When in doubt, check it out Lost • Kari Kocis, right, and Costas Sandoval, left, point students in the right direction to help them avoid wasting time in the wrong lines. The lines were significantly shorter today compared to Monday. Tracey Roman / Daily Forty-Niner

News

• Center to give same day appointments
  The Student Health Center, which already provides a variety of services to students for little or no cost, has made improvements for the fall semester.
  
• Half.com offers students cheaper textbook choices
  Fifty-six percent of students have avoided buying textbooks because of the cost, according to an August 2005 survey of college students ages 19 to 25 by survey.com.
  
• Spearhead found in 5,000-year-old bison skull
  NORMAN, Okla. (U-Wire) — Rows and rows of dusty animal skulls adorn the walls of the Oklahoma Archaeological Survey, but one skull made its television debut Monday on the PBS show “History Detectives.”
  
• $500,000 fund to bring supportive housing
  The Long Beach Housing Trust Fund Coalition (LBHTFC) held a press meeting Tuesday opposing the City Council’s proposal for sufficient housing. The coalition also presented their proposal and said it would accommodate Long Beach residents with low incomes.
  
• News in a few
  

Opinion

• Our view: Hovering helicopter parents need to buzz off
  Attention boys and girls on deck, the helicopter parents have arrived to make sure little Jimmy and sweet Sally’s transition to college goes smoothly.
  
• Shocked Hoosier's observations of the Golden State
  So, what is wakeboarding exactly? That is one of the many questions I had the moment I arrived in Long Beach from Indiana, the land of cornfields, cows and deep-fried Reeses cups.
  

Diversions

• 'Lord of the Rings' director's earlier work released on DVD
  COLLEGE STATION, Texas (U-Wire) — When it was first announced that New Zealand filmmaker Peter Jackson would be directing “The Lord of the Rings” for New Line Cinema, the world of fandom was divided between those who asked, “who” and those who asked, “are you freaking kidding me?”

• 49ers steam by Sac State in five
  The iron women of the No. 24 ranked Long Beach State volleyball team got off to a slow start in the Walter Pyramid Saturday night, but they picked up steam and flattened the Sacramento State Hornets 3-2.