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Last Update on September 02, 2010 05:30 EDT

BENTON BEARDS

BENTON, Mo. (AP) -- It will be a close shave -- and the men of Benton, Missouri, can't wait. The guys haven't touched a razor in more than four months. It's part of a contest to celebrate the town's sesquicentennial. Saturday night, the bearded men will gather at the Benton ballpark to be judged. The beards will be rated in three categories: longest, wooliest and best-groomed. Sterling Proctor tells a local paper he's looking forward to heading to the barber shop. He says he's been called a wooly mammoth, Sasquatch and other names since he began growing the beard.

DOG DAY CAMP

MIAMI (AP) -- Day camp isn't just for kids -- it's also for canines. Elena Sweet runs a camp for the four-legged set in Miami called Totally Dog. Her husband, Jeremy, drives the doggie bus to pick up the tail-wagging campers. Owners pay about 45 bucks for a day of doggie fun, including dips in a bone-shaped wading pool. Kenny Reich says his three pooches go right to sleep when they get home. He adds it's a sure sign they had a great time at camp.

SMOKEHOUSE FIRE

THURMONT, Md. (AP) -- Where there's smoke there's -- a smokehouse. And in this case a fire, too. Firefighters were called to a blaze at a Hillside Turkey Farms smokehouse in Thurmont, Md. The facility smokes and processes turkey. Officials say the blaze apparently started in a chimney or flue. The fire damaged part of the roof, destroyed two coolers and damaged other equipment. And all that smoke didn't do anything for the smoked turkey, either. Food products in the building were also damaged. But a local paper reports no one was hurt.

MARIJUANA HOUSE

SAN GABRIEL, Calif. (AP) -- A garage fire in Southern California has led authorities to a lot of smoke -- of the illegal variety. Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies report finding 1,000 marijuana plants growing in a home. The discovery was made by firefighters, who were called to the house to put out a garage fire. Authorities say the house had a sophisticated growing operation, including 1,000-watt lights, air filters and garbage barrels used to mix fertilizer. Neighbors tell authorities they've never seen anyone in the home. Investigators believe the grow house is linked to an organized crime operation.

CELL PHONE CLUE

RUSSELLVILLE, Ala. (AP) -- "It helps when you've got stupid criminals." That's what Alabama prosecutor Joey Rushing says. Police investigating a break-in at a Russellville home found a cell phone that was left behind. Investigators began calling some of the numbers and determined the phone belonged to a 19-year-old on probation. The prosecutor says police also got surveillance video from a Wal-Mart, showing the suspect cashing in coins believed to have been taken during the crime. Tyler Blake Garrison is now charged with burglary.

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BUSINESS NEWS

Stocks slightly higher

NEW YORK (AP) -- Stocks have edged higher after reports on housing, manufacturing and jobs indicated the economy continues to grow slowly.

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SCIENCE/TECH NEWS

IN THE NEWS: APPLE SEEKS TO CONQUER TV -- AGAIN

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- It has already changed the way people listen to music and done much to change how people use their mobile phones.

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BENTON BEARDS

BENTON, Mo. (AP) -- It will be a close shave -- and the men of Benton, Missouri, can't wait.