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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

‘Fresh start’ Weiner’s hope on Twitter

From Wire Reports

Former congressman Anthony Weiner is back on Twitter.

The Democrat, who resigned in disgrace two years ago after tweeting a lewd picture of himself, has launched a new Twitter account: @anthonyweiner.

Weiner’s first post Monday was decidedly tame: a link to a 20-page policy statement outlining “64 Ideas to keep New York City the Capital of the Middle Class.” By late afternoon, he had a few thousand followers.

Weiner, 48, confirmed by email Monday that the new Twitter account is his.

“It seemed like a fresh start was in order especially in light of all the new ideas around which I am hoping to drive conversation and debate,” he wrote.

Weiner, who is married and has a baby son, ran for mayor in 2005 and considered it in 2009. He said this month in a New York Times Magazine story that he is considering joining the race to succeed Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

In the 2011 sexting scandal, Weiner initially claimed he had been hacked after a photo of a man’s underwear-clad crotch appeared on his Twitter account. As more pictures surfaced, including one of Weiner posing shirtless in his congressional office, he was forced to come clean and acknowledged exchanging inappropriate messages with several women.

Weiner’s old Twitter account, @repweiner, still has about 68,000 followers.

Huey Lewis and the computer thief

A woman will be sentenced in May in Northern California for the theft of a rental car and laptop from singer Huey Lewis.

Katherine Bowyer Gallagher has pleaded guilty to a felony charge of possession of stolen property. The Marin Independent Journal reports sentencing for the 31-year-old is May 15.

Lewis was identified by the California Highway Patrol as Hugh Anthony Cregg. The 62-year-old was staying at a Holiday Inn Express in Mill Valley on Feb. 21 when the Toyota Corolla he rented was stolen with his laptop inside.

Lewis says he left the car idling to go into the hotel for a receipt. Authorities say a CHP officer later spotted Gallagher in the stolen vehicle.

Birthday bunch

Actor David Birney is 74. Actor Lee Majors (“Six Million Dollar Man”) is 74. Actress Joyce DeWitt (“Three’s Company”) is 64. Director Michael Moore is 59. Actress Jan Hooks is 56. Actress Valerie Bertinelli is 53. Comedian George Lopez is 52. Actress Melina Kanakaredes (“Providence”) is 46. Drummer Stan Frazier (Sugar Ray) is 45. Actor Kal Penn (“House M.D.,” “Harold and Kumar”) is 36. Actor Dev Patel (“Slumdog Millionaire”) is 23.