People
BOSTON — A chance meeting in a hotel lobby sparked an unlikely friendship between former NBA star Charles Barkley and a cat litter scientist in Iowa.
The story has been shared widely since it was told last week by the scientist's daughter on “Only A Game,” an NPR sports show produced by Boston-based WBUR.
Shirley Wang says that her father, Lin Wang, approached Barkley at a hotel while on a business trip. The two began talking, got dinner and exchanged numbers.
They would meet up over the years to watch basketball games or hang out on the set of Barkley's show.
When Lin Wang died this year, Barkley showed up at his funeral in Iowa to the surprise of other attendees.
Barkley tells Shirley Wang that their friendship gave him “great memories and great joy.”
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NEW YORK — Chelsea Clinton's career as a children's author continues with a picture book about endangered animals.
Penguin Young Readers announced Monday that the daughter of Bill and Hillary Clinton is collaborating with illustrator Gianna Marino on “Don't Let Them Disappear.” Scheduled for April 2, the book will celebrate whales, tigers and other animals and provide advice on how to help preserve them.
Clinton said in a statement that she wanted to help young people learn that some animals are in “desperate need of our attention.” Her previous works include “She Persisted: 13 American Women Who Changed the World” and “Start Now! You Can Make a Difference.”
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ST. PAUL, Minn. — Country superstar Garth Brooks says Minnesota Gov.Mark Dayton is why he's adding a second concert when he visits Minneapolis.
Brooks told reporters during a call Monday that his upcoming stadium tour is “all about one special night.” But the 50,000 tickets for his May 4 show sold out within an hour Friday, so officials at the state-owned U.S. Bank Stadium asked the governor to ask Brooks to add a second show, which Dayton did via Twitter.
Brooks says that was enough to get him to relax his one-night-only rule.
The second show will be May 3. Dayton plans to attend.
Brooks planned to make the announcement at a news conference with Dayton at the state Capitol, but the musician's plane's door wouldn't close, so he couldn't fly in.
By Associated Press
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