Odds & Ends

Prayer for yogapracticing governor

SALEM, ORE.(AP) » The evangelist Franklin Graham recently asked thousands of people at an Oregon rally to pray for the state’s Democratic governor, saying she should be a Christian.

Yoga and meditation suit Gov. Kate Brown just fine, she told reporters Thursday when asked if she follows a certain faith.

“I believe very much that each of us is a spiritual being, and that’s how I see the world,” Brown said, adding that she feels people should treat human beingswith respect.

Brown, who is up for reelection in November, was specifically named by Graham at a sermon to more than 12,000 people near Portland on Sunday, Willamette Week reported.

“Let’s pray for your governor, Gov. Brown. Wouldn’t it be something if she got saved? Amen,” Graham said, the Portland weekly reported. “We pray for Kate Brown. And Lord, I pray that she would come to know your son Jesus Christ as her lord and savior one day.”

Oregon is one of Ameri- ca’s most liberal states, with Democrats also controlling the state Legislature. Graham, son of the late superstar evangelist Billy Graham, is an outspoken ally of President Donald Trump.

“If the church went to the polls and voted, you could turn this state around,” Graham told the crowd at the Clackamas County Fairgrounds. “The enemy out there thinks the church is asleep.”

Asked by reporters during a phone-in news conference about her religious beliefs, Brown said she is a yogi, or one who practices yoga.

While in India, yoga for many is a spiritual or religious practice, in America it is generally secular.

Graham is president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

Archie statue honors artist

MEREDITH, N.H. (AP) » A lifesize bronze statue of a redhaired, freckle-faced Archie is now greeting visitors at a New Hampshire town in honor of a local man who drew the comic book character and his group of wholesome teenage friends.

Bob Montana illustrated Archie, Betty, Veronica and Jughead from1942 until his death in 1975 at age 54. He lived for 35 years in Meredith, a town of about 6,000 residents in the heart of the state’s Lakes Region.

The statue of Archie sitting on a park bench was commemorated Thursday in Meredith’s Community Park to coincide with the town’s 250th anniversary.

Montana brought the Archie Andrews character to life when he drew the first “Archie” comic strip while renting a cottage on Lake Waukewan in 1942.

Cobras seized

ALLEGANY, N.Y. (AP) » State wildlife officers have seized three king cobras among the more than 300 reptiles kept in a New York home.

The Department of Environmental Conservation says officers obtained awarrant Thursday morning to search a home in the town of Allegany, on the Pennsylvania border 60 miles (96 kilometers) southeast of Buffalo.

Officers say inside they found three king cobras, six venomous Gila monsters and seven species of turtles kept in enclosures throughout the home, located near St. Bonaventure University.

DEC officials say several zoos and wildlife conservation groups have offered to care for the reptiles.

It’s illegal in New York state to own venomous snakes.

Officials say the man living at the house faces charges.

Native to Asia, king cobras are one of the deadliest snakes in the world and can grow up to 18 feet (5.5 meters).

TOM CALDWELL — LACONIA DAILY SUN VIA AP A statue of the comic strip character Archie sits on a park bench, created by sculptor Valery Mahuchy, as it was unveiled in Community Park, Meredith, Thursday as part of the town’s 250th anniversary celebration. Archie illustrator Bob Montana lived in Meredith for 35years and worked many local residents and scenes into the comic strip until his death in 1975at age 54. Posing with the statue are Montana’s children, Paige, Donald, Raymond, and Lynn.

DON RYAN — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE In this file photo, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown speaks in Portland, Ore. The evangelist Franklin Graham recently asked thousands of people at an Oregon rally to pray for the state’s Democratic governor, saying she should be a Christian. Yoga and meditation suit Brown just fine, she told reporters Thursday when asked if she follows a certain faith.