Sponsor will keep eternal flame going

BULLHEAD CITY, Ariz. -- A communications company has offered to help an Arizona town pay the steep natural gas bills for its new eternal flame at a veterans memorial.

Bullhead City turned the flame off Jan. 5 after it received a $961 bill for the first full month of service. The flame was re-lit several days later after protests from veterans who had worked to build the memorial.

Frontier Communications of Stamford, Conn., is offering to pay at least part of the monthly cost of keeping the flame lit.

Company vice president Lynne Petersen, Frontier's general manager for Arizona, made the offer at a city committee meeting Thursday.

The city is considering burning the flame at full power only during special events.