It’s official: Piers Morgan is set to take over when Larry King exits the studio later this year. The Washington Post says CNN focused on Morgan’s journalism background, calling him a “global media personality” and “veteran newspaper editor,” instead of on his recent turn as judge of America’s Got Talent, arguably the venue that made him a household name in most of the country. 

There’s a great photo on the front page of the Washington Post this morning. It’s of a woman lost in a crowd of sunflowers. The 200-acre flower farm is located on the side of the road in Maryland and often attracts curious passersby.

Did you know that banana peels relieve the itch from a mosquito bite, coffee grinds give shine and softness to hair and vodka can obliterate odor-causing bacteria? The Kansas City Star put many of the food-related home remedies circulating on the Internet to the test. And it turns out, food is good for a lot more than just eating.

Summer’s winding down but wasp season is in full swing. The Boston Globe says a woman was stung more than 500 times yesterday after inadvertently stepping on a yellow jacket hive. Firefighters had to use a carbon dioxide fire extinguisher to disperse the mob. Experts say this is prime season for stinging insects as they are in a flurry to collect enough food for their queens before winter sets in.

Here’s something you can’t refudiate: Merriam-Webster’s word of the summer isn’t actually a word. After Sarah Palin took a turn as neologist by splicing ‘refute’ and ‘repudiate’ together, first on Fox News and then on Twitter, the dictionary website lit up says the St. Petersburg Times. A linguistics expert says if enough people start using the word, it could become a standard part of our vernacular.

It makes me queasy to think of actually doing this but a new study says instead of pounding Gatorade after a challenging workout, athletes should reach for the milk jug. According to the Sacramento Bee, milk contains two proteins, casein and whey, that aid the rebuilding of muscles. Sports drinks, on the other hand, tend to concentrate on replacing carbohydrates and electrolytes.

Is it time for Jerry Lewis to call it a night? Tom Shales of the Washington Post writes a column in today’s paper about whether the Jerry Lewis telethon is past its prime. Shales says this year the absence of his longtime side kick, Ed McMahon, was palpable. So was Lewis’ advancing age—he began once sentence with “up until I got to be 75 . . . ” 

Not everyone is lovin’ it. McDonalds may be synonymous with burgers but that doesn’t mean they’re any good at making them. Consumer Reports recently reviewed the country’s fast food restaurants to see who makes the best burger. Five Guys topped the list, winning praise for their two-patty burger and ample selection of free add-ons. McDonalds came in dead last says the New York Post.

Turns out, some things are bigger in coach. The New York Post says actress Minka Kelly—girlfriend of Yankee Derek Jeter—was told she’d have to move from her first-class seat to coach if she wanted to fly with her pet dog. Dog carriers, apparently don’t fit under first-class seats but they fit under those in coach.

There’s some bad news on the front page of the Wall Street Journal this morning. Health insurance rates are going up. Insurers say the hike is a direct result of costs imposed on them by the federal health overhaul. The Journal says the increases will hinder the Democrats’ ability to “trumpet their signature achievement” in the months leading up to midterm elections.

She already gave him a wedding present. The New York Post reports this morning that Rodney King, the man whose beating by the LAPD sparked weeks of race riots in the 1990s, is set to marry one of the jurors who awarded him a $3.8 million settlement. King has dated Cynthia Kelly on and off for years; they went on their first date—for pizza—the day after his civil suit against the city of Los Angeles ended.

Dennis Rodman is probably the only person who wouldn’t be embarrassed by this: The New York Post says the NBA star took six girls to his hotel room after hosting an event in the Hamptons on Labor Day. How do they know? Because Rodman left the wireless mic in his pocket on, giving party goers an earful of him describing his desires “in full sexual detail.”

She’s the last American standing says USA Today. Venus Williams beat Francesca Schiavone, who won this year’s French Open, in the quarterfinals of the US Open last night. Playing with a bad knee, Williams is now only two matches away from her first US Open title since 2001. Up next, she’ll take the court against Kim Clijsters, the tournament’s reigning champion.

It’s your party and you can lie if you want to. According to an opinion piece in this morning’s USA Today, Americans have a constitutional right to tell untruths. The government doesn’t give us carte blache to fib—we can’t lie under oath or to defraud someone. But if you choose to lie to former classmates at your high school reunion or to exaggerate your attributes in a pick-up line, the government has no right to intervene.

A political dynasty in Chicago is ending. Mayor Richard M. Daley announced yesterday that he won’t run for re-election. Daley has been in office for 21 years. The Chicago Tribune says the announcement came as a shock, with the mayor offering little by way of an explanation. The Tribune speculates that the announcement could entice Rahm Emmanuel to run for the mayorship.

A war is brewing among the country’s beermakers says the Houston Chronicle this morning. Most craft brewers sell their beer in brown bottles. But a few outliers have been pushing the oft-derided aluminum can—and they’ve been wildly successful. Can fans say they are better at blocking light and oxygen, two things that can degrade a beer’s taste.

Unless you want to shell out some serious money, you better make sure the dog doesn’t eat your homework says the Star Tribune. Or anything else. A recent analysis by the American Kennel Club found that on average, it costs $1,173 to remove a sock from a dog’s stomach. Golf balls were more costly, coming in at $1,844 and dental floss topped the list with a $3,590 price tag for removal.

The spirits of a Minneapolis woman rose after she got off the phone with the contractor in charge of her home renovations. Buried inside a wall the crew discovered a secret stash of booze, all with tax stamps dating to 1919—the year before Prohibition. Included in the booty were bottles with familiar names like Martini e Rossi, John Walker & Sons and John Dewar & Sons says the Star Tribune.

Business meetings are more bacon-and-egg than steak-and-potato affairs these days. In an effort to trim spending, companies are opting for breakfast meeting, as opposed to their more traditional lunch and dinner counterparts says the Boston Globe. Says one CEO: “Breakfast is a better option, at least when I’m paying.”

Ideas aren’t the only thing growing on college campuses these days. The Boston Globe says student gardens are becoming par for the course at schools around the country. Promoting both sustainable agriculture and healthy eating, proponents say the benefits reach beyond the plate.

Horses at the World Equestrian Games will jump over geese, squirrels and other small animals when the contest begins later this month. Sounds pretty easy, right? Well, the goose is question is mammoth, carved from an entire tree. The Lexington Herald-Leader has an interesting profile on the man who has made a living carving the giant jumps.

More Americans are making “hardship withdrawals” from their retirement funds reports the Indianapolis Star this morning. A study by Fidelity Investments found that the number of workers dipping into their savings last quarter was the highest ever. Financial experts say using retirement funds for cash now should be a last resort.

Move over Pepsi. The Washington Post says more and more Chinese companies want to get their products placed in Hollywood movies. And more and more are succeeding—Scarlett Johansson’s outfit in the latest “Iron Man” was made by a Chinese designer. According to the Post, product placement is just the tip of the iceberg in the blossoming romance between China and Hollywood.

Nothing like a plane crash outside your window to wake you up from a deep sleep. Residents in a small Nevada city came running with garden hoses and fire extinguishers after a single-engine plane crashed onto their street reports the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Neighbors quickly came to the rescue of the plane’s three survivors, who collapsed on a nearby lawn.

Turns out, money can buy happiness—up to a certain point. According to the LA Times, a new study released in the latest Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that the happiness of people increased as their annual salary increased. But once the number hit $75,000, the relationship between quality of life and income level flatlined.

The New York Times says that beach reads have gone the way of summer. Publishers are breaking out their heavy-hitting lineups in advance of the holiday season. Almost every genre is bursting with new books from big name authors: Both Amy and David Sedaris have new humor books, Jamie Oliver has a new cookbook and Tom Clancy and Michael Cunningham are set to release their latest works.

The hopes of Polish New Yorkers are on the slim shoulders of a pair of seventh graders says the New York Daily News this morning. The two 12-year-old tango dancers are poised to make the final cut on “America’s Got Talent” this evening. So far, they’ve been a favorite of the judges, except for Howie Mandel, who described their routine as “creepy.” VIDEO

The author who suggested parents leave their kids unsupervised at the playground is back today, with a guest column in the Wall Street Journal. Lenore Skenazy says kids and parents would be better off if more kids walked to school themselves.

The fall TV lineup is so varied, says the New York Post, that we need more than just the words ‘comedy’ and ‘drama’ to describe them. So the paper came up with some designations of their own. CBS’ “Undercover Boss” falls under the category, “Grown Men Crying,” while the network’s new vehicle for William Shatner, “$#*! My Dad Says” is grouped under “Unusual Families.”

As the New York Post says, “this gull’s got gall.” There’s a great photo in today’s paper of a hungry sea gull throwing caution to the wind and poaching a herring from the mouth of an eagle. The enterprising underdog used the eagle’s back to get his balance mid-flight.