News In Brief

It's the best we COULD DO

Some Arkansans wanted to honor native son Bill Clinton by naming something for him when he leaves the presidency. But what? A town? An airport? Perhaps a school? Two years ago, the solution was found: Markham Street, a busy, 11-mile throroughfare in Little Rock, the capital. But that was then and this is now. Ensuing scandals and controversies - not to mention unhappy retailers who must pay for new stationery - have dampened enthusiasm for the gesture. So Markham Street will still carry the Clinton name beginning in January 2001 - but only two blocks of it.

WHAT IF THE TUBE WAS OFF?

Credit an Icelander with a new and creative concept in TV commercials. Haukur Magnusson, who works in advertising, paid $900 for a 35-second spot in prime time to propose marriage to Soffia Marteinsdottir. "I just had to do this before someone else did," he explained. It worked, too. She was watching at home that night, saw it, and said yes.

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