CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : VISALIA : Bomber Hoax Shoots for the Stars

Educators admitted that they conned students into thinking that a stealth bomber would fly over so they would pay close attention to stars. Even a radio disc jockey joined the hoax by hosting a live evening broadcast, telling a shopping center crowd that the plane was heading their way. It wasn’t, even though the KARM-FM disc jockey did a simulation of a countdown to the moment the plane was to have appeared overhead during a “Night Under the Stars” astronomy education program. “The stealth sighting was just a way to keep people looking into the sky,” said Loren Olson, program director for the Christian station. A school district spokeswoman shrugged off the con, which included press releases. “We didn’t mean to hurt anybody’s feelings,” Joan McCray said. “That’s show biz.”