National Roundup

New York Famed Algonquin hotel cat, Matilda, is back NEW YORK (AP) -- Matilda the cat is back at work at New York City's Algonquin Hotel. The blue-eyed beauty was feeling the love as the hotel reopened last week after a five-month, $18 million renovation. She may not love her new bling, though. Thanks to a November issue with the Health Department, Matilda now wears a special collar that keeps her away from the hotel's food-related areas. The literary lights of the Round Table used to exchange witty remarks over lunch at the Algonquin. They were accustomed to the succession of cats that had free run around the hotel for 80 years. After prowling within her parameters, the silky-coated hostess curled up behind the computer at the front desk. Illinois Man who rena med himself Led Zeppelin II dies BETHALTO, Ill. (AP) -- He was known as George Blackburn for most of his life, but after his divorce last fall he wanted to start life over. So Blackburn changed his name to Led Zeppelin II. Zeppelin's daughter, Mindy Baker, says he saw the iconic British rock band about 20 times in the 60s and 70s and had talked about changing his name for years before the divorce. Baker, of Seattle, says Zeppelin died of a heart attack on May 18, aged 64. "Led Zeppelin II," released in 1969, was the band's first album to reach No. 1 in the U.S The Chicago Tribune reported that Zeppelin, of Bethalto in southern Illinois, was born in Milwaukee in 1947 and raised in Chicago. He worked 32 years for TWA and retired in 1997. Virginia Jury: Virginian-Pilot newspaper committed libel CHESAPEAKE, Va. (AP) -- A Chesapeake jury has found that The Virginian-Pilot committed libel against an assistant principal at a local high school. The newspaper reports the jury awarded Phillip Webb $3 million in damages last week. The lawsuit stems from a 2009 story that said Webb's son was not disciplined by the school system after the boy's arrest for assault. In court, Webb's attorney said the newspaper implied Webb's son had received preferential treatment from the school system because of his father's job at Oscar Smith High School. He said the newspaper had no proof of any misconduct and that the story damaged his reputation. Conrad Shumadine, an attorney for the newspaper, said the story was accurate. Attorneys for the newspaper are asking the judge to set aside the jury's verdict. New York Upstate biker loses license for 170 mph ride RAVENA, N.Y. (AP) -- A 25-year-old upstate New York man has admitted driving his motorcycle at 170 mph as he tried to get away from police who caught him speeding on the Thruway. The Times Union of Albany reports that Nikkolaus McCarthy of Charlton will lose his license for 90 days and was sentenced to the 20 days he's already spent in jail. State police said McCarthy was spotted doing 166 mph in the southbound lanes of Interstate 87 just south of Albany on May 2. A trooper chased him and was able to get the Suzuki's plate number and the rider's description when he slowed in traffic. But McCarthy sped off again and was clocked at 170 mph before being caught in New Paltz. He pleaded guilty last week to misdemeanor reckless driving. Kansas Grand Canyon fall kills Marine who was going home DERBY, Kan. (AP) -- A young Marine returning to civilian life in Kansas died this week after falling from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, where he had stopped to do some sightseeing on his way home from Camp Pendleton, Calif., his father said. After two years in the Marines, Jeffery Klingsick had big plans, said his father, Russ Klingsick. The 20-year-old veteran of Afghanistan planned to join a band, become an emergency medical technician and, said his father, watch lots of John Wayne movies. Russ Klingsick, of Derby, said an investigator for Grand Canyon National Park told the family that his son had left a public viewing area on the South Rim on Tuesday, walked too close to the edge and fell 30 feet to a ledge below, The Wichita Eagle reported last week. The fall knocked him out, and a Marine buddy who was with him began climbing down to help. Jeffery Klingsick regained consciousness but appeared dazed and uncertain of where he was, his father said. As he struggled to get to his feet, he stumbled and went over the edge, falling at least 600 feet to his death. Now, instead of a welcome home party in Derby, a funeral is being planned. "A lot of friends were waiting to see him -- and family," Russ Klingsick said. Klingsick served in Afghanistan as a scout and rifleman for the Marines' 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance battalion and had just been discharged from the Corps. Massachusetts Police say roving cows drank backyard brews BOXFORD, Mass. (AP) -- Police say a roving group of cows crashed a small gathering in a Massachusetts town and bullied the guests for their beer. Boxford police Lt. James Riter says he was responding to a call for loose cows last week and spotted them in a front yard. Riter says the herd high-tailed it for the backyard and then he heard screaming. He says when he ran back there he saw the cows had chased off some young adults and were drinking their beers. Riter says the cows had knocked the beer cans over on a table and were lapping up what spilled. He says they even started rooting around the recycled cans for some extra drops. Riter says the cows' owner and some friends herded the cows back home. Published: Mon, May 28, 2012