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- Activities and entertainment events scheduled for this week include:

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TODAY

WRITERS GATHER: Augusta State University will present its 15th annual Winter Gathering of Writers at 7:30 p.m. in Allgood Hall, Room E157, on the campus, 2500 Walton Way. Opal Moore and Chris Forhan will read poetry. Call 737-1500.

SPECIAL SPEAKER: The Augusta Jewish Federation presents a special speaker at 6:45 p.m. at Congregation Children of Israel, 3005 Walton Way. Shelley Rose, the associate director of the Anti-Defamation League, will speak on hot issues facing the Georgia Legislature, including the Ten Commandments, funding of faith-based organizations and hate crime legislation. The event is open to the public. Call 228-3636.

THURSDAY

WINTER BLOOD DRIVE: The Sixth Annual Columbia County Emergency Services Winter Blood Drive will be from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Evans Government Center Auditorium, Building A, on Ronald Reagan Drive. Donors will receive a free T-shirt, blood band, lunch from Mot's Barbecue and a cholesterol screening. Donors must weigh at least 110 pounds, be at least 17 years old, be relatively healthy and provide a photo ID. For more information, call 868-3303.

CHAMBER BANQUET: The Greater North Augusta Chamber of Commerce's annual banquet and meeting will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. at the North Augusta Community Center, 101 Brookside Drive. The citizen of the year will be announced. The keynote speaker will be Darla Moore. Tickets cost $35. For more information, call 279-2323.

THEATER PRODUCTION: The Storyland Theatre will present Beauty and the Beast at 9:30 a.m., 10:45 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. Thursday and Friday at Augusta State University's Grover C. Maxwell Performing Arts Theatre. Reservations are required. Tickets cost $3.50 per pupil. A family matinee will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday. Tickets cost $4 for the matinee.

Today in regional history:

JAN. 26, 1953

Every fire company in Augusta, with the exception of two, answered five false alarms during a three-hour period early last night.

Street police were on the lookout for the pranksters. The alarms started coming in at 6:25 p.m.

The first alarm was to the Augusta Factory, the second at Estes and Fifteenth Street, the third at Walton Way and Young Street, the fourth at Fenwick Street and Crawford Avenue and the fifth sent companies rolling to Young and Cooper streets.

Motorcycle police went in on the alarms and it could not be determined who were more vexed, the firemen or the police.

Eat Right

January is always a good month to renew those promises to eat healthy. That includes limiting:

- Sodium: Consume less than a teaspoon of salt each day. Choose foods with low or no sodium.

- Alcohol: Those who drink alcoholic beverages should do so sensibly and in moderation ñ defined as the consumption of as much as one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men.

- Fats and oils: Avoid foods high in saturated or trans-fats, and choose products low in such fats and oils.

Sources: U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services