Finders, keepers: One might say Alvaro Lyles and six of his pals, boys who laid claim to a meteorite that landed near where they were playing basketball in their hometown of Monahans, just got pennies from heaven. The soccer ball-sized rock that fell from the sky on March 22 and was confiscated by the city has been returned after the eleven-year-old's father threatened the city council with a lawsuit. The council ruled 4-0 to give the rock back to the boys, which could be worth more than $30,000, to keep from spending city money on a lawsuit that might give them the reputation of stealing candy from a baby. Various university science departments are interested in buying the rock and when sold, Alvaro's father says the money will be used to help fund the boys' educations.

From baked to half-popped: Austinite Doug Forman, the entrepreneur behind the Guiltless Gourmet snack line who traded in his chips to start a soundstage facility in Austin, just returned to the food court. His newest creation, called Pop-Nots!, are a popcorn relative modeled after the half-popped kernels that fall to the bottom of the bag. The snack, which has been about a year in development, comes in four flavors including spicy cheese and white cheddar. Pop Nots! started shipping to stores in the beginning of June. The low fat baked chip line sold for over $10 million, so it'll be interesting to see if the kernels turn out to be just as golden.

Don't throw it on the fire: Apparently mesquite isn't just for barbecue anymore. Scientists at Texas A&M University in Kingsville see something more permanent in the twisted tree's future: furniture. But first they have to find a perfect specimen, one that stands straight and tall, and they're offering $100 each for winning photos of the two tallest, straightest, examples of mesquite trees found anywhere in Texas. The agricultural researchers would like to find two trees, one from a managed landscape and the other growing wild, between 6-8 feet tall, and inordinately straight, whose seed could start a forest near the university's campus on the Gulf coast (tables and chairs are 30 years down the road, though). Mesquite would be well-suited for lumber and furniture based on its hardness, stability, and its pleasing reddish-orange color. Wood-be contestants should arm themselves with an 8-foot, 2-by-4-inch board, a carpenter's level, and a camera: entry photos must show the board vertical beside the tree to indicate its straightness (the tree shouldn't be greater than 8 inches from the board at any point). Interested contestants can call Robert Ohm at 512/593-3957 for more information.

(7/1/98)