Strange but True

About 100 people gathered to watch Todd Grannis perform the flaming stunt on Monday, which involved wearing a cape soaked in gasoline.

Grannis climbed a 10-foot scaffold, was set on fire and then plunged into a swimming pool, dousing the blaze. Emerging unscathed, he got down on one knee and proposed.

"Honey, you make me hot," he told his sweetheart, Malissa Kusiek. "I hope I'm getting the point across that I'm on fire for you."

Kusiek, who has been dating Grannis for several years, said "yes," but added that she was a little angry because of the danger.

"At first I was mad, because I thought, 'He's not a stuntman,"' Kusiek said. "Then, of course, the tears started flowing. Of course I said yes. I was so thrilled."

Grannis said he came up with the stunt through the help of his friend, professional stuntman Eric Barkey.

"She wasn't expecting it. She had no clue," Grannis said.

'There ought to be a law'

GREEN TREE, Pa. - Doggone it! Rover won't be able to hang his head out the car window any more if an 11-year-old boy gets his wish.

Marc McCann came up with the idea of ensuring that dogs are restrained while in cars as part of state Rep. Tom Stevenson's annual "There Ought to be a Law" contest.

Stevenson submitted a bill to the House Transportation Committee in June that would require drivers to keep their dogs' heads inside the vehicle at all times. Stevenson also wants animals restrained, either with some kind of modified seat belt or in a crate or carrier box.

"I never did like dogs sticking their heads out the window," said McCann, one of more than 500 students from his legislative district who proposed laws. "Maybe a sign might have been too close to the road and they'd get hit. Maybe they'd jump out the window on a highway."

Stevenson said the bill will protect "not only human lives, but pet lives. I think it's going to be a great idea because it's going to cut down on driver distractions."

Birthday wish: Ride on a hog

STOUGHTON, Wis. - Ruth Stewart celebrated her 100th birthday by doing something she always wanted to try: Taking a ride on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

"If I were 20 years younger, I would buy one," said the retired music teacher. "I think they're just beautiful, but I never could afford it."

Richard Ireland, 62, of Deerfield, gave Stewart a three-mile ride through downtown Stoughton after being contacted by Stewart's nieces and nephews. They wanted their aunt to realize her years-long dream of riding a Harley.

Ireland drove her from her condominium to the Vennevol Clubhouse, where nearly 100 family members, friends, and Mayor Helen Johnson waited to celebrate with her.

Her top speed Monday on the back of the Harley was 33 mph and she wanted to go faster.

"It could have been a lot faster," she said. "Next time, when he comes back, I'll go 50. That will be fun."