Free Republic

child-sized swimming pool got caught in electric power lines on Paseo San Luis and knocked out homes and businesses for about 30 minutes Monday afternoon. Jack Blair, chief member services spokesman for Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative, said repair crews responded at about 4:30 p.m. after most of Sierra Vista's east side lost power. "We have no idea how it happened, but a small swimming pool somehow got tangled in our lines and knocked out the electricity," Blair said. Power was restored shortly after 5 p.m. to the area, Blair said.

Meteor showers are associated with streams of debris left behind by comets. The Perseids are dust bits from Comet Swift-Tuttle and are famous for creating bright fireballs and elevated meteor activity for nearly two weeks in mid-August. This year it is predicted the shower will peak on the overnight of Thursday, Aug. 11, to Friday, Aug. 12. It is predicted to be twice the usual intensity. That’s because Earth will pass through the center of the debris stream rather than the grazing encounter we experience in most years. The display should be well worth the loss of a few hours’...