A sculpture resembling the Loch Ness monster rises out of the Chippewa River in Eau Claire, Wis. (AP Photo/Eau Claire Leader-Telegram, Dan Reiland, File)

The Loch Ness monster is on vacation in Wisconsin—and state officials want the legendary lady to leave.

Department of Natural Resources spokesman Dan Baumann says a sculpture of Nessie is illegally obstructing the Chippewa River in Eau Claire and must be removed by the person who placed it there.

The sculpture’s creator remains a mystery, although a person who anonymously emailed the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram on Thursday ( http://bit.ly/ILl70C) said it would be removed within 10 days.

Retailer Menards says it would like to acquire the guerrilla art and that the monster could make her home in retention ponds at the home improvement chain’s Eau Claire property.

The Loch Ness monster was first “spotted” at Loch Ness, a waterway some 10 miles south of Inverness, Scotland, in 1933.

Reported by The Associated Press from EAU CLAIRE, Wis.

Topic: Mom

An experience I had with my Mom was riding a rollercoaster called The Phoenix. I didn’t want to go on it, but my Mom begged me to ride with her. Then I rode ten thousand more times because my Mom loved it and I loved it, too. By Lucas Strickland, Grade 3, Mrs. Ridgway, East York Elementary

The best time with my mom was that she took me to “Mom and Tots” skating when I was five. It was so fun because Mom was there. We had to dress warm. Now I am very good at skating and do not need to hold her hand. Now Mom takes me to skate for private lessons and to competitions. Mom does very much for me. I have the best mom in the world! By Kayley Kershner, 1st grade, Mrs. Idgunji, Cornwall Elementary

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From Clair Richcrick’s fourth-grade class, Fishing Creek Elementary School:

My special day I had with Mom was when I got to Disney World. I got to have fun and spend time with my family. By Patrick McCullough

A special day I had with my Mom was when she took me to Kohl’s and we stayed from 10 AM until 7PM. It was so fun. I love her a lot. By Madison Dicely

A special day I had with my Mom was when we went to see a movie JOHN CARTER. It was really funny and cool. I really liked it. It was a nice of my Mom to do that for me. By Faith Malley

One day my Mom and I went camping in our camper. We had Smores and lots of fun. By KJ Keane

My special experience was going taking my first Roller Coaster ride with Mom at Hershey Park. It is called The Trailer Blazer. It was not scary at all. We held hands the whole time and spent the whole day together. I love my Mom. By Jara Mumma

A special day I had with my Mom was when I went to the Movie Theater. By Brayden Poff

A great experience I had was going to Florida. I went to the beach for a day of fun; I also went to Disney World and Discovery Cove. It was a good two and half weeks with my Mom and Dad. By Trevor Henderson

A special day I had with my mom was when I saw my new niece Camille. We got to hold her, and she looked at my Mom, and Camille smiled at me. That was a special day for me. By Mia Christensen

My Mom’s special day was when she turned 36. We went to a museum to hear about history. By Ricky Dumais

A special experience I had with my Mom was going to The Great Wolf Lodge and riding a water ride with my Mom. By Jaden Henline

My special day with my Mom was when we went to Hershey Park. It was really fun. By Everest Robinson

A special day I’ve had with my Mom is everyday. I love my Mom and everyday is as good as the next. By Caylynn Beinhower

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From Carol Myers’ sixth-grade class at E.H. Markle Intermediate:

One special thing I did with my mom is we got Hershey Park tickets. We played all kinds of games. We went down the big water fall into a river. Then we went on a boat that swings back and forth. It makes you really dizzy. This was the time I had the most fun with my mom. Montana Bowman

Well, I can’t write about a special day I had with my mom because every day is a special day just to be with her because she suffers from fibromyalgia, a disease with arthritis pain everywhere. So every day is a special day to me. I just want to thank her for being there for me. I love you mom! Kaylyn Thomas

My mom is special to me because she took me to see my birth family at Hershey’s Chocolate World. She planned the whole trip and got everyone’s schedule together. We went on the tour and then hung out in the café. I got to meet my three half-sisters for the first time in person. That is why I love my mom. Roman Williams

I’ve had many special days with my mom, but I have one favorite. I went home sick from school and they said I shouldn’t go the next day. I felt fine the next day, so my mom and I went to the mall and had fun. We even went out for lunch. After that we did a little more shopping and had to literally run home to get my little sister. That was my favorite moments with my mom! Aiza Siddiqui

In fifth grade we did this thing at the middle school with our moms. It was called Girls Night Out. We took pictures, did crafts, ate snacks and did Zumba. We got to meet other girls along with their moms. Afterwards my mom and I went out for pizza. It was a great time I had with my mom. Madi Crouse

A special day I had with my mom was the day before my baby brother was born. We went to Lake Marburg and had a picnic lunch! That day was special to me because I remember it well and it was fun. That was a special experience with my mom. I love her very much. Benjamin Shoul

A time I had with my mom was when she took me to the Bahamas on a cruise. It was so much fun. I did everything I was able to. My mom and I both went scuba diving in the crystal clear water. We also swam with sharks. Thanks, Mom, you’re the best. Zac Mehring

I remember one day my sister was at a friend’s house. I had my parents all to myself. Since Raia was away, my mom took me shopping at all my favorite stores like Justice, Aeropostale, Under Armor, Old Navy and Bath and Body Works. I got lots of cool clothes, and I had so much fun being with my mom. PS: We also got some stuff for my sister. Brooke Meckley

My mom and I went to Washington DC. We saw all the monuments and the White House. We thought that they were really cool. We learned a lot about each one. Then we went to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. I loved the museum because of all the different airplanes and rockets. We also went to the planetarium and learned about the universe. We had the best time on our trip to Washington, D.C. Jacob Werner

The special time I spend with my mom is when we ride horses every Saturday. It’s so fun!! We talk and that’s the only time without the guys. We tack them up and then we go riding out in the woods. It’s so beautiful up there, well more like breathtaking. That’s my special moments with my mom. Noelle LaFaver

One special day with my mom was when she was teaching me the piano when we lived in Bethlehem. I wrote her a song. A few weeks later she dies and at the funeral I played that song, and I could see pictures going through my head all the times she sat at the piano teaching me. I didn’t know how to read the notes, I just knew the sounds. Crystal Groft

One time my mom took just me to Hershey Park with her. This was special because I have a lot of siblings and she decided to take me! It was very fun. We rode the rides that I wanted to ride and not have to worry about my brothers and sisters bugging us. We got to eat hot dogs and drink lemonade and slushes! We even got to see a show they performed. This was one special day I had with my mom. Starr Church

A special experience I had with my mom was when we were on vacation and we went blueberry picking. We got so many blueberries that we made homemade blueberry ice cream. We had a blast. I love you MOM. Thanks for all you do. It means the world to me. Ava Mancini

On my birthday last year when I turned eleven, my grandma took me out for ice cream. We went to Clair’s, a restaurant in Hanover. I ordered ice cream and she ordered a slice of apple pie. I will never forget that day with my grandma. Katelyn Weisz

A special day that I experienced with my mom was when my mom got married. I was five at the time, and I was going to be the flower girl! I loved going dress shopping with her. The day before the wedding we got our nails done. The day of the wedding we got our hair done. My mom looked so pretty. That day is a memory that I will never forget. Chloe Heffron

One day my mom and I were home by ourselves. So we had a mom and kid day. We went to swimming in our pool. We got lunch and went to the movies. I really miss that time. I hope we can have it again. Brent Fisher

A special day with my step-mom would be when I went to a concert with her. We went to see Carrie Underwood. It was at the York Fair. We were in the fourth or fifth row. We went for dinner beforehand. I fell asleep on her lap close to the end of the concert because it was so late. We were there until about eleven o’clock at night. We shared a soft pretzel. It was one of the best times I’ve ever had with her. Kaitlyn Peake

Well, I’ve had many special days with my mom, but this one is the best day yet. We both woke up and we went shopping. Both of us got clothes and we talked a lot more than we usually did. Then we got home and watched a movie together. It was amazing. Myla Arambulo

One weekend I was at a dance competition. I got my mom a present that she didn’t even know about to give to her during the competition. One night after we got to the hotel, I got the gift out and gave it to her. It was like a jewelry box but bigger and around the frame of the box it said, “Thank you, mom, for loving me before you ever knew me. Thank you for your precious hands that heal every ache and pain. Thank you for being my heart’s first home. I love you, Mom!” She loved it! Sarah Miller

A special experience I had with my mom is when she let me change my room. She let me pick the paint for the wall color, and I helped to paint it. I also got to pick out the furniture I wanted and posters. Then she let me pick a new bed spread to go with the room colors. To me this was a very special experience with my mom. Jared Dickson

A special day that my mom and I had was when we stayed a night in Baltimore. We drove down for a day. When we got there, we had to get a hotel. When we did, we thought that we would see the bay. We saw the best view ever … a brick wall! We went to the aquarium and saw sharks. Then we went to a mall. It was the biggest mall I have ever seen. Ryan Cruz

A special day with a special lady was with my grandmother. I take good care of her. One day I was home alone with her. I took care of her and played games with her. We had fun together. Kassy Shepherd

The series begins on Saturday, May 19, with Build Your Own Radio.

Other Saturday workshops are:
June 9: Hand-Built Pottery
July 14: Beaded Jewelry
July 21: Scherenschnite Paper Cutting
Aug. 4: Weaving
Aug. 11: Historic Tie-Dying

Classes begin at 11 a.m. at various YCHT locations.

Pre-registration is required. To register, email AIMREC@yorkheritage.org or call (717) 848-1587, ext. 301.

The new children’s ballet is based on the classic, all-ages story by Hans Christian Anderson. It will feature Lauren Markle, 16, of York, as the Princess and Billy Emig, 18, of Dover, as the Prince. Other lead dancers include Rachel Yinger, 15, of Dover, as the British Princess; Anna Clarke, 18, of Dillsburg, as the Spanish Princess; Casey Bricker, 15, of York, as the French Princess; and Morgan Reimers, 16, and Jordann Smith-Kingston, 15, both of York, alternating the role of American Princess.

Performance hours are 1:30 and 5:30 p.m. at Dover Area High School. Each performance will include more than 100 dancers ages 3 to adult. After a brief intermission, “Dancing through the Seasons” will be presented including a variety of contemporary dances celebrating the four seasons.

General admission tickets are $14 for ages 10-64; $12 for ages 65 and older; $7 for ages 3-9; and free for ages 2 and younger. Tickets are available in advance at The Crafty Basket, 62 N. Main St., Dover, or at the door for an additional $1 charge.

For more information, call (717) 292-5216 or email info@greaterdoverdanceacademy.com.

Come see the teachers and Mr. March (principal) take orders. A portion of all orders will benefit York Haven Elementary School.

Coupons are required when placing an order. They can be picked up at York Haven Elementary, 360 Cassel Road, or at any school within the Northeastern School District.

For more information, call the school at 266-5007 or email Maria Pender at penderm@nesd.k12.pa.us.

Diane McNease in her prom dress made from Starburst wrappers, with Luke DeWitt at Ishpeming High School in Ishpeming, Mich. McNease tells WLUC-TV that she came up with the idea of making her prom dress out of candy wrappers when she saw a friend folding some. She estimates it took about 18,000 wrappers to make the corset of her dress, as well as matching hair bands and a purse. (AP Photo/WLUC-TV)

Diane McNease tells WLUC-TV that she came up with the idea of making her prom dress out of candy wrappers when she saw a friend folding some. She estimates it took about 18,000 Starburst wrappers to make the corset of her dress, as well as matching hair bands and a purse.

The Ishpeming High School student wore the dress to Saturday’s prom in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

The top half of the dress is made out of folded wrappers and the bottom looks more like a traditional gown. It took about five months to make, with help from family and friends.

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Reported by WLUC-TV, http://www.wluctv6.com, from ISHPEMING, Mich.

Conservator Angelyn Bass cleans and stabilizes the surface of a wall of a Maya house that dates to the 9th century A.D. in the Maya city Zultun in Guatemala. (AP Photo/National Geographic, Tyrone Turner)

The walls reveal the oldest known astronomical tables from the Maya. Scientists already knew they must have been keeping such records at that time, but until now the oldest known examples dated from about 600 years later.

Astronomical records were key to the Mayan calendar, which has gotten some attention recently because of doomsday warnings that it predicts the end of the world this December. Experts say it makes no such prediction. The new finding provides a bit of backup: The calculations include a time span longer than 6,000 years that could extend well beyond 2012.

“Why would they go into those numbers if the world is going to come to an end this year?” observed Anthony Aveni of Colgate University in Hamilton, N.Y., an expert on Mayan astronomy. “You could say a number that big at least suggests that time marches on.”

Aveni, along with William Saturno of Boston University and others, report the discovery in the journal Science.

The room, a bit bigger than 6-feet square, is part of a large complex of Mayan ruins in the rain forest at Xultun in northeastern Guatemala. The walls also contain portraits of a seated king and some other figures, but it’s clear those have no connection to the astronomical writings, the scientists said.

One wall contains a calendar based on phases of the moon, covering about 13 years.

Aveni said it would allow scribes to predict the appearance of a full moon years in advance, for example. Such record-keeping was key to Mayan astrology and rituals, and maybe would be used to advise the king on when to go to war or how good this year’s crops would be, he said.

“‘What you have here is astronomy driven by religion,” he said.

On another wall are numbers indicating four time spans from roughly 935 to 6,700 years. It’s not clear what they represent, but maybe the scribes were doing calculations that combined observations from important astronomical events like the movements of Mars, Venus and the moon, the researchers said.

Why bother to do that? Maybe the scribes were “geeks … who just got carried away with doing these kinds of computations and calculations, and probably did them far beyond the needs of ordinary society,” Aveni suggested.

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Online:

Journal Science: http://www.sciencemag.org

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Reported by MALCOM RITTER from the Associated Press. He can be followed at http://www.twitter.com/malcolmritter