DEAR SUN SPOTS: We have a Canadian glide chair with two-inch rubber strapping that has rotted out. Any idea where we may purchase this type of strapping?

Also, when will Italian sandwich shops in Lewiston-Auburn offer wheat bread? With all the no-no’s of white bread, what are they waiting for? We never find any hot dog rolls made of wheat either. We know that schools offer wheat hot dog rolls. Why not in the market? We can be reached at 268-4613. — Rachel, Lewiston

ANSWER: Sun Spots found a few sites online that offer the strapping. The most promising seemed to be www.patiofurniturerehab.com. You can phone them at 724-748-5382. Sun Spots didn’t find any local source, but perhaps a reader will know of one.

As for the wheat bread issue, Sun Spots called Sam’s Italian Sandwich Shoppes, where a manager told her that Sam’s has its own bakery and only offers the individual stores white bread. The manager sent her up the corporate chain for an explanation of why they only bake white, but no one called Sun Spots back.

Demand is the key for stores when deciding what to sell. Wheat bread may be healthier, but generations have been brought up on white bread, and it will take awhile for the demand for wheat bread to reach a tipping point. But wheat rolls are available in many places. There were wheat hot dog rolls available in the Hannaford Sun Spots checked yesterday. They were made by Country Kitchen. They were on a top shelf, however, and there was only one row of them, so they’d be easy to overlook. If your favorite store doesn’t carry the wheat rolls you want, talk to the manager. If enough people ask for an item, the store will start carrying it.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: I enjoy your column very much. I watch WGME every morning and during the day. I heard Kate Barker is expecting a baby. You do a great job. Thank you. — No Name, Lewiston

ANSWER: Sun Spots e-mailed with Kate, who sent her the following:

“I am six months pregnant and due in June. So far I am feeling great! My husband, Adam, and I are thrilled — this is our first child. We don’t know if it will be a boy or a girl; we are going to be surprised. I grew up in Yarmouth, graduated from Yarmouth High School, and so all of my family is local. We feel really lucky to have so many family members around to support us during this exciting time.”

A brief biography of Kate is on the WGME Web site:

“… Kate graduated from the College of the Holy Cross with a degree in English. Her broadcast career started at Holy Cross, where she announced basketball and football games for the college radio station.

“Her first television reporting job was in Bangor. Kate worked as an anchor, reporter and producer. Her work in Bangor was honored by the Maine Association of Broadcasters and the Associated Press. Kate also met her husband while working in Bangor — they reported at the same television station.

“Kate left Bangor to take a reporting job in Charlotte, N.C. She worked for two years at News 14 Carolina. Kate was a little nervous about moving south, but it turned out to be one of the best experiences of her life. She met some great people who taught her everything there is to know about NASCAR, North Carolina barbecue and country music.

“Kate loved Charlotte but missed her family and friends back home in Maine. She has dreamed of reporting the news in her hometown ever since she was a little girl, so when a job became available at WGME, it was an opportunity she could not pass up.

“Kate loves going to the beach, playing golf and spending time with her family and friends, especially her two nieces. Kate and her husband, Adam, are huge Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots fans.”

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