Collins Gets Free in Cameo Role

One-time Swedish pop star Peter Holm joined a growing list of ex-husbands when Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Kenneth Black granted “Dynasty” star Joan Collins’ request for a divorce because of “irreconcilable differences.” The 54-year-old actress, wearing a white suit, played once again to a packed courtroom when she took the stand in a brief proceeding that ended her bitter public divorce battle. Holm, 40, was out of the country when the 13-month-old marriage came to an end, but his lawyer said Holm would be back in court Oct. 7 to press his fight for $80,000 a month in alimony. A jubilant Collins swore to reporters that she would never marry again. “I don’t need a husband,” she said. “I need a wife.” She shed her first spouse, actor Maxwell Reed, in 1956. Her other exes are singer-composer Anthony Newley and recording company executive Ronald Kass, who died last year.

--Oklahoma City library officials knew they had a real whodunit on their hands when mystery books began disappearing from 15 public library branches. Then, about 600 books were discovered in a trash bin behind a store, with their title pages and card-processing pockets cut out. So, to track down the culprit, library officials undertook a cloak-and-dagger operation worthy of the best of John Le Carre, P. D. James and Ian Fleming. Their sleuthing--which included stalking suspects among the book stacks and taking down car registration numbers--revealed that five library cards were involved, although all five borrowers had the same handwriting. The clues eventually led to one person, a retired businessman in his 70s. According to Debra Krittenbrink of the library, a total of 2,000 volumes were taken over an 18-month period. Some were stolen from the shelves, others legitimately checked out but never returned. Much of the literary loot was recovered in the man’s garage, where it was catalogued by author and title. While the library board is deciding whether to press charges, the man has been banned from the library and his library cards have been revoked.

--In an effort to crack down on prostitution, authorities in the central Nigerian city of Bauchi have ordered all single girls to get married within three months. According to the government-owned, Lagos-based Daily Times, Sanni Abubakar, the local government chairman in Bauchi, warned that girls who don’t meet the marriage deadline would face unspecified punishment. Abubakar said a recent drought that destroyed crops has driven many girls to take up “ungodly living” to support themselves, a reference to the area’s high rate of prostitution.