Two short items appeared recently in Associated Press reports.

• TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – One of four Democrats seeking a Sarasota-area congressional seat sued an opponent over the punctuation in her name. Patrick Feheley objects to his rival being listed as Candice Brown-McElyea because if left hyphenated, the name would appear before Feheley’s on the ballot. A listing of Candice Brown McElyea would drop her behind Feheley in alphabetical order during the Sept. 10 primary. Feheley seeks to determine whether a candidate can change their surname to gain a preferable ballot position. Brown-McElyea says Brown is part of her last name, not her middle name.
• EL PASO, Texas – Christine Lynn O’Kane’s name nearly cost her her job with the El Paso police. ”When you put it together, it spells ‘cocaine,”’ said police spokesman Al Velarde, referring to the e-mail moniker C. O’KANE. O’Kane resigned from the force in 2000 to take care of her ailing mother, the El Paso Times reported. But when she reapplied months later, police management cited the ”inappropriate” use of her name as the basis for denying her return. O’Kane the won her appeal to the Civil Service Commission. Back on the job for nearly a year, O’Kane now uses her maiden name, Whitaker.

What’s In a Name?AP)