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Mimicking the Airlines, Hotels Get Fee-Happy

Forget bad weather, traffic jams and kids asking, "Are we there yet?" The real headache for many travelers is a quickly-growing list of hotel surcharges, even for items they never use.

Guaranteeing two queen beds or one king bed will cost you, as will checking in early or checking out late. Don't need the in-room safe? You're likely still paying. And the overpriced can of soda may be the least of your issues with the hotel minibar.

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90 Hurt, Major Damage as 6.0 Quake Hits N. California

A strong 6.0-magnitude earthquake jolted northern California early Sunday, wounding around 90 people, knocking out power and causing some damage to roads in Napa and Sonoma counties, officials said.

The city of Napa in California wine country said in a statement that two adults and one child have critical injuries and Queen of the Valley hospital in Napa has treated 87 people. Hospital spokesman Vanessa DeGier said most patients have cuts, bumps, bruises.

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Gadget Watch: Get Ready for the Thermal Selfie

Tired of the selfie? Get ready for the "thermie," or as I like to call it, the "hottie." That's when you take a picture of the heat emanating from your body, using an infrared camera that attaches to the back of your iPhone. It sounds unlikely, but it's coming.

Apple stores started selling the $349 FLIR One this week. It puts thermal imaging within reach of people who probably have never considered it before, and it opens up a whole new way of looking at the world. Warm things show up bright on the iPhone screen, while cold things are dark. It's like everything glows with its own light.

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Oops: County Wrongly Figured Blood-Alcohol Levels

People who told police they were not that drunk while driving may have been right in one Pennsylvania county.

Somerset County District Attorney Lisa Lazzari-Strasiser said her office has not been performing a mathematical calculation needed to convert hospital tests on drivers' blood, which enable the results to be used as evidence in court, the Daily American (http://bit.ly/1v5IN9x) reported.

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Elizabeth Hurley Takes the Reigns in 'The Royals'

Move over Helen Mirren, there's a new queen in town — Elizabeth Hurley.

The English actress is on the British throne for new E! drama series "The Royals," playing the fictional Queen Helena, a sharply dressed mother of three grooming her son to be king and dealing with public opinion.

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Kathy Griffin to Minaj: I Want a Booty Challenge

While most people are inviting friends to complete the ice bucket challenge, Kathy Griffin has another proposal for Nicki Minaj: a booty challenge.

The 53-year-old comedian said after watching the eye-popping, rump-shaking music video for Minaj's new hit single, "Anaconda," she wants to go toe-to-toe with the rap diva.

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Suspicious Object Turns Out to Be Star Wars Toy

Call Luke Skywalker for backup.

Police in Juneau took a call Tuesday to check out a suspicious device spotted on the side of a road.

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Un-Bee-Lievable: 50,000 Bees Living in NYC Ceiling

A New York City woman had some unexpected roommates living in her apartment: 50,000 bees.

WABC-TV reports (http://7ny.tv/1whc4PZ ) beekeepers removed the swarm from Frieda Turkmenilli's ceiling this week after her neighbors in Queens alerted the building manager.

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Hamas Signs Palestinian Application for ICC Membership

Hamas has signed a proposal for the Palestinians to apply to join the International Criminal Court at which legal action could be taken against Israel, a senior official of the Islamist movement said Saturday.

"Hamas signed the document which (Palestinian) president (Mahmud Abbas) put forth as a condition that all factions approve, before he goes to sign the Rome Statute, which paves the way for Palestine's membership in the International Criminal Court (ICC)," Hamas deputy leader Mussa Abu Marzuq wrote on his Facebook page.

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Ex-judge Must Say She's Sorry, Just Not in Cuffs

A former Pennsylvania Supreme Court justice convicted of corruption was spared on Thursday the further embarrassment of having to write her court-ordered apologies to every judge in the state on photos of herself in handcuffs.

A state appeals court upheld the conviction of Joan Orie Melvin and said she still must write apologies to the state's judges. But it found the photo requirement served no legitimate purpose and was meant only to "shame and humiliate her."

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