Off beat

A town perplexed: Choose Arnold or Gray?

CROCKETT, Calif. “”mdash; Officials in this small town are in a
quandary over which California governor to invite to the opening
ceremony for a new bridge.

Will it be recalled Gov. Gray Davis? Or Gov.-elect Arnold
Schwarzenegger?

The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Carquinez Bridge is
scheduled for Nov. 15, the deadline for the secretary of state to
certify the recall election results.

“˜”˜Crockett will welcome the governor, whoever it is.
But Schwarzenegger has a nice ring to it. Maybe we’ll call
it, “˜Iron Man Meets Iron Workers,”’ said
Gene Pedrotti, chairman of the Carquinez Bridge Celebration
Committee.

Schwarzenegger has received several appearance requests, but
“˜”˜nothing has been scheduled by virtue of the fact that
we’re waiting for the certification process,”
said H.D. Palmer, the governor-elect’s spokesman.

Pizza Hut to unveil new “˜healthy’
pie

DALLAS “”mdash; To the menu of zero-calorie Slurpees and
low-carbohydrate margaritas, diet-conscious Americans can now add
lower-fat pizza.

Pizza Hut, the Dallas-based restaurant chain, plans to offer the
“˜”˜Fit ‘N Delicious” pie at most of
their 6,600 U.S. locations by the end of the month.

One slice of the slimmed-down version will have 3.5 to 5 grams
of fat, 25 percent less than a slice of the company’s regular
thin-crust pizza.

Pizza Hut is simply responding to changing consumer tastes and
desire for healthier food alternatives, said Pizza Hut President
Peter Hearl.

“˜”˜Moms are looking to provide for themselves or
their family less-fat food options,” Hearl said in an
interview. “˜”˜They’re not prepared to give up on
taste, but if they can get great taste and lose fat grams,
that’s a winning combination.”

Nebraska city adopts marketing gimmick

OMAHA, Neb. “”mdash; The new slogan that image makers hope will
attract people to Omaha is simple:
“˜”˜O!”

It’s flexible, and more of a mark than a slogan, says
Sonny Mares of the Omaha Convention and Visitors Bureau.

It’s an icon, or a logo, says Linda Lovgren, chairwoman of
the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce.

The slogan committee hopes the stylized O! can be used in a
variety of contexts, from catching the eye of an executive deciding
corporate locations to attracting convention planners.

The new slogan comes six months after officials in the city
dropped the unpopular, “˜”˜Omaha: Rare, Well
Done.”

From Bruin wire services.