‘Very Religious’ Town Ditches 666 Area Code

A small, highly religious town in southwest Louisiana has finally gained the right to change their 666 area code, which they consider a stigma.For 40 years the town of Reeves, La., has battled to change the phone prefix, but has failed at least four times, Mayor Scott Walker told The Associated Press. But beginning this month, residents and businesses can apply to change their area code from 666 to 749.

“This boils down to, this is a very, very religious community,” Walker said, according to AP.

The town has three churches, two Bible and one Baptist, in a community with less than 450 homes.

In the Bible, the number 666 is marked on the beast which some interpret to be the antichrist or a Satan-possessed human. Moreover, those associating with the numbers 666 are considered to be aligning themselves with Satan.

Walker said he was contacted by residents earlier this year about changing the area code, and said a citizen poll found overwhelming support for the change. He worked with the phone company and the state Public Service Commission among others to secure the change.

“It’s been a black eye for our town, a stigma,” he said. “I don’t think it’s anything bad on us, just an image.”

He said whenever he gives people his phone number, they pause and then warn him that he needs to change the prefix.

“That’s what we’re trying to get rid of,” he said. “This is a good town …We’re good Christian people.”

Walker said the change is set to be official for City Hall on Jan. 2 and noted that some 20 people contacted him Friday morning about making the change.

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Beauty Queen charged with kidnap-torture of ex-boyfriend

azbeutyqennfa.jpgTUCSON, Ariz. — A beauty pageant winner and law school student clerking for a federal judge faces charges that she kidnapped and tortured an ex-boyfriend. Kumari Fulbright, 25, was indicted with three men Dec. 18 by a Pima County Superior Court grand jury on charges of kidnapping, armed robbery, aggravated robbery and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, the Arizona Daily Star reported.

Fulbright, was Miss Pima County in 2005 and Miss Desert Sun in 2006, and sought the title of Miss Arizona during those years.

She also clerked for U.S. District Judge Raner Collins as a University of Arizona law school student, the newspaper said.

It said the alleged assailants held a 24-year-old man captive for 10 hours on Dec. 8 while robbing and torturing him.

Court documents said the foursome tied the man up with plastic cable ties and duct tape, holding him at two Tucson homes, during which time they pointed handguns at him, threatened his life, stole his cell phone, briefcase and wallet, taking between $500 and $600.

The newspaper also said the documents accused Fulbright of biting him several times, sticking a butcher knife in his ear, saying she was going to kill him and pointing a pistol at him.

The Star said after eight to 10 hours, the victim grabbed Fulbright’s gun, which went off, and he fled the house screaming for help.

The man’s injuries were consistent with his story, police told the newspaper.

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‘In God We Trust’ returning to $1 coin prominence

The words “In God We Trust” have been placed in prominent display on U.S. coinage since 1864, until a new $1 coin series honoring U.S. presidents was introduced at the beginning of 2007, when the motto was concealed on the edge. But no more.

Congress has approved a consolidated spending bill, and President Bush has signed it into law, that includes a provision for the motto to be placed on either the front or back of new coins in the series.

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