Delta Air Lines hikes most domestic fares $5 each way

CHICAGO -- Delta Air Lines Inc. has raised most of its domestic air fares by $5 each way to cover high fuel costs, a company spokeswoman confirmed Wednesday.

The fare increases went into effect late Monday, said Betsy Talton, speaking from Delta's Atlanta headquarters.

Other major U.S. airlines, including American Airlines, a unit of AMR Corp.; United Airlines, part of UAL Corp.; and Northwest Airlines Corp., said Wednesday that they were considering matching the increases.

So far this year, airfares have risen about 10 percent. Passenger demand has remained strong as some airlines cut capacity to save money.

Higher fares helped many airlines to return to making a profit in the second quarter, even as fuel prices soared.

With crude oil now at $74 per barrel, other airlines will likely take advantage of the busy summer travel season to match Delta's fare increases, JP Morgan analyst Jamie Baker wrote in a research note Wednesday. Baker expected to see other airlines increase fares within 48 hours.

World Cup comes to Barbados

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - The World Cup soccer tournament in Germany is over, but sports fans from around the world are already making plans for their next big trip - the World Cup cricket tournament, to be held next spring in the Caribbean.

The March 11-April 28 event is expected to attract 100,000 visitors to see 16 teams play matches in Jamaica, Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Kitts, Antigua, Grenada, Trinidad, St. Vincent and Guyana.

It's the first time the event is being held in the Caribbean, and several of the nine countries hosting matches are scrambling to finish renovations or construction of new stadiums, while also trying to find innovative ways to house the fans.

Some countries have considered offering accommodations on cruise ships. Guyana has asked citizens to convert their homes to bed-and-breakfast accommodation - for which they are training people. Elsewhere in Guyana, new hotels are under construction, while existing hotels are refurbishing or adding extensions.

Even the Guyana Boy Scouts Association is trying to help out, by preparing the grounds at its headquarters in Georgetown for camping by a few hundred backpacking fans from England, New Zealand and Australia.

Among the venues building new facilities is Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, considered the Caribbean's most historic cricket ground.

The 124-year-old stadium there was demolished a year ago and a new one is being built to increase seating capacity from 16,000 to 28,000. Its redevelopers say it will be ready by January, ahead of schedule. Kensington Oval will host second-round matches in the World Cup, and the April 28 final.

Mount St. Helens reopened to climbers

MOUNT ST. HELENS, Wash. - Mount St. Helens reopened to climbers on July 21 for the first time since the mountain began quietly erupting in 2004.

Dust, steam and blue-tinted sulfurous gas still rise from the horseshoe-shaped crater left by St. Helens' 1980 eruption, which killed 57 people and blasted more than 1,300 feet off the peak. Near the crater's center, the volcano is rebuilding itself, churning out a cubic yard of rock per second - a rate that could see the volcano return to its pre-1980 size in 100 years.

When the mountain was reopened to climbers last time - in 1987 - the five-hour ascent became extremely popular, attracting about 12,000 people a year.

But in September 2004, the volcano reawakened, and the U.S. Forest Service closed trails around it.

Since then, the volcano has settled into a pattern of constantly extruding lava with a low gas content, said Tom Pierson of the U.S. Geological Survey. Officials say there's not enough gas to make climbing dangerous.

The Forest Service cautions those who want to try the climb, however. In addition to basic backcountry necessities such as a compass, map and plenty of water, the service recommends that climbers bring an ice ax, sunglasses that seal around the eyes to keep dust out, a dust mask and a climbing helmet, just in case the volcano sends rocks soaring above the rim.

The entire south side of the mountain is being reopened to climbers, as are trails through the blast zone on the north side. The crater itself remains off-limits.

Permits are required to hike above tree line and cost $22 each. The Forest Service will issue up to 100 permits a day, and reservations can be made on the Internet through the Mount St. Helens Institute, http://www.mshinstitute.org.

The most popular climbing route begins on the south side at Climber's Bivouac, elevation 3,800 feet. An easy trail through firs and huckleberries on an ancient lava flow leads to tree line at Monitor Ridge, at 4,800 feet.

Children's museum expands in upstate New York

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - One of the country's biggest children's museums has reopened following a renovation that added a butterfly atrium, a giant walk-through kaleidoscope and a hands-on laboratory.

The Strong-National Museum of Play in Rochester in upstate New York reopened July 21 after a six-week closure to complete its expansion.

The Strong is the second-largest children's museum in America after the Children's Museum of Indianapolis, according to the Association of Children's Museums in Washington.

Strong's officials hope the new attractions will nearly double its attendance from 340,000 to around 665,000 visitors a year.

New exhibits also include Reading Adventureland, where kids can act out adventures from favorite children's stories, from sailing a pirate ship to visiting a fairy-tale forest.

The museum already holds the world's largest collection of toys and dolls - more than 70,000 - and the National Toy Hall of Fame, which honors classic toys ranging from Jack-in-the-Box to Mr. Potato Head to Barbie and Legos.

Details can be found at http://www.strongmuseum.org.

Bratwurst-eating contest to be televised

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. - The ESPN cable television network plans to air a Wisconsin bratwurst-eating contest live on Aug. 5.

The Johnsonville Brat-Eating World Championship has long been a part of annual Johnsonville Brat Days, a three-day festival in Kiwanis Park that goes through about seven tons of brats each year and is the chief fundraiser for the Sheboygan Jaycees. The festival has been held for more than 50 years.

"It's got all the trappings of a great event," Rich Shea, president of the International Federation of Competitive Eating, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "But what's more is that you've got the greatest eaters in the world - Joey Chestnut, Takeru Kobayashi, Sonya Thomas, Tim Janus - all the big names coming to Sheboygan to compete."

Thomas won the Wisconsin contest last year by consuming 35 brats. But Kobayashi and Chestnut beat her in Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog contest in Coney Island, Brooklyn, earlier this month.

The contest takes place at 3 p.m. and will air after the network's live coverage of the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

"I think competitive eating is as inherent to man as running or jumping. And I think that in many ways this is a big-time sporting event," said Shea, who will be calling the brat-eating contest for ESPN.

Lewis and Clark signature event in North Dakota in August

NEW TOWN, N.D. - The Three Tribes Museum here is gearing up for next month's Lewis and Clark bicentennial signature event.

The signature event, titled "Reunion at the Home of Sakakawea," is scheduled Aug. 17-20. It is one of 15 such events held in 13 states to mark the bicentennial of the journey of explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark.

The museum will host an exhibit from the Montana Museum of Art and Culture that features paintings, prints, photographs and sculptures by 19 nationally and internationally recognized artists, museum administrator Marilyn Hudson said.

The exhibit "Contemporary Native American Art Reflections After Lewis and Clark" will be on display at the Three Tribes Museum from Aug. 1-Sept. 16.

Candy Castle reopens in Santa Claus, Ind.

SANTA CLAUS, Ind. - The Candy Castle is open for tours again in Santa Claus, Ind., and in keeping with the town's Christmas theme, the castle claims to offer the world's largest selection of candy canes.

The Candy Castle was dedicated in 1935 as the first tourist attraction in Santa Claus, a southern Indiana community that began building its popularity in the 1930s on the basis of its unique postmark. The castle originally housed Santa's home and workshop, and hosted thousands of visitors.

It closed in the 1950s after legal battles between the site's developer, Milton Harris, and another Chicago entrepreneur.

Since then, the brick turreted structure has housed a church, apartments and a private home.

Now the Candy Castle is open for tours again, and is also selling candy canes in flavors such as bubble gum, cotton candy, orange sherbet, and pina colada, according to the Evansville Courier & Press.

The refurbished castle includes letters to Santa that have made their way to the town over the decades as well as special mailboxes where you can mail letters to St. Nick.

Tour Frank Lloyd Wright homes in Wisconsin

MILWAUKEE - A house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright as a low-cost dwelling for families of average means will undergo renovation next year and will eventually be turned into a museum.

But the house is open for tours in the mean time, along with a number of other Wright buildings around the architect's home state, Wisconsin.

The house, at 2714 West Burnham St. in Milwaukee, is open for tours one Saturday afternoon a month, with the next few scheduled for Aug. 12, Sept. 9, Oct. 14, Nov. 11 and Dec. 9, from 1 p.m.-4 p.m. Reservations are not necessary; admission is $2.

Frank Lloyd Wright Wisconsin, a nonprofit educational organization, bought the low-slung, geometric house in 2004. Known today as one of Wright's American System-Built Homes, it is in a row of six Wright-designed dwellings built in 1915-17 by developer Arthur Richards, and sold originally for about $5,000.

Although Wright was best known for sprawling, earth-hugging homes in the countryside, he took a special interest in creating low-cost shelter in urban neighborhoods and believed people of all economic classes were entitled to good architecture.

Only a few other American System-Built Homes were constructed, including one in Oshkosh and a handful in Chicago suburbs.

Other Wright buildings in Wisconsin open to the public include the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Milwaukee; the S.C. Johnson Wax Headquarters and Wingspread in Racine; the Seth Peterson Cottage near Wisconsin Dells; the A.D. German Warehouse in Richland Center, where he was born; the Unitarian Meeting House and Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center in Madison; and Taliesen, his personal estate in Spring Green, where the Frank Lloyd Wright Visitor Center is also located.

Details at http://www.wrightinwisconsin.org or 608-287-0339.

Controversy over resort plan in British Virgin Islands

CHARLOTTE AMALIE, U.S. Virgin Islands - A documentary commissioned by the British Virgin Islands Conservation and Fisheries Department is critical of a luxury resort and marina project that the government calls vital to the territory's tourism economy.

In the documentary, biologists and conservation officials say pollution and habitat destruction by the proposed Beef Island Golf & Country Club Resort would damage important marine breeding grounds off an island famed for pristine reefs and mangrove forests.

"We are talking about areas that for over 20 years have been identified as areas that need to be protected," said Bertrand Lettsome, Chief Conservation and Fisheries Officer for the British territory, in the 30-minute documentary obtained by The Associated Press.

Lettsome said his agency commissioned the documentary for educational purposes, but declined to discuss the production until its release, scheduled for August.

The resort, which will reportedly cost more than $80 million to develop, has prompted strong opposition - a public hearing this month on the issue drew some 300 people, far more than for any other recent issue. The documentary underscores the divisions over the project, even among government officials in the British Caribbean territory.

British Virgin Islands Chief Minister Orlando Smith, the government leader in the territory, signed an agreement approving the project in 2005 although the developer, Quorum Island Ltd., must still secure permits to begin construction in the fall.

Smith has said that the territory needs the resort, including an 18-hole golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus, to compete with other Caribbean destinations for high-end tourists. His administration, however, insists it can be built in an environmentally sensitive way.

"There must be a balance between the environment and development," spokeswoman Sandra Ward said.

The resort would transform what is still a largely uninhabited spit of land. Developers hope to build 200 hotel rooms, rental villas and the golf course on more than 650 acres by 2009.

Hawaii vacation rentals booming - but not always lawfully

HONOLULU - For $6,500 a night, 18 guests can lounge on a 10-bedroom, beachfront mansion on Maui's south coast. On Oahu, a spacious four-bedroom home on the affluent Kahala neighborhood is listed for $2,500 a night and welcomes up to eight people.

Thousands of private vacation deals have been springing up across Hawaii as visitors look for alternatives to crowded hotels. Isle residents, in turn, are cashing in on their properties, advertising online packages that now offer French chefs, maids and even spa services.

Despite land-use ordinances restricting such rentals to residents who obtained permits before the late 1980s, short-term private rentals are growing beyond control. Residents say they bring traffic and noise into tranquil communities and make it harder for people to find long-term, affordable rentals and leases.

"There's no sense of community, because you've got strangers coming in all the time for two to three days," said Kalana Best, who lives in Kailua and joined the Save Oahu's Neighborhoods, a nonprofit working to preserve residential areas. "It's like a tsunami in slow motion, but instead of a wave of water, it's a wave of people."

As concern grows, the state Tax Department is investigating 216 rentals and bed-and-breakfast operations in the islands that may violate tax laws.

On Oahu, only 1,000 homeowners have a certificate that allows them to rent rooms for less than 30 days. However, there are more than 2,000 online advertisements for the rentals on the island, according to a 2005 state study.

Legal vacation rentals on Oahu are limited to homeowners who applied for a certificate to operate before a ban on short-term residential rentals in the late 1980s. New applications are no longer accepted. Other counties either don't have a permitting process or have limited enforcement, said Marsha Wienert, state tourism liaison.

The trend could be driven by regular island visitors who are exploring other options to Waikiki, said state tourism liaison Marsha Wienert. Hotels were especially busy last year when Hawaii welcomed a record 7.4 million tourists.

"Visitors - especially as they repeat - are seeking different types of accommodations," Wienert said. "And because it has become such a lucrative market, people are not going through the process and getting the type of zonings that are needed."

On Kauai, luxurious home rentals make up about 40 percent of all housing in the rural town of Hanalei, according to F. Kenneth Stokes, an economist with the Kauaian Institute.

Residents on Oahu and elsewhere hare lobbying for tougher enforcement against illegal vacation operators on all islands.

'Believe It or Not,' Ripley's plans China deal

SHANGHAI, China - Nearly a century after Robert Ripley first visited and fell in love with things Chinese, the company that inherited his "Believe It or Not" legacy is headed back here for business.

Ripley's Entertainment Inc. is among many international amusement park and attractions companies that are searching for opportunities to profit from the increasing ability and willingness of the 1.3 billion Chinese to spend for entertainment and travel.

"We have had a strong interest in China for a long time," said Bob Masterson, president of Ripley Entertainment, who was in Shanghai recently to attend a regional industry show.

The company had a successful "Believe It or Not" attraction that prospered for years atop Hong Kong's Victoria Peak, but it was badly in need of renovations and was eventually closed down.

But Masterson said the Hong Kong experience taught Ripley's that China has a healthy appetite for the oddities that are its main business.

No arts and crafts stuff, he said, adding, "The stranger the better. They really want something that's strange and bizarre."