pennies back into circulation. Four of the coins are 1914 Lincoln pennies with a rare D mark. They're worth 165 dollars each. If you find them, you can keep them. Good luck.

(September 7, 1997) "Mr. Peanut" is taking a 5-thousand mile bike ride! This publicity stunt by Planters Peanuts is to dispel myths about nutrition and nuts. A recent study shows that nuts are a good energy source for athletes--such as bicylists. Mr. Peanut is riding in tandem from from California to New York--covering 23 states and 74 cities. The trek will take 12-weeks.

(August 31, 1997) Finally tonight--a major law publication has issued it's annual listing of the country's one-thousand largest law firms.

Utah firms rank this way:

U.S. BUSINESS LITIGATION MAGAZINE
1,000 LARGEST LAW FIRMS:
324--Parsons Behle and Latimer
444--Van Cott, Bagley
481--Ray, Quinney & Nebeker
604--Jones, Waldo, Holbrook and McDonough
832--Kirton & McConkie
847--Kimball, Parr, Waddoups
921--Snow, Christensen and Martineau.

(August 24, 1997) Do you wonder if they'll have a birthday cake for Oldsmobile? The auto maker turns 100! To kick off the celebration, a caravan of Oldsmobile cars rolled into Lansing, Michigan. Car enthusiasts and collectors from as far away as New Zealand have come to show off their classic vehicles.

On August 21, 1897 Ransom E. Olds started making the curved dash Oldsmobiles and selling them for about 600-dollars each!

(August 17, 1997) In the nineties, family time has taken on a new meaning, especially in families with "two" working parents. The latest trend--taking the kids on a business trip.

Major hotel chains and small resorts are working hard to keep little hands busy while mom or dad are on the job. Hilton, Four Seasons, Holiday Inn and Hyatt all have programs. "Camp Hyatt" is an extensive program for kids at a cost of about 50 dollars per child per day.

Hey, I guess it's all part of making the family part of the business of life.

(July 27, 1997) Finally tonight--a few billionaires! On the Forbes Magazine ranking of the world's richest people-- Many are associated with companies that are household words to many of us: Microsoft, Wal-Mart, Levi-Strauss, Mars Candy, J. R. Simplot, Dell Computers, Intel, Huntsman Chemcial, Viacom, Benetton Clothes, just to name a few. The complete lest of Billionaires is in this weeks edition of Forbes magazine.

(July 20, 1997) Finally tonight, a big boost for education in Idaho. Kathryn Albertson, the widow of Joe Albertson, has given millions more to the foundation they set up, to provide grants to schools and teachers, for special projects and training. The foundation now has about 700-million dollars to work with. The group will dispurse about 35-million dollars each year.

(July 13, 1997) Finally tonight, good eating at the ballparks! It's no longer just hot dogs and peanuts. The American Dietetic Association has conducted a survey of the food at major and minor league baseball parks across the country--and, the menu's have many choices.

((NEVA COCHRAN, AMER. DIETIC ASSN: "WE DISCOVERED A STRONG LATIN INFLUENCE IN MIAMI WITH TAMALES, RICE AND BEANS. IN ANAHEIM, SUSHI WAS ON THE MENU. AND IF YOU LIKE BAR-B-QUE, THERE'S PLENTY TO GO AROUND IN TEXAS AND KANSAS CITY."))