My hero is my doctor, Mrs. Bailey. She takes care of me and helps me be healthy. She gives me shots and yummy suckers after I am done getting my shots.My doctor is a baby doctor. She takes care of everybody in the world. When I visit my doctor she lets me use here stethoscope. She is very nice to me and she knows I want to be a baby doctor, so she tells me all about her job.Mrs. Bailey doesn't talk rude to me and that encourages me to be nice to other people. I also see my doctor helping all the kids and making them feel better when they are sick. That makes me want to help children people.Because of knowing there are a lot of children in the world who need baby doctors like her, I want to help them feel better too.Marilyn BaxleyBy Edward Santos, fifth grade, Mark Twain Elementary School .

Update: Budget Heads to Governor's Desk

If paying $1 more per pack doesn't make smokers ditch their habit, the state has other ways to help them quit. The budget will spend $30 million on smoking cessation and prevention programs. DRIVE MY CAR: Anyone who drives a car will pay more. The annual vehicle registration fee will increase from $55 to $75; driver's licenses will cost $10 more; and the fee to title a vehicle goes up $24.50. FLOAT MY BOAT: Don't think you can escape the new fees by taking to the water. The budget adds between $1.25 and $11 to boat registration fees, depending on the boat's size and motor. LOCK AND LOAD: Breathe easy, all you outdoorsmen. Hunting and fishing fees remain unchanged from last year. THE GREAT OUTDOORS: Buying a hunting license is one thing; finding a place to hunt is another. The budget could make that easier.

Consumers lose out on generic-drug savings

Intense competition among generic drug makers has been a boon for pharmacies, but consumers aren't reaping the gains, the federal Competition Bureau said Monday.

With 15 generic drug makers now selling into the Canadian market, competition is more intense than ever, Ms. Scott said. In 2005, 43 per cent of drugs dispensed in retail pharmacies in Canada were generics – the copycat drugs that can be sold only after patents expire on brand-name products.

Frustrated indies seek web distrib'n

Of the 100-some features questing for a distributor at January's Sundance Film Festival, only a handful found the holy grail: worldwide theatrical distribution with an advance minimum guarantee and back-end participation.

With an unforgiving and glutted marketplace for indie films, where the cost of prints and ads to keep a movie in theaters is punitive for everyone, there's no appetite for risk-taking.

The key question is, when will an alternative distribution outlet for indie films emerge -- an outlet that can interest enough viewers to bring in meaningful returns?

The film industry is rife with eager alternative distributors pitching their wares -- but making money isn't usually part of the equation.

"The long-range outlook for specialty film is to move more to home markets.

THE MURKY DEPTHS : NWA Fishing Report

Water temps range from 38 degrees on Table Rock Lake near Holiday Island to 45 degrees on parts of Beaver Lake. In other words, it's cold and neither fish nor fishermen seemed too thrilled about it. Trout and / or crappie seem to be an angler's best bet as cold front after cold front invades our area. Beaver Lake Southtown Sporting Goods - Larry Aggus says crappie fishing is the bright spot this week. Brush in the river arms is the target area and red / chartreuse jigs or minnows are the top baits. One angler broke his crappie pole when a 17-pound striper took hold. Bass fishing is slow but the jerkbait bite should really come on. Anglers are trying finesse baits in deep water right now.

Hook, Line and Sinker in Rogers - Aaron Jolliff reports more of the same. Water temps are very cold but bass might bite a jerkbait fished extremely slow.