Reuters - Video game publisher Activision Blizzard Inc said quarterly profit at its Activision unit more than doubled on sales of "Kung Fu Panda" and "Guitar Hero: On Tour," and it raised its 2009 forecast for the newly merged company.

BLACKWOOD, N.J. - A 20-kilogram cat found lumbering around New Jersey was abandoned by a woman who said her home was foreclosed, an animal shelter official said Thursday.

DILLON, South Carolina - A suspected thief trying to steal $10 worth of copper got himself into a stinky situation when he was trapped under a trash bin at a county landfill for 12 hours, sheriff's deputies said.

Reuters - Video game developer Activision Blizzard on Thursday posted a profit that just topped estimates as "Kung Fu Panda" and "Guitar Hero: On Tour" fueled sales for the period before its merger with Blizzard.

Celebs, LA police chief diverge on enacting new laws to curb aggressive paparazzi

Reuters - Although the future team colors of quarterback Brett Favre are unknown, when the 20th Anniversary "Madden NFL 09" game is released in August he will be wearing the Green Bay Packers' colors on the cover.

Reuters - Britain could give all computer games cinema-style age ratings to protect children from increasingly realistic and violent titles, the government said on Thursday.

The Runners Forum Twilight Cross Country Series ended with a bang Tuesday at Northview Christian Life Church in Carmel. Over 200 runners competed in the 5K races. Pictured is the lead pack in the women’s 5K race Tuesday in the Runners Forum Twilight Series Cross Country event at Northview Christian Life Church in Carmel. Running in front are, left to right, Alex Chitwood, Kelly McCurdy and

The Mid-Indiana Football Conference is a strange mixture of teams. Hamilton Heights, Western, Peru and Maconaquah are 3A. Northwestern, Cass and Taylor are 2A. There is even a 1A school, Eastern. The way things usually work out is that some schools can be successful in postseason play and not so successful in conference play. If football is a game of numbers, and it is, one would suspect Hamilton Heights, Western, Peru and Maconaquah would be most successful in the conference. That’s not always the case, but most seasons Hamilton Heights and Western will be teams battling for the

Three Hamilton County golfers are among the final eight who are battling in the quarterfinal round today of the IGA Match Play Championship being played at Purgatory Golf Club in Noblesville. Included in the trio is Carmel’s Peter O’Neill, the automatic No. 1 seed in the tourney as the result of winning the championship last year. The first two rounds of match play were conducted on Wednesday. The quarterfinals and semifinals are being played today and the championship round is set for Friday. On Wednesday, O’Neill survived a first-round scare from Joey Piatek of Burns Harbor, winning

Mother Nature was always going to be a problem, because there are some things even the rulers of China can’t control. Without some timely rain and wind, Beijing’s Olympics will be viewed through a brownish soup of polluted air even though organizers did everything but mount giant fans outside the city to rid it of the haze. Pesky reporters were supposed to be another matter. The Chinese have a long history of doing whatever they have to do to make sure the wrong message doesn’t get out. And that wasn’t going to change for three weeks of fun

The Noblesville Parks Department is giving youngsters a chance to have a little fun and learn a lot after the sun goes down. Leading the way by compass through Forest Park in Noblesville Wednesday night were summer campers, front row from left, Shelby Deakyne, Katie Wilson and Erin Wood followed by, second row, from left, counselors Seth Ragsdale and Laura McLain and, third row from left,

A group of Cicero residents is warning neighbors to keep an eye on their pets after four cats were found brutally beaten to death Monday morning. Two may also have been shot. Girlie Girl, a cat belonging to Rebecca Mendenhall of Cicero, plays with one of many bird friends. Girlie Girl and three other cats were found brutally beaten to death Monday morning. Submitted by

Hamilton County 4-H Council Treasurer Donna Lehman spent her final 4-H Livestock Auction watching prices escalate to around the previous record amount of $166,253 – set a year earlier in 2007. Since the sale concluded July 22, Lehman has spent 40 hours tabulating the final bid amounts and add-ons which reached $162,920 earlier this week – the second highest amount ever. Hamilton County 4-H

Kyle Barrentine Kyle Barrentine was selected as Dan Chapin’s successor as Noblesville Middle School principal by the Noblesville Board of School Trustees Wednesday evening. Barrentine, 39, who has been principal at Clinton Central Jr./Sr. High School for the past two years, will replace Chapin who resigned at the close of the 2007-08 school year to accept a position with Avon Community Schools. “I look forward to being a part

Westfield Police are conducting a death investigation after a 23-year-old man was found dead in his apartment Wednesday. One man has been arrested in connection with the death. Bannon According to a statement issued Wednesday evening, Westfield Police responded to a medic run at 227A Dena Drive in the Hamilton Square Apartments. Officers found Nicholas W. Reners on the living room floor. The

Kyle Barrentine Kyle Barrentine was selected as Dan Chapin’s successor as Noblesville Middle School principal by the Noblesville Board of School Trustees Wednesday evening. Barrentine, 39, who has been principal at Clinton Central Jr./Sr. High School for the past two years, will replace Chapin who resigned at the close of the 2007-08 school year to accept a position with Avon Community Schools. “I look forward to being a part

BERLIN - A bolt of lightning killed 11 cattle who took shelter under a tree during a storm in southern Germany.

EAST CHICAGO, Ind. (AP) — Indiana beaches on Lake Michigan were closed because of water quality concerns 111 times in 2007, nearly twice as often as in 2006, according to a report by an environmental group. The worst beaches in Indiana were Jeorse Park near the marina in East Chicago and Washington Park in LaPorte County, the report said. Jeorse Park beach exceeded Indiana’s maximum acceptable level of E. coli bacteria 52 percent of the time samples were taken. Washington Park beach exceeded the limit 42 percent of the time, according to the report released Tuesday by the

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A federal official has told the state to halt any further rollout of its automation of welfare eligibility because it is taking too long to process and approve food stamp applications, The Associated Press has learned. The Food and Nutrition Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture sent a letter to the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration ordering the state to delay any further rollout of the welfare changes until it improved its timeliness in processing applications. “Indiana’s most recent monthly reports indicate a decline in the timeliness of application processing that

“A Night for Freshmen” at Hamilton Southeastern High School will provide answers to many questions and ease concerns ninth-graders and their parents might have about high school, said Principal Jon Milleman. Students and parents will attend Aug. 4 and 5 evening activities according to assigned dates in information sent home. This is a change from previous years when freshman orientation activities took place during the first day at school. Principal Milleman said the new approach is based on feedback from students, staff and parents. That evening students and parents will attend two sessions separately – one with upperclass

Hamilton Southeastern Junior High will host Panther Preview 1 to 7 p.m. Aug. 4 from when parents and students can visit the building, pick up schedules and get some back-to-school tasks out of the way. Students may have school pictures taken, and they or their parents can pick up a school calendar, book rental information, athletic physical forms, maps of the building, grade level supply lists, required school forms and Camp Tecumseh information for seventh-graders. It’s a great opportunity to set up a lunch account, meet representatives from the Triangle Club, tour the building, practice locker combinations, walk

The Central Indiana Small Business Development Center is offering counseling to small business owners and managers on Tuesday, Aug. 5 at the Hamilton County Alliance office, 10333 N. Meridian St. There is no charge for this service and all counseling is confidential. If you currently own or manage a small business and are looking for ways to improve and grow your business, or if you have an idea for a business venture and want to know whether to proceed and/or how to get started, you may want to take advantage of this service. You’ll be able to talk with

Six artists from Noblesville and one from Arcadia have artwork on display as part of the Hoosier Salon 84th Annual Exhibition running through Sept. 14 at the Indiana State Museum, 650 W. Washington St., Indianapolis. Noblesville artists featured include Henry Bell, William Duncan, Randall Scott Harden, Pam Smeltzer, Maurice Turcotte, Jr. and Judith Ann Weiss. Arcadia artist J. Rodney Reveal is also featured. Duncan’s work, a watercolor titled “Watertower” won the distinguished work aware in the contemporary category. Smeltzer, Turcotte and Weiss are among 25 first-time exhibitors. Shows run during museum hours, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

The Third Annual Fishers Art in the Park event takes place in conjunction with the Fishers Farmers Market 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Sept. 13. Applications to participate must be postmarked by Friday, notification by Aug. 15. An application fee of $50 is required with proceeds going to support the art council’s program of public arts and grants to emerging artists and art organizations in Fishers. Display space is 12 feet by 12 feet. Live entertainment and food vendors will be on site. More information at www.fishersartscouncil.org.

The 2008 Noblesville Tour of Homes kicks off 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Sept. 13 with nine residences included on the tour. Cost is $12, children ages 12 and under are free. Tickets available through www.noblesvillepreservation.com, and various downtown businesses before day of event. Residences included on the tour: - Sheriff’s Residence and Jail, 810 Conner St. - Henry Flagler Train Car, Forest Park - 789 N. 10th St. - 1486 Wayne St. - 1057 Logan St. - 1359 Logan St. - 1408 Logan St. - 1759 Conner

MaKenzie Simons, a sophomore at Westfield High School was recently selected as one of 14 lucky customers in Rack Room Shoes’ 2008 Annual Models Wanted search. She entered the model search contest at the Village Park Plaza store in Carmel. Submitted photo Last month she was flown to Charlotte, N.C. to participate in a photo shoot for Rack Room Shoes Back to School advertising campaign shot

The Noblesville Cultural Arts Commission invites the public to take part in the Art Lovers Weekend starting Friday at various sites throughout Noblesville. Jennifer Nicholson, left and Beth Winchell portray Mistress Ford and Page respectively during Shakespeare’s “The Merry Wives of Windsor,” Saturday evening presented by the Noblesville Cultural Arts Commission. The 18th annual Shakespeare in the Park program continues at 8:30 p.m., Thursday-Saturday at Seminary

A team of officers trained to convict drunken drivers appears to have funding in place for 2009. Fatal Alcohol Crash Team Prosecutor Andre Miksha said $64,842.68 is sought and that he is securing the funding from the four police departments that make up the county’s FACT – Noblesville, Westfield, Fishers and Carmel. The Hamilton County Board of Commissioners approved a measure Monday that states the county would secure funding if it couldn’t come from Noblesville, Westfield, Fishers and Carmel. “The conversations have begun,” Miksha said. “I can’t go into the negotiations, but I don’t feel it is