WAS HIS LAST NAME BICKLE?

A pet chimpanzee attacks a woman he's known for years, tearing off her face and then attacking a cop.

Travis, 14, was shot dead Monday in Stamford, Conn.

The New York Times tells it this way:

The woman, Charla Nash, 55, a friend of the chimpanzee’s owner, was being treated at Stamford Hospital and might not survive, the authorities said. ...

The attack, in the driveway of a sprawling home in a densely wooded neighborhood on the north side of Stamford, also brought a brutal end to the life of the chimpanzee, Travis, 14, a popular figure in town who had appeared in television commercials and often posed for photographs at the towing shop operated by his owners. He had escaped before, and in 2003 playfully held up traffic at a busy intersection for several hours, but had no history of violence, the authorities said. Travis’s social skills included drinking wine from a stemmed glass, dressing and bathing himself and using a computer.

Travis’s owner, Sandra Herold, 70, had raised him almost as one of her own children, but found herself lunging at him with a butcher knife on Monday to protect Ms. Nash ...

A police officer shot Travis after he opened the car door and attacked the cop.

CHIMPS MAKE, USE WEAPONS

In the West African savannah, chimps are sharpening sticks, making spears and stabbing prey. Next stop: Advanced weaponry? Friday's Washington Post has the story:

The multistep spearmaking practice, documented by researchers in Senegal who spent years gaining the chimpanzees' trust, adds credence to the idea that human forebears fashioned similar tools millions of years ago.

The landmark observation also supports the long-debated proposition that females -- the main makers and users of spears among the Senegalese chimps -- tend to be the innovators and creative problem solvers in primate culture.

Using their hands and teeth, the chimpanzees were repeatedly seen tearing the side branches off long, straight sticks, peeling back the bark and sharpening one end. Then, grasping the weapons in a "power grip," they jabbed them into tree-branch hollows where bush babies -- small, monkeylike mammals -- sleep during the day.

Female chimps account for two-thirds of the observed weapons production.

HEAD HANDED TO HIM

Thursday morning found a certain radio host giving grudging admiration to the "mind control" powers of former CIA analyst Ray McGovern, who spoke Wednesday night at a public forum about the Iraq War.

The radio host was a member of the same panel. He'd attempted to pack the audience with his sycophants, casting the event as some sort of Patriots vs. Peaceniks clash. But a News-Leader account of the meeting makes it clear -- the Peaceniks are winning this war:

The crowd was less favorable toward panel member Vincent David Jericho, a conservative talk-radio host on local station KSGF.

Although Jericho garnered thunderous applause when describing America as "the greatest country in the world," he drew fire after suggesting the U.S. is also "morally superior."

Moderator Bob Ranney had to ask the audience to refrain from catcalling after several other comments from Jericho, including his contention that "Jesus wasn't some velveteen wuss, he was a man ..."

Jericho characterized the current war on terror as a religious war and defended past statements by the president that American soldiers are "Christian crusaders."

"The Bible isn't a book of peace," Jericho said. "Never has been, never will be."

And the walls came tumbling down.

MONKEY BUSINESS

Consider this a follow-up to a recent News-Leader story about a woman and her monkey.

Published in late August, the story featured Debby Rose, a Springfield woman who "rescues and cares" for wild animals. Including Richard, a bonnet macaque. From the story:

Her near-constant companion for two years, Richard accompanies Debby to work, shops and even restaurants.

Aware that there might be questions about Richard's outings, she met with Springfield-Greene County Health Department officials.

They have received calls, says Jim Fry, coordinator of environmental health services for the department. The state does not require certification for service animals, he explains, and the Americans with Disabilities Act recognizes numerous animals help those with mental and physical disabilities.

"If she says it's a service animal, you have to allow it in or run the risk of violating the ADA regulations," he says.

Well, she said it was a service animal. But now the health department apparently disagrees.

In a memo sent to restaurants after the News-Leader story was published, Ron Lawson of the Springfield-Greene County Health Department wrote:

Due to numerous complaints and recent discussions of the definition of service animals with the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, this Department has made the decision not to allow Ms. Debby Rose to enter a Food Establishment with her monkey. According to the U.S. Department of Justice definition of service animals, such an animal must be able to perform a specific task for people with disabilities. It has become apparent that this monkey does not qualify as a service animal.

Please be advised that should Ms. Rose be allowed to enter your Food Establishment with her monkey, you will be in violation of the 1999 Missouri Food Code Section 6-501.115 which is a critical violation.

Restaurants in Springfield have been put on notice -- don't let the monkey darken your doorstep. If Rose doesn't comply, restaurant owners are supposed to call the health department, or the police if it's after 5 p.m.