Newsbreaks for Thursday

Audio version is here.

Fifteen years after they became popular, a Louisiana town is outlawing baggy pants. “We’re getting better,” said Carol Broussard, the mayor of Decambre, Louisiana. “Last year, we were burning Beatle records.”

The Dalai Lama made an appearance today at the zoo founded by “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin. The Tibetan spiritual leader praised Irwin for showing kindness to all living creatures—at least when the camera was off.

“Loving kindness makes for extremely boring TV,” the Dalai Lama said. “Imagine me hosting ‘Hardball.’”