TOO BAD SHE CAN'T PAY HER HEAT BILL WITH IT

When Elizabeth Emerson, 87, confessed to a newspaper that her only real indulgence has been an occasional chocolate bar, she never anticipated the response.

Emerson was featured in a New York Times story about the effect of soaring fuel prices, generating letters from across the country, some with chocolate bars inside.

She hit the jackpot in mid-December with an assortment from Hershey Co. that was accompanied by a personal note.

"I couldn't believe it. I laughed more than anything. All that fuss over little old me," Emerson told the Bangor Daily News.

The story about how the low-income elderly endure harsh Northeast winters gave a snapshot of Emerson's life: married for a half-century, grandmother and great-grandmother of 52, former aide at a nearby nursing home, now struggling to live on a $683-a-month Social Security check.

The final line disclosed her secret: "My greatest vice is Hershey bars."

Last weekend, Emerson displayed what remained of her chocolate collection at her kitchen table.

"I've given boxes and boxes away," she said. "I couldn't enjoy it if I wasn't able to share." Besides, she said, "I can only eat so much chocolate."

The study doesn't include the other end

A Swedish university has received a $590,000 grant to measure the greenhouse gases that are released when cows belch.

About 20 cows will participate in the project by the Swedish University for Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala, about 40 miles north of Stockholm, officials said Monday.

Cattle release methane, a greenhouse gas thought to contribute to global warming, when they digest their food. Researchers think the level of methane released depends on the type of food.

Project leader Jan Bertilsson said each cow will have a different diet and wear a collar device measuring the methane level in the surrounding air.

He said 95 percent of methane released by cows comes out through the mouth.

"This type of research is already being conducted in Canada, so we will be in contact with Canadian agricultural researchers in the near future," he said.

Town's ties to Iceland financial, too

A small North Dakota town is getting foreign aid -- a $75,000 donation from Iceland -- to help build its community center.

Officials in Mountain, which has a rich Icelandic heritage, told Iceland's prime minister, Geir Haarde, about the $1.3 million community center project when Haarde visited last year for the 108th annual August the Deuce Icelandic Celebration. It commemorates the start of Iceland's independence from Denmark.

"The ongoing effort by our family and friends in North Dakota to preserve and honor their rich and unique Icelandic heritage, history and culture is an inspiration to the people of Iceland," Haarde said in a statement.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Nicole Thompson said she didn't know how often foreign governments donate to U.S. projects. She called the relationship between Mountain and Iceland interesting.

People from Iceland settled in the region in the 1870s.

A thief with a delayed conscience

Frederick Meyer of Waukesha, Wis., reported a laptop, a Palm pilot, a GPS unit and a digital camera stolen from his home -- only to have most of the items left in front of his house a few days later, according to a subpoena filed in court Monday.

The subpoena is from the Waukesha County Sheriff's Department, seeking telephone records that could lead them to the thief, the subpoena says.

Meyer reported the items stolen Nov. 3. Three days later, Meyer said, he received a call from a blocked number from someone who said he had the items. The caller also said he had Meyer's Glock pistol. Meyer didn't realize the gun was missing, the subpoena said.

The caller told Meyer his items would be returned within a day.

Less than two hours later, the doorbell rang. In his driveway, he found most of the items, except for the GPS unit, according to the subpoena.

This legislation takes ... never mind

A Maryland legislator has filed a bill to name the 10-layer Smith Island cake the state's official dessert.

Delegate Page Elmore, R-Somerset, delivered 450 slices Tuesday to state lawmakers and their aides.

Elmore hopes his bill gives a boost to Smith Island, which has about 260 year-round residents. Islanders historically have made their living pulling crabs and oysters from the Chesapeake Bay, but pollution has hurt the seafood industry and better jobs on the mainland have sapped the island's working population.

Smith Island cakes come in dozens of flavors, including pineapple, banana and coconut, and generally have 10 layers. Islanders trace the cakes' origin to British colonists who settled on the island, and some residents make a living selling them.