Jeopardy creator hopes to meet famous contestant\nBEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- Wherever he goes these days, Merv Griffin gets asked the same question: What is Ken Jennings really like? Griffin, who created "Jeopardy" in 1963 and wrote its brief, unforgettable theme song, has not met the mild-mannered software engineer from Salt Lake City, Utah, who has become a celebrity as the game show's richest champion. But he'd like to. Griffin, who no longer owns "Jeopardy," credits his former wife, Julann Griffin, with the brainstorm of giving contestants the answers and requiring them to respond in the form of a question. As of Thursday, the streak by Jennings stood at 42 shows, with winnings of more than $1.3 million. But a report Wednesday on TV Week's Web site said the run ended with a show taped Tuesday that will air later this fall. A network spokesman refused to confirm or deny the report. Griffin sold "Jeopardy" and his other creation, "Wheel of Fortune," to Coca-Cola Corp. in 1986 for $250 million. Coca-Cola then owned Columbia Pictures, which is now owned by Sony Corp.
Prisoners with pets\nMICHIGAN CITY, Ind. -- Jerry Grinstead climbs the staircase to the fifth level of Cell House A at the Indiana State Prison, his home for nearly 10 years. The 37-year-old convicted murderer has mellowed out since he adopted a cat, Thor, to live with him in his cell. \nHe no longer needs to yell just to bounce his voice off the walls. Nor to drink alcohol (this is theoretically banned in prison) to numb his soul. Now there is Thor, a sturdy bundle of white and brown fur at the end of a leash clipped to a cell bar, sitting in the corridor outside Grinstead's cell. \nThe maximum security prison with its 29 cat-owning inmates is the only correctional facility in the state that allows these pets, according to the Indiana Department of Correction. Prison officials say the cats have brought advantages to the prison. Their companionship has encouraged many inmates to keep their behavior in line.\nScientific studies have shown that pet owners suffer less mental stress than their non-pet-owning peers, and patients with pets have a greater chance of recovering from heart attacks. \nOfficials decided to allow more cats because a cell house that has been under renovation will open soon, making more room for cats, said Barry Nothstine, administrative assistant at the prison. There will be drawings to determine which 11 inmates will take in the cats as pets. \nThe new cats will come from Fried's Cat Shelter in Michigan City, which has taken in many of the strays found in the prison in recent years, says Charles Wood, a correctional case manager who is the liaison between the shelter and the prison.
