Watercooler news from The Associated Press

Odd News

She bought a colorful vase at Goodwill for $3.99. The rare piece sold at auction for $107,000

Jessica Vincent had just started surveying the shelves of a Virginia thrift store when a vase caught her eye. It was shaped like a bottle and had ribbons of color, aqua green and amethyst purple, that spiraled up its glass surface like stripes of paint. The piece looked old amongst the clutter of measuring cups, […]
6 months ago

Bronze top hat missing from Abraham Lincoln statue in Kentucky

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Abraham Lincoln’s top hat is missing from a bronze sculpture along the Ohio River in Louisville, Kentucky. The sculptor, Ed Hamilton, posted photos of his artwork at Waterfront Park on Facebook on Saturday and said someone stole the hat from the sculpture. “They had to be strong and determined to pry […]
6 months ago

Californian passes state bar exam at age 17 and is sworn in as an attorney

VISALIA, Calif. (AP) — A county prosecutor’s office says one of its law clerks passed the State Bar of California exam at age 17. The Tulare County District Attorney’s Office said this week that, according to research, Peter Park is the youngest person to pass the exam. The State Bar said Friday in an email […]
7 months ago

Fox snatcher: Footage shows furry intruder swiped cameras from Arizona backyard

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — An Arizona woman got a huge shock when surveillance footage showed the thief who stole her backyard cameras was four-legged and fluffy-tailed. Esmeralda Egurrola, of Tucson, noticed on Monday that her three motion-activated cameras appeared off-line. So, she checked the most recent recording in each camera from an app on her […]
7 months ago

Menu signed by Mao Zedong brings a quarter million dollars at auction

BOSTON (AP) — An official menu for a state banquet that bears the signature of former Chinese leader Mao Zedong has been auctioned for $275,000. Boston-based RR Auction said the menu auctioned Wednesday was for a banquet held in Beijing on October 19, 1956, and commemorated the first state visit to China by Pakistan’s Prime […]
7 months ago
This image provided by Won Young Lee shows wild chinstrap penguins on King George Island, Antarctic...

Penguin parents sleep for just a few seconds at a time to guard newborns, study shows

WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s a challenge for all new parents: Getting enough sleep while keeping a close eye on their newborns. For some penguins, it means thousands of mini-catnaps a day, researchers discovered. Chinstrap penguins in Antarctica need to guard their eggs and chicks around-the-clock in crowded, noisy colonies. So they nod off thousands of […]
7 months ago

Nebraska woman bags marriage proposal shortly after killing big buck on hunting trip

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska woman bagged a marriage proposal earlier this month along with a big buck during a recent deer hunting trip. Samantha Camenzind’s boyfriend not only gave her the first shot at the deer they had spotted on a trail camera south of Lincoln, but then surprised her by popping the […]
7 months ago

A horse loose on a flight to Belgium forces a cargo jet back to New York

NEW YORK (AP) — A cargo jet headed to Belgium from New York had to turn around mid-flight after a horse escaped its stall and got loose in the hold, according to air traffic control audio. The Boeing 747 operated by Air Atlanta Icelandic had just started its flight across the Atlantic Ocean on Nov. […]
7 months ago

In Wisconsin, old fashioneds come with brandy. Lawmakers want to make it somewhat official

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — In Wisconsin, the old fashioned cocktail comes with brandy, not bourbon. Now, state lawmakers want to make it somewhat official. A bipartisan resolution declaring the brandy old fashioned as the official Wisconsin state cocktail was up for approval Thursday in the state Assembly. It’s a resolution, not a bill, so even […]
7 months ago

Police: Live cluster bomblet, ammunition found with donation at southeastern Wisconsin thrift store

JANESVILLE, Wis. (AP) — A live cluster bomblet and ammunition have been found in a donation dropped off at a thrift shop in southeastern Wisconsin. An employee at the Janesville Goodwill made the discovery while conducting inventory Friday morning, according to the Janesville Police Department. The store and surrounding area were evacuated as a bomb […]
8 months ago

Man trapped in jewelry vault overnight is freed when timer opens the chamber as scheduled

NEW YORK (AP) — A man was trapped inside a steel-reinforced concrete jewelry vault in New York City overnight after firefighters had to abandon an attempt to rescue him for safety reasons. Fortunately, the vault was on a timer and opened on its own Wednesday morning, officials said. The fire department was called to the […]
8 months ago

Theft of 2 million dimes from truckload of coins from US Mint leaves four facing federal charges

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Federal authorities have released more details and unsealed charges in the theft of more than 2 million dimes earlier this year from a tractor-trailer that had picked up the coins from the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia. The truck driver was bound for Miami when he pulled into a parking lot to sleep […]
8 months ago

A $1.4 million speeding ticket surprised a Georgia man before officials clarified the situation

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — A Georgia man was left reeling after receiving a $1.4 million speeding ticket, but city officials say the figure was just a placeholder, not the actual fine. Connor Cato tells WSAV-TV in Savannah that he received the citation after getting pulled over in September for driving 90 mph (145 kph) in […]
8 months ago
In this photo provided by the National Park Service is Grazer, the winner of the 2023 Fat Bear Cont...

Don’t mess with this mama bear: Grazer easily wins popular Fat Bear Contest at Alaska national park

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — When it comes to packing on the pounds to survive an Alaska winter, this year’s undisputed champ is Grazer. Grazer, also known as Bear 128 to the fans of Fat Bear Week at Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve, won this year’s contest, handily defeating Chunk 108,321 to 23,134 in the […]
8 months ago

US Customs officials seize giraffe feces from woman at Minnesota airport

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Federal customs agents pooh-poohed the plans of an Iowa woman who wanted to make jewelry from giraffe feces she picked up on a trip to Kenya and brought back to the U.S. in her luggage. The woman declared the small box of feces when she was selected to have her belongings inspected […]
9 months ago

Indianapolis police capture a cheeky monkey that escaped and went on the lam

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Momo the monkey’s taste of freedom is over. The primate spurred an hourslong search on Indianapolis’ east side after he escaped Wednesday evening from his owner’s property. But the male patas monkey was finally captured safely Thursday morning, police said. Momo was captured by the brother of the monkey’s owner after police […]
9 months ago

Ohio football coach whose team called ‘Nazi’ during game says he was forced to resign, no ill intent

BROOKLYN, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio high school football coach says he was forced to resign by his school district and intended no harm to opposing players after he and his team repeatedly used “Nazi” as a game call in a Sept. 22 match. In an interview with The Associated Press Thursday, former Brooklyn High […]
9 months ago

Florida siblings, ages 10 and 11, stopped while driving mom’s car on freeway 200 miles from home

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — A 10-year-old Florida boy and his 11-year-old sister who were running away to California drove 200 miles (320 kilometers) in their mother’s car before they were stopped by sheriff’s deputies on an interstate highway, authorities said. The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office says deputies spotted the sedan on Interstate 75 near Gainesville […]
9 months ago

A toddler lost in the woods is found asleep using family dog as a pillow

FAITHORN, Mich. (AP) — A 2-year-old girl who walked away from her home in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula alongside two family dogs was found in the woods hours later sleeping on the smaller dog like a furry pillow, state police said. “She laid down and used one of the dogs as a pillow, and the other […]
9 months ago

Clarification: Wienermobile story

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — In a story published Sept. 21, 2023, The Associated Press reported that the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile is one-of-a-kind. The story should have made clear that Oscar Mayer has a fleet of Wienermobiles.
9 months ago

Poker player who drew donations for Las Vegas event lied about dying from cancer

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A poker player who said he had terminal cancer and accepted thousands of dollars in donations so he could play in a World Series of Poker tournament in Las Vegas now admits it was all a lie. Rob Mercer told the Las Vegas Review-Journal he made up a stage 4 colon […]
9 months ago

Woman rescued from outhouse toilet after climbing in to retrieve Apple Watch, Michigan police say

BAGLEY TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — A woman was rescued Tuesday from an outhouse toilet in northern Michigan after she climbed in to retrieve her Apple Watch and became trapped. The woman, whose name was not released, lowered herself inside the toilet after dropping the watch at the Department of Natural Resources boat launch at Dixon […]
9 months ago

Bears raid a Krispy Kreme doughnut van making deliveries on an Alaska military base

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska (AP) — Two bears on an Alaska military base raided a Krispy Kreme doughnut van that was stopped outside a convenience store during its delivery route. The driver usually left his doors open when he stopped at the store but this time a sow and one of her cubs that loiter […]
9 months ago

Gator with missing upper jaw finds new home in Florida reptile park

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A Florida reptile park has taken in an alligator that lost its nose and upper jaw to a fight or boat propeller. Gatorland Orlando said over the weekend that the injured alligator came from a lake in nearby Sanford, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northeast of Orlando. “She had basically no […]
9 months ago