Odds and Ends 15A

Georgia theater sells tickets of the beast

ROME, Ga. -- Tickets at one movie theater screening Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" are being deemed decidedly unholy. The number 666, which many Christians recognize as the "mark of the beast," is appearing on movie tickets for Gibson's film at a Georgia theater, drawing complaints from some moviegoers. The machine that prints tickets assigned the number 666 as a prefix on all the tickets for the film, said Gary Smith, owner of the Movies at Berry Square in northwest Georgia. In the Bible, the book of Revelation says 666 is the "number of the beast," usually interpreted as Satan or the Antichrist.

Married couple on the agenda for city council

THOMASVILLE, N.C. -- Matters of the heart for one couple will soon turn to discussion of zoning issues and other mundane matters. Jim Hunter joins the Thomasville City Council on Monday night, united with his wife, Sue. The Hunters will become the first married couple in Thomasville to serve together on a city council. The Hunters said they plan to think and vote independently. David Lawrence, a professor at the Institute of Government in Chapel Hill, said that the relationship doesn't pose any legal conflicts of interest. The couple said they will try to separate their personal and political lives, for the good of both their home and the city council.

Woman forges checks, dutifully records them

MOUNT CARMEL, Tenn. -- A woman accused of going on a shopping spree by forging checks from a stolen pocketbook wasn't entirely fiscally irresponsible, police said. After all, they said, she wrote each transaction in the checkbook register. "I guess she wanted to make sure she didn't bounce any of the victim's checks," Mount Carmel officer Will Mullins said. Police charged Debra Janan Goins with felony theft and burglary. She was arrested last week when an officer stopped her car and found the stolen purse, as well as several department-store shopping bags. The stores never asked her for identification, Mullins said.

Stinky trees are problem on university's campus

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The University of Iowa is removing four ginkgo trees that have caused an offensive stench every fall at the center of campus. Ginkgos come in male and female genders, and only the female trees bear seeds. Dropped mushy fruit from the 50-year-old female trees, located in a courtyard, forced some students to find creative routes to class. The university said the stench of the trees' berries was a consideration in the decision to uproot them. Whoever chose the trees decades ago may not have known about the mess and odor. Ginkgo trees may not fruit for the first 20 years.

--From wire reports