Interesting & funny news from around the world, Интересные и забавные новости со всего мира

309 people don banana hats to break world record at Missouri museum

A Missouri museum gathered 309 people in banana hats to break an "a-peel-ing" Guinness World Record.

The City Museum in St. Louis took on the title for the most people wearing banana hats at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

An official Guinness World Records adjudicator was on site and confirmed the museum took the record with 309 participants.

"We gathered a bunch of friends to set the a-peel-ing Guinness World Records title for most people wearing banana hats with 309 participants! We couldn't have split this record without the help of Explore St. Louis, Slalom St. Louis, Rasta Imposta Costumes and, of course, YOU," the museum said on social media.

Philadelphia Zoo announces hatching of its first Galapagos tortoise babies

The Philadelphia Zoo announced the hatching of four critically endangered Western Santa Cruz Galapagos tortoises, the first of their species to hatch at the facility in its history.

The zoo said the first egg hatched Feb. 27 and the others emerged from their eggs in the ensuing weeks. Zookeepers said they are still monitoring multiple eggs that could still hatch in the coming weeks.

The eggs were laid by Mommy, a tortoise estimated to be about 100 years old who is considered a key asset for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan. The father of the babies, Abrazzo, is also believed to be about 100 years old.

The hatchlings are scheduled to make their public debut April 23, which is also the 93rd anniversary of the day Mommy first arrived at the zoo.

"This is a significant milestone in the history of Philadelphia Zoo, and we couldn't be more excited to share this news with our city, region and the world," Jo-Elle Mogerman, the zoo's president and CEO, said in a news release. "Mommy arrived at the Zoo in 1932, meaning anyone that has visited the zoo for the last 92 years has likely seen her. Philadelphia Zoo's vision is that those hatchlings will be a part of a thriving population of Galapagos tortoises on our healthy planet 100 years from now."

Abrazzo came to the zoo in 2020, and Mommy has since laid four clutches of eggs, but the first three did not produce any viable hatchlings.

Hawk captured after terrorizing English village for weeks

A Harris' hawk's reign of terror was brought to an end after being captured by a resident of the English village where it was blamed for an estimated 50 dive-bombing attacks on locals.

The non-native bird of prey has been blamed for dozens of attacks on the heads of unsuspecting residents, drawing blood in some cases. The Royal Mail said service in the area had been interrupted due to the risk to carriers.

The Harris' hawk, native to North and South America, was finally captured by appropriately-named resident Steve Harris, 40.

"It's a relief for us and the whole village," Harris, who caught the hawk in a cage in his back yard, told the BBC.

"It had been chasing me around the village when I went for a run, and when I got back it flew down to the top of my shed," he said. "The falconer had left me a cage. I was using it to protect myself and I got brave enough when the bird was about a foot away, and I threw it over the top of it, trapping it. I screamed out for the falconer to come and help, and he came and tamed it."

Harris said his children had been barred from playing outside their home for several days due to the presence of the aggressive raptor.

"We're about to pick the kids up from school. They're going to be delighted they can go into the garden," Harris told The Guardian.

Alan Greenhalgh, the falconer who helped Harris with the capture, said the bird is a young male and may have been acting aggressive due to being "hormonal."

Greenhalgh said the bird is "as fat as a barrel" after being fed by villagers in their attempts to capture it.

Another falconer, who gave his name as Wayne, is now taking care of the hawk. He said dried-out leather tags on the avian's feet indicate it has likely been on the loose for over a year.

Cruise ship crew breaks world record with 1,391 Lego boats

A company celebrated the launch of its newest cruise ship by assembling 1,391 Lego ships and lining them up on the deck.

MSC Cruises took on the record for the longest line of Lego ships on the deck of its new flagship, the MSC World America, during the voyage from its shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France, to its new home port in Miami, Fla.

The 1,391 ships were assembled and arranged by a team of about 1,500 crew members, ending with a line of Lego boats stretching 292 feet.

A Guinness World Records adjudicator was on deck to witness the attempt and certify the record.

A naming ceremony for the MSC World America is scheduled for Wednesday, and the ship will begin its inaugural Caribbean season Saturday.

Kentucky restaurant intentionally filled with clean water to keep flood at bay

The owners of a Kentucky restaurant in the path of the Ohio river floods shared their unusual strategy for keeping the dirty water out: intentionally flooding the building with clean water.

Andrew Masterson, co-owner of Captain's Quarters Riverside Grille in Prospect, posted a live video to Facebook showing how he and his team are keeping the silty floodwater out of the building.

Masterson and the restaurant's employees used sinks, faucets and a well water pump to fill the restaurant with about 6 feet of clean freshwater to keep the filthy flood at bay.

"We disconnected kitchen equipment and electrical panels beforehand," Masterson explained in the video.

Masterson said that if the strategy continues to be successful, it could save the restaurant from expensive and time-consuming clean-up work.

He said he remains concerned that the floodwaters could enter the restaurant through windows, doors or ductwork if the water levels outside reach higher than 6 feet.

NASA offers $3M in competition to recycle human poop in space

NASA is offering $3 million to anyone who proposes technology to solve an unusual problem: recycling feces and other human waste in space.

The space agency's LunaRecycle Challenge calls on members of the public to propose a technological means of recycling astronauts' feces, urine and vomit on the moon and during long-haul space flights.

There are currently 96 bags of human waste that were left behind on the moon by astronauts from the Apollo missions, and the aim of the LunaRecycle Challenge is to prevent adding to the stinky space stash.

The chosen technology will be put to use on future space missions, including hypothetical long-term outposts on the moon.

"NASA is committed to sustainable space exploration. As we prepare for future human space missions, there will be a need to consider how various waste streams, including solid waste, can be minimized — as well as how waste can be stored, processed, and recycled in a space environment so that little or no waste will need to be returned to earth," NASA said on its website.

NASA is currently reviewing the first round of proposals to decide which ones will move on to the next phase of the competition. The team who comes out on top at the end of the competition will be awarded $3 million.

British teenager hand-draws 1,300-page flip-book

A British teenager broke a Guinness World Record by hand-drawing a flip-book that went on for 1,300 pages.

Max Budgen, 17, of Petersfield, Hampshire, told Guinness World Records he drew his flip-book, titled Thunder Strikes, over the course of several days.

"The record attempt itself took place over a number of days. I'd sit down on my desk, at school, on trains and I'd draw," he said.

The finished flip-book earned him the title for the most pages in a hand-drawn flip-book.

"Some of the toughest moments that I encountered whilst attempting this record, I think is the fact that flip books usually are meant to be short, snappy and interesting narratives," he said.

"By the time I was on page 500 or so, I was getting rather bored and running out of ideas. But, nevertheless, I reminded myself that world records aren't meant to be easy. So I persevered and carried on."

Weirdest finds inside unclaimed luggage include 'Goonies' script, glass eye

Unclaimed Baggage revealed its annual "Found Report," detailing the most unique and expensive items found inside lost luggage that went unclaimed.

The retailer, which takes possession of unclaimed bags after a 90-day search for owners and redistributes the items for sale, charity or recycling, said some of the most bizarre items handlers have come across in the past year include a freeze-dried chicken foot and a script from the 1985 film The Goonies.

Other unusual items included a toilet seat, a glass eye, an uncut sheet of $2 bills, an Ice Spice Chia Pet, a replica suit of medieval armor, a 1944 letter signed by Eleanor Roosevelt, a jar of whiskey containing a preserved rattlesnake, a cuckoo clock, a silicone pregnancy belly, a cheery-shaped toilet brush, an antique magician's top hat and an antique mustache curler.

Some of the most expensive finds include a $39,000 diamond ring, a $20,000 Rolex watch, a $5,000 pair of embroidered Levi's jeans and a $9,100 Louis Vuitton handbag.

Alaska woman's nearly 3-inch mouth gape breaks world record

An Alaska woman had her massive mouth measured by a dentist and broke a Guinness World Record with her 2.98-inch gape.

Ketchikan resident Marie Pearl Zellmer Robinson said she always knew she had a large mouth, but hadn't considered it might be a world record until she saw a video of the previous record-holder, Samantha Ramsdell, whose mouth gape was measured at 2.56 inches in 2021.

"I just watched the videos a few times. I'm like, 'Huh, that's funny. I could fit that kind of stuff in my mouth too! Hey, I wonder if I can beat her,'" Robinson told Guinness World Records.

Robinson's dentist measured her mouth gape at 2.98 inches, earning her the title for the largest mouth gape (female).

"I've always kind of known I had a big mouth," she told the Ketchikan Daily News. "I talk a lot, and apparently I do have a physically big mouth, but we never really did anything about it. It was always just kind of a joke that I could fit two, you know, three and a half Jenga blocks in my mouth, type of concept, when you're kids."

Robinson said she doesn't show her mouth off as much now that she's an adult.

"When I do, it kind of creeps people out," she said. "That's a creepy jaw!"

She said earning the title was a sort of redemption for her, after she missed out on joining an attempt for the world's largest Wellington boot race in 2013 because she couldn't get the day off work.

"Now I get to join the rest of them and have a Guinness World Records title with a lot of other people in town," she said.

Deer wanders into YMCA in Kentucky

Police in Kentucky responded to the local YMCA to eject an unusual "trespasser" — a deer.

The Louisville Metro Police Department said on social media that officers responded to the Chestnut Street YMCA on a report of "a trespasser refusing to leave."

"When officers arrived on scene, we were met with a subject literally staring at us with a 'deer in the headlights' look," the post said. "To our surprise, the YMCA doesn't offer memberships to deer. Who knew?"

The post included a video of the deer being escorted back outdoors.

Police said they have seen an increase in reports of deer wandering into urban areas, likely due to recent floods.

2,461 take cold weather swim to break world record in Czech Republic

A total 2,461 bathers braved the frigid waters of the Czech Republic's second-largest lake to break a world record for the largest polar bear dip.

Czech freediver David Vencl organized the March 1 attempt at Most Lake, where the water was measured at below 50 degrees.

Guinness World Records confirmed the bathers took the record from 1,799 cold weather swimmers who took the plunge at the XIIth Ice Swimmers Convention in Poland in 2015.

Vencl previously held the record for the longest swim under ice — breath held (no fins, no diving suit), which he set in 2021 and only lost in March of this year.

Pickleball enthusiasts play 36-hour marathon to break world record

A team of four pickleball enthusiasts broke a Guinness World Record in Texas by playing 36 consecutive hours of matches.

The team, who call themselves The Pickle Breakers, took on the record for the longest marathon playing pickleball at Pickler Universe in Carrollton, and ended their attempt at 36 hours.

The current record is held by a foursome who played for 34 hours, 5 minutes and 55 seconds in Britain in September 2024. Evidence from the latest attempt must still be reviewed and approved by the record-keeping organization.

The Pickle Breakers — Chong Kim, Jaret Petras, Laura Maala and Geneva Olson — started playing at 6 a.m. local time on Saturday.

"They're tired. It's been a long night," Olson's husband, Mark, told KWTX-TV.

The attempt raised over $18,000 for the Taylor's Gift Foundation, a charity supporting organ donation and providing aid to families who decide to donate the organs of their loved ones.

Mark Olson said the cause is very close to his wife's heart, and she also wanted to inspire the couple's daughters.

"We've got four daughters, and she wants to prove to her daughters that she can do anything, and they can do anything they put their mind to," he said. "She's been the kind of person that if there's something she wants to do, she puts her mind to it and gets it done."

Tiny pygmy falcon chick hatches at Texas zoo

The San Antonio Zoo in Texas shared a photo of its latest arrival — a newly-hatched pygmy falcon weighing barely more than a quarter.

The zoo announced the "pint-sized powerhouse" hatched March 18 and weighs just .23 ounces — just over the .2-ounce weight of a U.S. quarter.

"The tiniest predator with the biggest personality just hatched at San Antonio Zoo," the zoo said on social media.

The chick is the 12th pygmy falcon to hatch in the zoo's history, and the first since 2004. It is also the only pygmy falcon to hatch at a U.S. zoo in the past 12 months.

"Proud parents Squiggy and Laverne, both hatched at San Diego Zoo (Squiggy in 2023, Laverne in 2021), have now started their own little dynasty at San Antonio Zoo," the zoo said.

The chick is being hand-raised by zookeepers at the NEST, the zoo's facility for baby birds.

"With gray plumage and a chestnut patch on the female's back, pygmy falcons are as striking as they are resourceful. They often nest in the homes of social weavers and protect them — though they sometimes prey on the weavers, too," the post said.

Mass. teen's message in a bottle from 1976 found in the Bahamas

A pair of brothers walking along the coast of a remote island in the Bahamas found a message in a bottle that had been written by a 14-year-old Massachusetts student in 1976.

Clint Buffington, an experienced beachcomber who has found more than 100 messages in bottles across North America and the Caribbean, said he and his brother, Evan, were exploring the coast of an island in the Bahamas a few weeks ago when they made a discovery.

"I hear my walkie-talkie crackle to life, and my brother says something like, 'You're not going to believe what I just found,'" Clint Buffington told WCVB-TV.

The old Pepsi bottle contained a note written by Peter R. Thompson, a 14-year-old Pentucket Regional Junior High School student from West Newbury, Mass., who was taking an oceanography class at the time. The note said the bottle would be tossed into the ocean by the Coast Guard.

The Buffington brothers were able to get in touch with Thompson, who said he does not remember writing the message, but he has fond memories of the oceanography class.

"It's amazing. It's almost 50 years later, so it's a surprise," Thompson said.

Buffington said he and his brother are hoping to eventually return the note to Thompson in person.

Herd of 25 escaped cows visits Pennsylvania neighborhoods

A herd of about 25 cows went parading through several neighborhoods in Pennsylvania's Bucks County after escaping from a farm.

Annette Worthington, one of the owners of Curly Hill Farm in Doylestown, said a call from a neighbor led to the discovery that about 25 young heifers had escaped from their pasture.

"They got spooked last night from the storm," Worthington told CBS Philadelphia. "They ran past two electric fences, and they hit it with such force, they ripped a fence post out of the ground."

The cows were caught on camera wandering through multiple neighborhoods in the surrounding communities of Bucks County.

Worthington said the herd split into two groups, with one heading into a wooded area and the other taking a tour of residential areas.

About 10 of the bovines were captured outside B & B Beverages in Doylestown, where owner Zach Jarin caught sight of the action.

"There were a bunch of farmers here trying to wrangle them out. Definitely never something I expected to happen selling beer," Jarin told WFMZ-TV.

All of the cows were eventually recaptured with help from police and local residents. Worthington said a single cow, named Gracie, evaded pursuers for a few hours longer than the others, but was safely returned to the farm.

'Fabulous feathered friend': Loose peacock found wandering in Philadelphia

Animal rescuers in Philadelphia responded to an unusual situation when a resident found a wandering peacock on their front step.

ACCT Philly said on social media that rescuers were called out Thursday on a report of a loose peacock in the city.

"This fabulous feathered friend was spotted strutting through the city like he had brunch reservations and no time to waste," the post said. "You know it's going to be that kind of day when your morning meeting gets interrupted by a wandering peacock on your front step."

The group said the peacock was safely captured and brought back to the rescue.

ACCT Philly did not say whether the bird's owners had been identified.

Maryland man wins $50,000 lottery prize on his first try

A Maryland man bought his first-ever lottery ticket at his mother's urging and scored a $50,000 prize thanks to his beginner's luck.

The St. Mary's County man told Maryland Lottery officials he had never bought a lottery ticket before visiting the Shoppers grocery store in Waldorf with his mother.

"My mom plays the lottery, so when we walked past the vending machine she suggested that I finally try one," the player recalled.

The player's mother helped him pick out a Big Money scratch-off ticket, which turned out to be a $50,000 winner.

"I can only describe it as an intense rush," the man said of learning he was a big winner.

The player said his first lottery ticket might also be his last.

"What are the chances that I'll ever do this well again?" he said.

The man said he might consider changing his mind down the line.

"Maybe I'll try a Mega Millions or Powerball ticket. Maybe the luck will still be with me," he said.

Belgians hunt for hidden beers in Easter event

A brewery in Belgium swapped painted eggs for frothy brews when it celebrated Easter with the "World's Biggest Beer Hunt."

The fifth annual Easter event at the Aywiers Gardens in Lasne, Belgium, saw over 1,000 registered hunters searching the grounds for 12,000 hidden bottles of Lutgarde beer.

Hidden among the beers was a special golden bottle, which earned its finder a prize of his weight in beer.

The event began Sunday with a chocolate egg hunt for children at noon, and the beer hunt then commenced at 12:30 p.m. A barbecue at 1:30 p.m. allowed the hunters to relax and enjoy some of their collected beer bounty.

A second round of the hunt is taking place Monday.

Party animals: Chimpanzees caught on camera sharing alcoholic fruit

A team of British researchers studying chimpanzees in West Africa said they have documented the primates eating and sharing alcoholic fruit.

The University of Exeter team said cameras set up at Cantanhez National Park in Guinea-Bissau captured the chimps sharing fermented African breadfruit that was later confirmed to contain ethanol.

The team's study suggests the chimpanzees could be using the alcohol for a similar purpose as humans who partake in intoxicating beverages.

"For humans, we know that drinking alcohol leads to a release of dopamine and endorphins, and resulting feelings of happiness and relaxation," Anna Bowland, from the university's Center for Ecology and Conservation, said in a news release.

"We also know that sharing alcohol — including through traditions such as feasting — helps to form and strengthen social bonds," she said. "So — now we know that wild chimpanzees are eating and sharing ethanolic fruits — the question is: could they be getting similar benefits?"

The researchers said it is notable that the chimps were documented sharing the fruits, rather than eating them alone.

"Chimps don't share food all the time, so this behavior with fermented fruit might be important," researcher Kimberley Hockings said. "We need to find out more about whether they deliberately seek out ethanolic fruits and how they metabolism it, but this behavior could be the early evolutionary stages of 'feasting.'"

Australian woman's collection of Minions earns world record

An Australian woman earned a Guinness World Record with her collection of 1,035 Minions — the little yellow mischief-makers from the Despicable Me franchise.

Western Australia resident Liesl Benecke said she fell in love with the Minions while watching the first Despicable Me film and started collecting merchandise about 15 years ago.

"I remember laughing so much at the cute, little pill-shaped henchmen. They certainly made a huge impression on me," she told Guinness World Records. "I'm just a big kid at heart. Since then I have always been on the lookout for Minions everywhere I go."

Guinness World Records confirmed she is now the holder of the record for the largest collection of Minions memorabilia.

"My daughter says I need another house just to store my Minions, but I love being surrounded by their beautiful, bright yellow smiles," she said. "They are in every room and on every spare wall."

Benecke said that while some more casual fans might find the Minions interchangeable, she has a clear favorite.

"My favorite is Stuart, the sassy, one eyed Minion with attitude, and he is the one I have tattooed on my arm. So many people and kids comment on the tattoo and we start talking about our mutual love of Minions," she said.

Benecke said her collection is still growing.

"I will never stop buying Minions to bring home to join my Minion family," she said. "My daughter thinks I have enough but I love them more than ever."

Cypriot busts a move with 468 wine glasses balanced on his head

A dancer in Cyprus may have broken a Guinness World Record by balancing 468 wine glasses on his head — while dancing.

Dinos Kkantis performed a traditional routine known as the Dance of the Glasses at an Easter Tuesday event in Aradippou, Kkantis, which involved an increasing number of trays of glasses being placed on his head while he danced.

Kkantis managed to dance with 468 glasses on his head, potentially taking the Guinness World Record for the most wine glasses balanced on the head. The current record of 319 glasses was set by fellow Cypriot Aristotelis Valaoritis in May 2023.

Video and other evidence from Kkantis' performance must now be reviewed by Guinness World Records before becoming official.

Pawesome pooches shred the waves at Florida dog surfing festival

Canines conquered the waves in Florida for the Brevard Humane Society's 13th annual East Coast Dog Surfing Festival.

The Easter tradition at Lori Wilson Park in Cocoa Beach saw 23 radical rovers riding surfboards and shredding the waves on Sunday.

The competition was attended by dozens more canines and about 5,000 human spectators.

Sammie the chiweenie — a cross between a chihuahua and a dachshund — successfully defended his 2024 title by taking the top spot in this year's competition.

"The dogs really do want to surf, just like people," Theresa Clifton of the Brevard Humane Society told WOFL-TV. "It's another way that we can show the public that animals are part of our family."

The festival, sponsored by the Ron Jon Surf Shop, also featured a canine bikini contest and an Easter outfit contest.

British man unknowingly buys back his own stolen car

A British man who paid more than $26,000 to replace his stolen car later discovered he had unknowing bought his own vehicle back.

Ewan Valentine, 36, from Solihull, England, said he discovered Feb. 28 that his black 2016 Honda Civic Type-R had been stolen from its overnight parking space.

Valentine said he was distraught about the loss and hoped to replace the car with a nearly-identical vehicle.

"Sure enough, I found one for sale. Same color, same year, same custom exhaust system," he wrote on social media.

The license plates and VIN were different from his stolen vehicle, so he didn't think too much about the similarities until he had already paid more than $26,000 for the replacement ride.

"I started to notice some odd things when I got it home. I noticed a tent peg and some Christmas tree pines in the boot. I noticed the locking wheel nut was in a Tesco sandwich bag. I noticed some wrappers in the central storage section. All oddly similar to my stolen car," he wrote.

Valentine decided to check the car's on-board GPS and discovered it had previously been to his house, his parents' house and even his partners' parents' house.

"A part of me felt sort of triumphant for a moment until I realized, actually, no, this isn't some heroic moment; you didn't go and get your car back; you've actually done something a bit stupid," Valentine told the BBC.

He took the vehicle to a Honda dealership, where technicians confirmed the VIN was a fake and the car was indeed the one that had been stolen from Valentine.

"The first Honda technician, he pulled the physical key out, puts it straight in the door and unlocks it and he's like, 'Yes, it's your car,'" Valentine said.

Valentine said he does not believe the garage that sold him the car knew it was stolen.

"The police and the Honda garage all said this was one of the best clone jobs they'd ever seen, so if it wasn't for these little artifacts, no one would have ever known," he said.

The car is currently being investigated by police for forensic evidence and will then be turned over to Valentine's insurance company.

"The police are now handing the car over to my insurance company, who will either get it road legal again and in a position that it can be insured on my original policy again or pay out for the car if that costs more than the car," he told Birmingham Live.

Tourist wins lottery prize of over $3M while visiting Chicago

A tourist visiting Chicago made a stop at a local store and won a prize worth $3,188,104 from the Illinois Lottery.

The visitor, nicknamed Traveling Treasure, told Illinois Lottery officials he came to Chicago to see the popular tourist sites.

"I've been to Chicago before, but never had the chance to explore the tourist spots, so on this trip I made sure to see as much as I could," the player said. "I visited the Skydeck at Willis Tower, checked out some filming locations from Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and of course, I couldn't leave without seeing The Bean."

The man said he stopped at Komal Wine and Liquor on North Cumberland Avenue during his trip and bought a FastPlay Ultimate Diamond Jackpot ticket.

"Before heading back to my hotel one evening, I stopped at a nearby convenience store," he said. "I noticed the Ultimate Diamond Jackpot game had a pretty high prize amount at the time, so I decided to try my luck and bought a ticket. When I got back to the hotel and checked it, I saw that I'd won the jackpot — over $3 million! It was a moment of shock and awe, and I completely froze."

Traveling Treasure said he already has big plans for his winnings.

"I've been wanting to buy a house for a while, but with how expensive real estate is these days, it just hasn't been possible. Then, I recently found out my landlord is selling the apartment I've been renting, so now I have to move out. I feel incredibly lucky — this win couldn't have come at a better time," he said.

Snake falls from restaurant ceiling, lands in diner's margarita

A Virginia woman was enjoying a margarita at a Henrico County restaurant when a baby snake fell from the ceiling, bounced off her forehead and landed in her drink.

Carletta Andrews said she was at Patron Mexican Restaurant and Cantina in Sandston on April 16 and had finished eating when she felt a small impact.

"I leaned in to take a sip and I noticed something hit me in the forehead and I looked at my husband like, 'What was that?'" Andrews told WRIC-TV. "When I turned around, I saw the snake in my margarita."

"It was moving. It started wrapping around my straw," she said.

Andrews said restaurant workers attempted to get the snake to wrap itself around a stick, but ultimately another customer grabbed it with their hands and took it outside.

"I kept saying please don't let it go in my purse," she said. "I left shaking, I was traumatized."

The restaurant offered to move her to another table, but Andrews said she just wanted to leave.

"It was definitely a shock," she wrote on social media.

The owner of the restaurant said the snake likely entered the building through an air conditioning vent.

Andrews said she is "not going out to eat anytime soon."

Iowa museum owner's spoon collection tallied at 38,162

An Iowa museum owner said she believes she has broken a Guinness World Record for her collection of 38,162 spoons.

Cammie Pohl, owner of the Mississippi Spoon Gallery in Davenport, gathered about two dozen volunteers to spend more than 5 hours cataloging her entire inventory to present to Guinness World Records as evidence.

The current record for the largest collection of spoons is held by Australian man Des Warren, whose collection of 30,000 teaspoons was tallied in 1990.

Pohl said she believes the record will soon be hers, as her collection now stands at 38,162 spoons.

"His is all teaspoons. Mine are teaspoons, salt spoons, mustard spoons, Gilded Age spoons and spoons for centuries," Pohl told WQAD-TV.

Pohl said her spoon collecting habit started when her great-grandmother, who used to have tea parties with her when she was little, gifted her 127 spoons.

She said her museum is aimed at showing the beauty of her collection and educating the public about the art of silversmithing.

"People write them off as not art, but the details on these are just delicate, and it means the world to me to have this record, so that I can say, 'Look at this artwork, and look, I got the record, too,'" Pohl said.

World's tallest and shortest dogs have puppy playdate in Idaho

Guinness World Records shared video from the historic meeting between the world's tallest living dog — standing 3 feet, 3 inches tall — and the world's shortest dog, who stands at 3.59 inches tall.

Reginald, a 7-year-old great Dane, and Pearl, a 4-year-old chihuahua, came together for a record-breaking puppy playdate at Reginald's owner's house in Idaho.

Reginald's owner, Sam, told Guinness World Records that the canine is "just a big baby" who "acts like a human toddler."

"I'm not worried that [Reggie] won't be careful around Pearl. He's very, very cautious and aware. I anticipate that he will be really good with her, and probably be more interested in Pearl's owners than maybe Pearl herself," Sam said.

Pearl's owner, Vanessa Semler, said the pint-sized pooch is very fond of larger dogs.

"When Pearl meets bigger dogs, she is really friendly. I think she has no idea she is a small dog," she said. "Normally she's really playful with bigger dogs, she just wants to be around [them]."

The two canines were introduced on the couch at Reggie's home, and quickly hit it off.

"It was a really fun and exciting day," Semler said. "He was absolutely adorable, playful like Pearl."

Sam said Pearl's bravery was impressive.

"I was surprised Pearl wasn't more afraid of Reggie. But she was so excited and interested in him, and he was just like 'Whoa, I have no idea what that is!'" Sam said.

The two owners agreed that despite the height difference, the two dogs are more alike than they are different.

"They are very similar in a lot of ways. Because he's a baby," Semler said.

Overturned truck covers Texas highway in 8 million dimes

The Texas Department of Transportation took on an unusual clean-up operation after an overturned truck lost its load of 8 million dimes — $800,000 worth of change.

The Texas Department of Public Safety said the 18-wheeler rolled onto its side in the southbound lanes of U.S. 81/287 near the Farm Road 1655 exit in Alvord.

The department said the truck had gone off the road and the driver over-corrected, causing the vehicle to overturn.

The driver and a passenger were taken to a hospital with minor injuries.

The Alvord Fire Department confirmed the truck lost its load of about 8 million freshly-minted dimes.

The highway was closed for several hours while Department of Transportation crews cleaned up the loose change.

South Carolina man thought $1M lotto win was a prank

A Columbia, S.C., man initially thought it was a joke when the South Carolina Education Lottery called to tell him he had won $1 million.

He hung up and called his wife, who was on her way home. When she arrived, he told her he might be a millionaire.

Her response was, "Oh, come on."

The couple didn't believe the news until they visited the Lottery's Claims Center and received a check for the full amount.

The man won the prize in the Royal Millions Second-Chance Promotion. Players were able to submit both winning and non-winning scratch-offs for a chance at the top prize.

"It's unbelievable," the man told lottery officials. "It's more money than I have ever seen in my life."

Recently, a 60-year-old Michigan man won $6 million from a scratch-off ticket after playing the lottery for more than 40 years. He said he would use the money towards his savings and a vacation.

Florida woman, dog escape bear thanks to bag of cookies

A Florida woman protected herself and her small dog from a bear by throwing the hungry bruin a bag of cookies.

Kristen Savage said she and her chihuahua mix, Ringo, were walking near their home in the Markham Woods area of Sanford when they had a close encounter with a wandering bear.

"I heard a bird. I was looking for a bird in a tree, and then I saw a black thing come at my leg," Savage told WKMG-TV. "I thought it was an off-leash dog at first, and then I realized it was a giant head."

She said the bear was particularly interested in 13-pound Ringo.

"I hauled him like a piñata in the air, and I spun around to get away," she told WOFL-TV.

Savage said she kept spinning to keep Ringo away from the bear, causing her to fall and incur bruises and scrapes on her legs.

She said the encounter ended thanks to a bag of cookies from her mother.

"My mom, she lives just down the street, and she had just stopped and handed me a bag of cookies for my kids. When I remembered I had them in my hand I took the bag and I whacked the bear across the face with it, and then I threw it," Savage said. "She came forward and then she sniffed and she put her head down and sniffed the cookies and we ran to the front door."

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials said they learned the bear was a mother with cubs nearby. The FWC is working with neighbors to make sure trash and other attractants are secured.

"I don't put blame on the bear. I'm sure she was just as scared as I was," Savage said. "As a mom I would do whatever I could to protect my babies and I'm sure she was doing the same."

Monkey sightings reported in Florida neighborhood

Residents of a Florida neighborhood reported sightings of a monkey on the loose, prompting officials to warn locals to keep their distance.

The Sullivan Ranch neighborhood homeowners association in Mount Dora sent a warning to area residents this week reporting that some locals had seen the money near a retention pond and in back yards along Sullivan Ranch Road.

The HOA warned locals not to attempt to approach or capture the loose primate.

The email said local animal control officials are investigating the sightings.

The monkey reports come almost exactly a year after a string of monkey sightings across Lake County.

Naxel Miranda captured video of a monkey while he was picking up his daughter from South Lake High School in May 2024.

Monkeys are not native to Florida, but a population of rhesus macaque monkeys have lived in the wild in the state for decades. Most of the monkeys live in and around Silver Springs State Park, which is about 50 miles from Mount Dora.

Former student returns college library books checked out 20 years earlier

Librarians at the University of Oxford's Lady Margaret Hall college said "all is forgiven" after a former student returned three books that were 20 years overdue.

The British college said on social media that the books — Philip Stubbes' Anatomy of Abuses, William Pierce's An Historical Introduction to the Marprelate Tracts and Robert S. Paul's The Lord Protector: Religion and Politics in the Life of Oliver Cromwell — were returned along with an apologetic note from a former student.

The enclosed handwritten note said the former student had checked the books out as an undergraduate student 20 years ago and were recently rediscovered while they were sorting through boxes of books.

"Please forgive me," the note said.

The post said librarians were grateful for the return.

"Better 20 years late than never," officials wrote. "This note and three overdue LMH Library books were delivered to our librarian this week. Thanks to the sender for getting them back home in the end — all is forgiven!"

Boy playing with mom's phone orders 70,000 Dum-Dum lollipops

A Kentucky woman said her young son was playing with her phone during the weekend and secretly placed an Amazon order for 70,000 Dum-Dum lollipops — a total purchase of about $4,200.

Lexington resident Holly LaFavers said on social media that she was shocked to discover 30 cases of Dum-Dums on her doorstep, each containing 2,340 pieces of candy.

LaFavers' son, Liam, who is in second grade, admitted he had placed an order for suckers while playing with her phone during the weekend.

Each case of Dum-Dums retails for $130, making Liam's total purchase about $4,200.

Amazon initially agreed to allow LaFavers to return eight of the 30 cases, so she started attempting to sell the others to friends and neighbors. She later said in an update that "after a long day of working with the bank and talking to a few news stations" Amazon contacted her and agreed to refund the entire purchase.

"THANK YOU to everyone that offered to buy a box to help us," she wrote. "I will be happy to get you what you 'ordered' or donate them to a charity of your choice."

Cat lost for three years turns up at McDonald's 10 miles from home

A Michigan woman whose cat disappeared in 2022 was reunited with her beloved pet when he turned up three years later outside a McDonald's 10 miles from home.

Ella Bennett said Buddy, her indoor-outdoor cat, failed to come home one day in 2022.

"We kept hoping he would be back, but then it was a couple days too long than usual, so that's when we started to get worried," Bennett told WXYZ-TV.

Bennett said it wasn't until three years later that she was scrolling Facebook and came across a post from the Lenawee County Humane Society.

The post included photos of a cat the shelter had named Snack Wrap after being found with matted fur outside of a McDonald's in Adrian, about 10 miles from Bennett's home.

"I immediately sent it to my grandma, I was like, 'That looks just like Buddy,' and I posted a picture of him on there, and I was like, 'Do you think that could be him?'" Bennett said.

The shelter was able to confirm Snack Wrap and Buddy were one and the same by reviewing veterinary records, old photos and the feline's reaction to being reunited with Bennett.

Bennett said Buddy will likely still be allowed outside, but now he's microchipped.

Irish player throws soccer ball more than 123 feet to set world record

An Irish soccer star with famously powerful throwing skills broke the Guinness World Record for the farthest distance soccer throw-in.

Megan Campbell, 31, a player for the London City Lionesses, based in Kent, England, performed an overhead throw and launched a soccer ball a distance of 123 feet and 2 inches to claim the title.

Her throw was nearby twice the length of a bowling alley lane, and more than 40 feet farther than the length of a blue whale.

Campbell had to beat Guinness World Records' goal of 114 feet and 9 inches to become the first woman to hold the female version of the record.

"I think my record might stand for about a week until someone gets hold of the information," Campbell joked.

Campbell said she won't be upset to lose the title — in fact, she welcomes it.

"It's an amazing achievement for me personally to have that now, as the first ever. But ultimately you want someone to beat you, I want someone to be more successful than me because then that means I've put another player in a better place," she said.

"You've got to be someone that people can look up to and want to achieve things from, so of course I want someone to go on and beat my record."

Mother and son to receive graduate degrees on same day

A mother and son are celebrating the run-up to Mother's Day by walking across the stage Friday to accept their master's degrees from Texas Christian University.

The school announced its first-ever graduate-only ceremony on Friday will feature Kyle Fields accepting his Master of Liberal Arts degree and his mother, Brandi Fields, receiving her Executive Master of Business Administration degree.

"Sharing this moment with my son is something I never imagined," Brandi Fields said in a news release from the school. "We've supported each other through late nights and strict deadlines. To walk the stage together, especially on Mother's Day weekend, is an incredible and meaningful moment for our family."

She said her journey toward getting her graduate degree was a long one.

"Returning to the classroom after so many years was a challenge," she said. "But learning alongside experienced professionals from diverse backgrounds made it incredibly rewarding. The insights I gained from both professors and peers were invaluable."

Kyle Fields, who worked as an equipment manager for TCU Athletics, said he believes sports will be his future.

"Sports have always been a big part of my life," he said. "After graduation, I want to continue to work in the sports industry. The ultimate goal is to work for Nike."

51,725 playing cards toppled like dominoes to break Guinness World Record

A team of domino toppling experts joined forces with a window and door company to topple 51,725 playing cards like dominoes to break a Guinness World Record.

Foshan Sunhohi Smart Home Technology Co. assembled the "Ultimate Space" facility using wind-proof windows designed to prevent even the slightest breeze from bringing the attempt to a premature end.

Wang Lei's Domino World, a team that already held seven Guinness World Records titles, then set about the task of setting up the 51,725 playing cards balanced on their sides.

The team faced setbacks including a premature collapse on April 9 and a second incident while attempting to reset the cards on April 10.

The cards, arranged in the shape of Foshan Sunhohi's logo, mascot and other motifs, held their positions inside the Ultimate Space on the day of the attempt April 11, even when the outside of the transparent structure was subjected to simulated typhoon conditions.

The cards were toppled as planned, earning the Guinness World Records title for the most playing cards toppled in a domino fashion.

'Randomly' selected scratch-off lottery ticket earns man $300,000

A Michigan man said he "randomly" selected a scratch-off lottery ticket that turned out to be a $300,000 winner.

The 58-year-old man told Michigan Lottery officials he bought his Safe Cracker Cashword ticket from Busch's on West Chicago Boulevard in Tecumseh.

"I play all of the different instant games, so Safe Cracker Cashword just happened to be the game I randomly picked out that day while I was at the store," the player said. "I scratched the barcode, scanned the ticket, and got a message to file a claim at the Lottery office, so that's when I went through and played the game."

The ticket turned out to be a top-prize winner.

"I couldn't believe it when I revealed 10 words for a $300,000 prize! It was a great feeling," the man said.

The winner said he plans to invest his prize money.

Bright green fireball in Australian sky identified as 'one hell of a meteor'

Astronomy experts in Western Australia said a bright green light that illuminated the early morning sky over the state was actually "one hell of a meteor."

Witnesses ranging from Perth to the Goldfields reported seeing a bright light streaking across the sky around 6 a.m. Sunday, and some caught the green and orange fireball on camera.

Matthew Woods from Perth Observatory told 9News the fireball was "one hell of a meteor" ranging in size from a cricket ball to a basketball.

"That was very nice, nice little surprise for Mother's Day," he said.

Woods said the meteor was likely composed of iron that caught fire while entering the atmosphere.

"And that's where you're getting to see that lovely green, orange glow," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.

He said experts are currently working to try to determine whether any remnants of the meteor made it to earth in the outback.

New Zealand cyclist collides with goat during Giro d'Italia

A New Zealand cyclist competing in Europe's Giro d'Italia had a near brush with disaster when a stray goat collided with his leg and back wheel — and the moment was caught on camera.

Dion Smith, a member of the Intermarche-Wanty team, was in the 99.4-mile third stage of the race on Sunday when he spotted a small herd of goats next to the road in Albania.

Smith moved to the right side of the road to avoid the animals, but one of the goats darted into the road and ran straight toward his bicycle.

A video of the incident shows the goat jump into the air and brush Smith's leg and back wheel before landing and continuing to run.

Smith managed to remain upright and continued to ride, despite being knocked slightly off the road.

He finished the stage in 124th place, about 15 minutes after first-place finisher Mads Pedersen.

"I probably more expected maybe a wild dog or something, but I guess there's a lot more goats down here," Smith told reporters at the finish line.

Duck triggers speed camera exactly 7 years after identical incident

A traffic monitoring camera in a Swiss town was triggered by a fast-flying duck breaking the speed limit — seven years to the day after the same thing happened in the same spot at the same speed.

The Municipality of Koeniz said on social media that the speed camera was triggered April 13 and captured an image of a male duck traveling at 32 mph in a 12 mph zone.

A similar-looking duck triggered the same camera on April 13, 2018, by flying at the same speed. Officials speculated the two photos could be the same bird returning to the scene of his original traffic crime for a repeat offense.

The town stressed the incident was not a "late April Fools'" prank, as the computers that control the camera are inspected and calibrated annually and the stored photos are sealed and impossible to manipulate.

"We hope you enjoy pondering curious coincidences, criminal activities of animals and the maximum flight speed of ducks," the municipality's post said.

Robot sets record by solving Rubik's cube in .103 seconds

A team of Purdue University students built a robot that can solve a Rubik's cube in a record-breaking .103 seconds.

Matthew Patrohay, Junpei Ota, Aden Hurd and Alex Berta, students at Purdue's Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering in West Lafayette, Ind., met through a co-op program at the school and teamed up to design their puzzle-solving bot, which they dubbed "Purdubik's Cube."

"We solve in 103 milliseconds," Patrohay said in an article on Purdue's website. "A human blink takes about 200 to 300 milliseconds. So, before you even realize it's moving, we've solved it."

The previous record was set at .305 seconds — or 305 milliseconds — in 2024 by a robot built by the Mitsubishi Electric Corporation's Component Production Engineering Center.

Registration open for clothing-optional 5k race in South Carolina

A South Carolina resort says it already has a record 161 people signed up to run an annual 5k race with an unusual twist: it's clothing-optional.

The Carolina Foothills Resort, a nudist resort in Spartanburg County, said this year's Buck Creek Streak 5k already has a record high number of people registered for the June 14 race.

"You can go anywhere and do a 5k, but you can't go anywhere and run a 5k naked," Tom Crowder, who sits on the resort's board of directors, told The Post and Courier newspaper. "If you go to the turkey trot and drop your drawers, you're probably gonna be arrested."

This year's race offers an option to "go the extra mile" and run 7.3k in honor of race founder Mike Ward, who died at the age of 73 in 2017. People who register for the 7.3k will also be eligible to win the 5k, organizers said.

"A lot of people will come here for the first time during the 5k, which to me is pretty bold to come here for the first time and have that many people around," Crowder said. "But a lot of people will come back after that first visit because they'll have such a great time."

Organizers said first-time visitors to the resort must pass a background check before being allowed onto resort grounds. Registration for newcomers is open until June 13, while returning visitors to the resort can register on the day of the 5k.

Registration includes a free lunch and a day pass to explore the clothing-optional resort.

"It's a great time," Crowder said. "If it wasn't fun, we wouldn't have a record number of people signed up. It's an all-day event. It's just a good time."

Cat escapes Florida vet, takes nearly 3-mile journey home

A cat, still with anesthesia in his system following surgery, escaped from a vet in Florida and made the nearly 3-mile trek home to his favorite chair.

Bob Beasock said his cat, George, was at SPCA Florida in Lakeland to get neutered, and right after the surgery the feline managed to break out of a cage, climb a fence and flee into the wilderness — all while still feeling the effects of anesthesia.

"He still had silly drugs in his system," the SPCA said in a news release.

Beasock and shelter staff searched nearly a week for George, but it turned out the cat had made his own way home Loma Verde, where Beasock found the feline curled up in his favorite chair in the carport.

"There was George — stretched out in his chair in our carport, looking like he had just returned from a grand adventure," Beasock said. "He was a bit thinner, clearly hungry, but otherwise no worse for the wear."

He said George had to take a 2.7-mile journey home.

"He had to go through two or three subdivisions, around a couple of lakes, and cross five or six roads," Beasock told WTVT-TV. "If I had been stuck there, I would've called an Uber. But George didn't have that option."

Manatee strikes up friendship with Florida paddleboarder

A Florida woman's unusual friendship with a manatee that repeatedly approached her paddleboard has gone viral after she posted videos of the encounters to TikTok.

Kendra Kay, 31, said she goes paddleboarding among the manatees at E.G. Simmons Regional Park every week.

Kay posted multiple videos to TikTok showing one manatee, which she named Paddle, visiting her on the water.

One video shows Paddle clinging to Kay's board and poking its face out of the water for a look at the human.

Kay said it seems like Paddle recognizes her whenever she's on the water.

"Or perhaps it's just the intimate connection we share through our frequent meetings. Her gentle gaze convinces me she remembers our bond," Kay told WTVT-TV.

Kay includes a disclaimer on each of her videos explaining she does not intentionally approach or touch the manatees, as it is illegal to do so in Florida.

3,076 'Smurfs' come together to break world record in France

A small town in France succeeded in its third Guinness World Record attempt by hosting a gathering of 3,076 people dressed as Smurfs.

The town of Landerneau, in France's Brittany region, had attempted the world record for the most people dressed as Smurfs twice before, but fell short of the record of 2,762 people, which was set in Germany in 2019.

The town made its third attempt Sunday with official backing from Paramount Pictures ahead of the release of the film Smurfs on July 18.

The Smurfs were created by Belgian cartoonist Pierre Culliford, aka Peyo, in 1958. They are called "Schtroumpfs" in French.

Young boys in Poland find message in a bottle from 1959

A pair of 10-year-old boys walking near a beach in Poland found a message in a bottle that turned out to be a handwritten love letter from 1959.

The young boys, named Eryk and Kuba, said they found the bottle with a note inside while hiking along the World War II fortifications near Stogi Beach in Gdańsk.

The faded, handwritten note inside was written in 1959 by a girl identified only as Rysia. She addressed the letter to "Bunny," and spoke of feeling lonely at school in Tarnów and thinking fondly of her memories of the intended recipient.

"I assure you that I am quiet and modest, I do not make friends with anyone, I simply avoid men," Rysia wrote. "My dear, I am a terrible egoist, I only write about myself, but I only think about you, I see you at every moment."

The boys who found the bottle said they have been in contact with a museum in Tarnów in the hopes that the letter's author can be found.

Man balances 96 spoons on his body to break his own world record

An Iranian man balanced 96 spoons on his body to break a Guinness World Record for the third time.

Abolfazl Saber Mokhtari, 54, originally set the record for most spoons balanced on the body at 85 in 2021, and he broke his own record with 88 spoons in 2023.

Mokhtari has now broken the record a third time, with a total 96 spoons.

The three-time record-breaker said he has been sticking objects to his skin since he was a child.

"But after multiple years of practice and effort, I was able to strengthen my talent and develop it to where it is now," he told Guinness World Records. "Anything, I mean it, any object. Anything that has a surface I can stick to my body, such as plastic, glass, fruit, stone, wood and even a fully grown human."

Pigeon Fest to celebrate New York's most controversial birds

A New York park is celebrating one of the city's most iconic animals next month with Pigeon Fest, a day-long event featuring art exhibitions, science demonstrations and the city's first Pigeon Impersonation Pageant.

The High Line, an elevated park on the West Side of Manhattan, announced Pigeon Fest will be held from noon to 8 p.m. June 14, coinciding with National Pigeon Appreciation Day.

The park's website said the event is partially inspired by Dinosaur, artist Iván Argote's 17-foot-tall aluminum pigeon sculpture that resides at the park.

Alan van Capelle, the park's executive director, told The New York Times that the festival will include "a pigeon impersonation pageant and a panel on urban ecology and bird conservation."

The events also include a Zumba-style Pigeon Dance Party and a puppet show put on by Tina Piña Trachtenberg, aka Mother Pigeon, who is famous in New York for feeding the birds while dressed in a giant pigeon costume.

"Love them or hate them, people are fascinated by our feathered friends," van Capelle told TimeOut New York. "This festival felt like a fitting way to celebrate New Yorkers' dynamic relationship with art, nature and, most specifically, pigeons."

Norwegian man wakes to find cargo ship in his yard

A Norwegian man was roused by a neighbor in the early morning and alerted to an unusual situation: a cargo ship was in his front yard.

Johan Helberg said he was asleep inside his home in Byneset, on the Trondheim Fjord, when neighbor Jostein Jørgensen rang his doorbell and called his phone to alert him to the fact that a cargo ship had run aground in his back yard.

"If the ship had hit the rocky outcrop right next to it, it would have lifted up and hit the house hard. It only missed by a few meters," Helberg told TV2.

Jørgensen said he woke up just a few minutes earlier to the sound of the boat approaching. He ran outside and attempted to sound the alarm.

Jørgensen said he was surprised to learn Helberg had slept through the incident.

"I was sure that he was already outside, but no, there was no sign of life. I rang the doorbell many times and nothing," Jorgensen said. "And it was only when I called him on the phone that I managed to contact him."

Bente Hetland, managing director of the shipping company NCL, said officials are investigating what caused the ship to run aground.

"At present time, we do not know what caused the incident and are awaiting the conclusion of the ongoing investigation by the relevant authorities," Hetland said in a statement. "We are currently assessing the damage to the ship."

Hetland said there were no injuries resulting from the incident.

Local police said an initial investigation indicates the officer who was responsible for steering the ship may have fallen asleep at his post.

Cow caught in flood found alive on Australian beach 11 miles away

A cow was found alive on an Australian beach after being carried up to 11 miles by floodwaters.

Layla Philipson found the cow alive on the sand on Old Bar beach, on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales.

The cow was one of multiple bovines swept away by floodwaters brought on by torrential rains in New South Wales.

The bovine is believed to have originated from Taree, about 11 miles from the beach where it was located.

Philipson posted photos of the cow to the Taree Community Noticeboard on Facebook, where they came to the attention of the animal's owner.

The owner said the cow has been removed from the beach and is being treated by a veterinarian.

New York news anchor completes broadcast while in labor

A morning news anchor for a New York station went into labor in the early morning — and still anchored the morning show less than two hours later.

Olivia Jaquith, a morning anchor for WRGB-TV CBS6 in Albany, anchored the 6 a.m. news broadcast on Wednesday after her water broke about 4:15 a.m.

"We do have some breaking news this morning, literally," co-anchor Julia Dunn said at the start of the broadcast. "Olivia's water has broke."

Jaquith insisted it was still "early labor," with her contractions far apart, and went on to anchor the entire broadcast before going to the hospital.

A counter in the corner of the screen explained it was two days past Jaquith's due date.

The anchor had announced in February that she and her husband, Tyn, were expecting their first child.

News Director Stone Grissom praised Jaquith in a statement issued after the broadcast.

"We couldn't be more thrilled for them. From her on-air pregnancy announcement earlier this year to running a half-marathon while expecting, Olivia has met every stage of this journey with grace and grit. Today was no exception," Grissom said. "Olivia's passion for storytelling, love for her hometown, and commitment to our viewers have always been evident. We're overjoyed to soon welcome our newest (and tiniest!) member."

Cows airlifted out of Swiss village under threat of rockslide

Cows stranded in a Swiss village under threat of rockslide were airlifted to safety via helicopter.

The Alpine village of Blatten, in southern Switzerland's Loetschental valley, was ordered to be evacuated Tuesday due to the threat of rockslide from unstable terrain above the settlement.

About 300 people and 52 cows were evacuated from the village.

Some of the cows were evacuated on foot or via roads, but some of the bovines had to be airlifted out of the village by helicopter.

Authorities said they do not yet know when residents will be able to return to their homes.

Record-breaking team reunites in Idaho to pass baseball

A pair of serial Guinness World Record-breakers reunited in Idaho to capture the title for the most behind-the-back baseball catches in one minute.

David Rush, who holds the most concurrent Guinness World Records titles, reunited with former neighbor Jonathan "Hollywood" Hannon in Boise. The two men had been neighbors and record-breaking partners for several years before Hannon moved to Michigan.

"We were neighbors and co-conspirators in over 30 world record titles. From speed challenges to coordination stunts, we've always pushed each other to the edge of what's possible — and then a little further," Rush wrote online.

The pair took time during their reunion to take on the title for the most behind-the-back baseball catches in one minute, which stood at 30.

"We didn't jump right into it. It took a few warm-ups, a couple of mistimed tosses, and a solid rhythm to get back in sync. But once we locked in, the chemistry was undeniable — just like old times," Rush said.

The men successfully took the record with 39 catches in one minute.

Rush said the record also gave the pair another distinction.

"With this new title, we believe we now hold the most active Guinness World Records together as a duo," he wrote. "From Boise backyards to official record-breaking stages, our partnership has always been about fun, challenge, and pushing limits — together."

Squirrel runs out onto field during Detroit Tigers game

The action got an early start during the Detroit Tigers' game against the San Francisco Giants when a squirrel ran out onto the field at the start of the baseball game.

The squirrel ran out into the outfield Tuesday at Comerica Park, drawing the attention of FanDuel Sports Network announcers Jason Benetti and Andy Dirks.

"You know, we like to stay on topic here, but — Squirrel! Squirrel!" Benetti said.

The squirrel dashed past baffled left-fielder Riley Greene before making its way into the Tigers' bullpen.

"He's in the bullpen with the guys down there," Dirks said. "[Tyler] Holton about came unglued."

The squirrel eventually vanished from sight in the bullpen.

"It's amazing," Benetti said. "People think sometimes we don't stay on subject, but literally, first pitch, there's a squirrel."

The Tigers went on to win the game 3-1.

Madam Tussauds London unveils wax sculpture of a Greggs Sausage Roll

Famed wax museum Madame Tussauds London unveiled its latest recreation of one of Britain's most beloved icons: a sausage roll from bakery chain Greggs.

The museum showcased the Greggs Sausage Roll wax sculpture in the run-up to National Sausage Roll Day, which falls on June 5.

"For a limited time only, the beloved British classic has secured a top spot in our Baker Street attraction's Culture Capital Zone alongside the likes of Sir David Attenborough, Stormzy and William Shakespeare," Madame Tussauds said in a news release.

The Culture Capital Zone is "dedicated to those who've helped shape the landscape of British culture; from trailblazing artists to political giants and now, the golden, flakey pastry icon of British cuisine," the museum said.

The Greggs Sausage Roll is a savory treat made by wrapping a sausage in puff pastry and baking it.

"We're absolutely thrilled that Madame Tussauds London has chosen to honor the Greggs Sausage Roll in such a unique and iconic way," Greggs CEO Rosin Currie said. "It's a true celebration of a national favorite, and we couldn't think of a more fitting tribute in the lead-up to National Sausage Roll Day. Seeing our Sausage Roll receive the celebrity treatment is a proud and slightly surreal moment for all of us at Greggs."

Australian woman completes 7,079 pull-ups in 24 hours

An Australian fitness enthusiast completed 7,079 pull-ups in 24 hours — nearly doubling the previous Guinness World Record.

Olivia Vinson, 34, told Guinness World Records she was looking for a challenge when her husband and coach suggested she attempt the record for the most pull-ups in 24 hours (female).

"I was looking for a bigger challenge and my husband and coach actually suggested 24 hours of pull ups, which I initially, quite literally, laughed at because I thought there was no way," Vinson recalled. "I looked up what the current record was, which was 4,081, and again I thought, 'There's no way.'"

Vinson said it was only after she crunched the numbers on the previous record, which was set by Polish woman Paula Gorlo in 2021, that she started to reconsider.

"After a little while, I did some maths on it and I thought maybe I could," she said.

Vinson trained for three months before her first attempt, which ended prematurely.

"I got about 12 hours in it and I pulled a bicep tendon in my left arm, which meant at that point I couldn't even do a single pull-up," Vinson said.

The injury forced her to take two months off before resuming training, and she finally felt ready for a second attempt.

Vinson said her second attempt had its own challenges.

"Nineteen hours in, I started to feel quite nauseous and I think it was just from being over-tired, and it was something I had to just manage as best as possible," she said. "My concern was whether my body would hold out."

The athlete managed to complete the attempt with 7,079 pull-ups — an average of five pull-ups every minute.

"I've achieved a number that I genuinely didn't think was possible for me when I first came into this," Vinson said. "I think there is something deeply human about pushing boundaries and I think world records create a very tangible marker for human potential."

Daredevil backflips on fire to break Guinness World Record

A British daredevil broke a Guinness World Record when he performed 7 backflips in 30 seconds — while on fire.

Ryan Luney, 28, a daredevil with multiple Guinness World Records titles to his name, donned protective gear and was fully engulfed in flames for his acrobatic feat.

"I was freezing," Luney told Guinness World Records. "I'm wearing a couple of layers underneath that are soaked in a gel and put in a fridge for 24 hours to help protect me from the fire — it was extremely cold."

Luney successfully set the record for the most standing backwards somersaults in 30 seconds (full body burn), and was immediately sprayed with a fire extinguisher and wrapped in a towel to extinguish the flames.

"There are so many records for full-body burns that I didn't even think I could have a chance at even touching, so now that I've done this record, I've kind of got the bug again and I'm thinking I could do more," he said.

Swimmer circumnavigates Martha's Vineyard for shark conservation

An endurance swimmer spent 12 days swimming 59 miles around Martha's Vineyard, the filming location of the classic movie Jaws, to raise awareness for shark conservation.

British-South African swimmer Lewis Pugh became the first swimmer to circumnavigate the Massachusetts island when he completed his swim on Monday.

"It's been one of the toughest swims of my life. Cold water, relentless wind, big waves and the constant thought of what might be beneath me," Pugh wrote on social media.

The swimmer chose Martha's Vineyard for his swim on the 50th anniversary of Jaws to push back against the common perception of sharks as undersea monsters.

"For the past 50 years, it's all been about fear and about the danger of sharks. What I want to do is I want to try to change the narrative for a new generation and say sharks actually bring life, they sustain life, they make oceans healthy," Pugh told PBS News.

Pugh said Jaws and the films that followed in its wake contributed to negative perceptions of the animals.

"They portrayed sharks in a way that they are villains. They're out to get humans and we know that they are nothing of the sort. And so this is an opportunity to try and tell a new narrative for a new generation," he said.

Message in a bottle from Hawaii found in Florida 8 years later

An 11-year-old Michigan girl vacationing with her family in Florida found a message in a bottle that had purportedly been thrown into the ocean 8 years earlier in Hawaii.

Hoqwell, Mich., resident Josie Law, 11, was on Florida's Anna Maria Island when she spotted the bottle in the surf.

"I was just walking, and the waves were coming up, and it was washing on shore," Law told WTSP-TV. "The wave went like a crash into each other and went back, so then I grabbed it really quickly and I showed my mom."

The bottle contained a small note, reading: "Hello, people who found this. You will be happy that you found this. Why? Because you will know me with this number."

Law's mother, Paris Hoisington sent a text message to the phone number included in the note.

She soon received a response from a 21-year-old Hawaii woman who told her she and her brother had thrown the bottle into the ocean off Oahu eight years earlier.

"And I said, 'you're kidding,'" Hoisington told WFTV.

The note's author, who did not want to be identified, said she was 13 when she and her brother had the idea.

"Yes, we did this when we were 13 and 8 years old. It was something fun we did because we found a message in a bottle before we had decided to make our own in 2018," she said. "It was super fun to see that our bottle ended up all the way in Florida and that they ended up reaching out to us. Definitely did not expect that to happen."

Bobby Deskins, chief meteorologist for WTSP-TV, said that while it seems unlikely that the bottle floated all the way from Hawaii to Florida, it is "technically possible."

"Everyone has got their own theories," Hoisington said. "But Mother Nature is the only one to count for this — because without her, I don't think it would've traveled that far."

Rescuer uses recorded meows to lure kitten out of underground pipe

A kitten heard calling for help from an underground pipe in New York was coaxed out by a rescuer and will soon be available for adoption.

Pamela Gallagher, who lives in the Bay Shore area on Long Island, said she heard animal sounds coming from underneath her back deck and called for help from firefighters.

Firefighters pulled up some boards and discovered the sounds were coming from about 10 to 15 feet underground, inside a downspout.

John Debacker of Long Island Cat and Kitten Solution responded to the home and played recorded kitten sounds to lure the tiny feline close enough that he could reach it with a catch pole.

The kitten, now named Piper, was turned over to NYC Second Chance Rescue for veterinary care and, eventually, adoption.

Debacker said he is now trying to determine whether the kitten's mother and siblings are somewhere nearby. He said he is hoping to find the mother cat and have her spayed.

Wild elephant wanders into store in search of sweet treats

A wild elephant wandered out of a national park in Thailand to visit a grocery store, where the peckish pachyderm feasted on eggs and sweet treats.

The 27-year-old elephant, named Plai Biang Lek, is well known to locals for his frequent treks out of Khao Yai National Park in search of snacks.

Residents said he can often be seen walking past a corner store a little over half a mile from the park entrance gate, but on Monday he made what is believed to be his first visit to the store's interior.

The elephant feasted on eggs, dried bananas, a sandwich and nine bags of sweet rice crackers before park rangers arrived to usher him out of the business.

Members of the Khao Yai Elephant Lovers Group donated about $25 to the store to pay for Plai Biang Lek's snacks. The store's owner said he was not angry at the elephant, as the animal must have been hungry.

Tom Cruise's burning parachute stunt earns Guinness World Record

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning star Tom Cruise earned a Guinness World Record during filming when he completed six jumps out of a helicopter with his parachute on fire.

The record-keeping organization said Cruise, who plays Ethan Hunt in the espionage film series, earned the title for the most burning parachute jumps by an individual.

In each of his 16 jumps, Cruise was strapped to a parachute that had been soaked in fuel and lit it on fire, before cutting himself free of the burning chute and deploying a backup.

"Tom doesn't just play action heroes — he is an action hero," Craig Glenday, editor-in-chief of Guinness World Records, said in a news release.

"A large part of his success can be chalked up to his absolute focus on authenticity and pushing the boundaries of what a leading man can do. It's an honor to be able to recognize his utter fearlessness with this new Guinness World Records title," Glenday said.

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning opened in theaters May 23 and is expected to be Cruise's last Mission: Impossible movie.

'World's smallest violin' can't be seen without a microscope

A team of physicists from a British university used nanotechnology to create what they dubbed "the world's smallest violin," an instrument that can't be seen without a microscope.

The Loughborough University team said the platinum violin measures 35 microns — a measurement unit equal to one millionth of a meter — long, and 13 microns wide.

The violin is smaller than the diameter of a human hair, which ranges from 17 to 180 microns. Tardigrades, eight-legged micro animals, measure between 50 to 1,200 microns long.

The researchers created the minute musical instrument to demonstrate the abilities of their new nanolithography system, technology that allows scientists to build and study nanoscale objects and structures.

The instrument was chosen as a play on the phrase, "Can you hear the world's smallest violin playing just for you?" The phrase is an expression of mock pity in response to exaggerated complaints or overly dramatic reactions.

"Though creating the world's smallest violin may seem like fun and games, a lot of what we've learned in the process has actually laid the groundwork for the research we're now undertaking," Professor Kelly Morrison, head of Loughborough University's Physics Department, said in a news release.

Marvel unveils Galactus head popcorn bucket for 'Fantastic Four'

Marvel Entertainment has unveiled the Galactus Popcorn Vessel, a movie theater bucket themed after upcoming film The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

The bucket was unveiled Wednesday in a video utilizing clips from the film spliced together with footage of the container.

The popcorn bucket is modeled after the head of planet-eating villain Galactus, played by Ralph Ineson.

The container is billed as "the universe's biggest popcorn vessel," measuring 17.5 inches tall and 20 inches wide.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps releases in theaters July 25.

Several other films have recently launched with themed popcorn buckets, including Dune: Part Two, Alien: Romulus, Gladiator II and A Minecraft Movie.

Swiss man buried in snow for two hours to break world record

A Swiss man put his cold endurance to the test and broke a Guinness World Record by spending more than 2 hours buried in the snow while wearing only his swimming trunks.

Elias Meyer, a competitive powerlifter, said he decided to take on the title for the longest time spent in direct full body contact with snow after discovering no one had yet cracked the 2-hour mark.

The previous record, set by Polish man Valerjan Romanvoski in 2022, stood at 1 hour, 45 minutes and 2 seconds.

Meyer, wearing only his swimsuit, was buried under a mound of snow for 2 hours and 7 seconds.

He said the cold bothered him less than the weight of the snow pressing down on him.

"The heavy snow pressed me down, causing my shoulders and elbows to ache. Perhaps you also feel a sharp ice cube against your back, with no chance to do anything about it, you can only be thankful, thankful for everything," Meyer wrote on Instagram.

The athlete said he wanted to demonstrate that the "body is capable of incredible things."

Library returns 1953 wedding photo found in book to couple's family

A volunteer at a Michigan library found a wedding photo from the 1950s inside a book and the facility was able to return the precious picture to the couple's granddaughter.

The Sterling Heights Public Library said on social media that the photo, labeled "Frank and Josephine Ruggirello, Nana-Nono," was found inside a tome donated to the library's Used, But Sterling Bookstore.

"One of my childhood friends who I haven't spoken to in years tagged me in this post, and so I read the post from the Sterling Heights Public Library," Sarah Ruggirello told WXYZ-TV. "And she recognized my last name in it and said 'Hey, are these some family members of yours?'"

Ruggirello confirmed the photo was from her grandparents' Detroit wedding on Sept. 26, 1953.

Frank Ruggirello died in 2020, and Josephine died in 2023. The couple had been married for 67 years.

Sarah Ruggirello said the photo is now a family treasure.

"My dad and I have never seen this exact photo before. We didn't know this exact photo existed," Ruggirello said. "I think now I'm going to frame it and display it somewhere in my house just because this was such a cool story and such a cool thing that happened."

Winner of D.C. Lego contest shows pandas taking over the capital

The Lego Discovery Center Washington, D.C., unveiled the winner of its 2025 Mini Master Model Builder qualifying competition: a 12-year-old's creation showing the nation's capital being taken over by pandas.

The Lego Discovery Center, located in the District's Springfield Town Center, said it will display the build, titled Panda-monium in D.C., through June 30, and it will then be sent to the Lego House in Billund, Denmark, to be judged alongside Mini Master Model Builder creations from 27 other Lego Discovery Centers across the globe.

The scene's creator, 12-year-old Ricky, then has the chance to be named Lego's first-ever Global Mini Master Model Builder.

The build features pandas taking over famous Washington locations and artifacts including the Washington Monument, the National History Museum, the Hope Diamond, the Declaration of Independence, a Metro station and the stovepipe hat from the Lincoln Monument.

Ricky said the build took "easily 100 hours" to complete.

New York man plays golf for 36 consecutive hours

A New York man may have earned a Guinness World Record by playing golf for 36 consecutive hours.

Kelechi Ezihie, a Long Island man who is originally from Nigeria, hit the links at Huntington Crescent Club at 6 p.m. Sunday with the intention of playing the game for 24 hours, the minimum goal set by Guinness World Records to originate the title for the longest marathon playing golf.

Ezihie's plans abruptly changed halfway through his attempt when he was told a Norwegian man had just completed an attempt that went on for 32 hours.

Ezihie extended his own attempt and ended up finishing after 36 hours of golf on Tuesday.

Evidence from his attempt must now be reviewed by Guinness World Records.

Ezihie said his goal is to expand the reach of golf, especially to young people in Nigeria, where he bought land and plans to build a course.

"People assume that golf is for the wealthy and I'm trying to change that," Ezihie told CBS New York. "The goal is to let people know that golf is a game for everybody. Whatever your economic background or somebody with special needs, you can play the game of golf."

Large, black and white tegu lizard found wandering California park

A large black and white tegu lizard spotted on the loose in California was safely captured by employees at a public park.

Santa Clara County Parks said on social media that maintenance staff and park rangers worked together when the Argentine tegu was spotted on the dam at Grant Lake in Joseph D. Grant County Park.

Santa Clara County Animal Services and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife were contacted and safe transport was arranged to take the lizard to a county animal shelter.

"The tegu will be held by Santa Clara County Animal Services pending adoption should no rightful owner claim the reptile," parks officials wrote. "The department is thrilled that the tegu was found safe and sound and is on its way to finding a home."

Bear trapped using doughnuts after a soak in hot tub

A Florida bear seen enjoying a resident's hot tub and taking a long backyard nap was later captured and relocated with the help of doughnuts.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said the bear was spotted in a Punta Gorda neighborhood on Sunday.

The bruin was caught on camera taking a soak in a resident's hot tub before removing the cushions from an outdoor couch and taking a six hour nap in the backyard.

FWC personnel used hazing techniques to encourage the bear to leave the property, and it ended up scaling a tree in a nearby vacant lot.

The bear descended from the tree Monday and was ensnared in a trap baited with doughnuts, the FWC said.

Wildlife officers said the bear was relocated to a state park near Punta Gorda.

World's largest game of red light, green light played in California

A fitness education group in California broke a Guinness World Record by gathering 1,423 people to play the playground game red light, green light.

CF Fitness Inc., an education-oriented group aimed at promoting physical fitness at schools, gathered students from the Anaheim Elementary School District and their families to play the record-breaking game at Yorbe Park in Anaheim.

The participants also included students who traveled in from other districts, as well as local firefighters, police officers and city officials.

The game ended up breaking the record with 1,423 participants.

"It was definitely an afternoon filled with lots of energy and I think my face hurt from smiling so much," Guinness Records Adjudicator Brittany Dunn said after the successful attempt.

"The children were all really great and so eager to participate. I loved that [they] all took the attempt so seriously, and one of the older police officers present decided he wanted to participate in the game as well, which made the children happy — and I thought was a great reminder that even adults need play in their lives, too," she said.

New York restaurant returns 110-year-old lobster to the sea

A 21-pound lobster estimated to be 110 years old was released back into the open sea by a New York seafood restaurant.

Butch Yamali, owner of Peter's Clam Bar in Hempstead, Long Island, said the lobster, named Lorenzo, has been living at the eatery for years.

"Lorenzo just kind of slipped through the cracks and ended up in our tank for years," Yamali told WPIX-TV.

He said freeing Lorenzo seemed like an appropriate way to celebrate National Lobster Day and Father's Day.

"Some of these lobsters just don't live that long, and this one did. So we figured what better way to celebrate Father's Day than by freeing Lorenzo. He became like a pet. People would come see him and take pictures with him, and he was just an object of the store," Yamali said.

Hempstead Town Supervisor Don Clavin and Nassau County Legislator John Ferretti teamed up with Peter's Clam Bar to "pardon" Lorenzo prior to his release at the Atlantic Beach Reef.

"He's now living his best life — clawing his way to freedom and soaking up the salty breeze (instead of butter)," the restaurant said in a Facebook post.

Lemur at Scottish zoo named the world's oldest at 39

A ring-tailed lemur living at a zoo in Scotland was officially named the oldest in the world by Guinness World Records at the age of 39.

The lemur at Five Sisters Zoo in West Lothian was officially certified as the oldest living lemur in captivity this week.

The primate, named Stumpy as a result of his slightly shortened tail, was born in June 1986 in Surrey, England, and has lived at Five Sisters Zoo since 2005.

"Stumpy's birthday is a big event. He celebrates with his sons and enjoys a bit of birthday cake made from special primate pellet," Gemma Varley, senior animal keeper at the zoo, told Guinness World Records.

Stumpy has fathered 11 lemurs, and has 25 grandchildren, six great-grandchildren and one great-great-granddaughter.

Lemurs in captivity typically live 20-25 years, officials said.

Pittsburgh airport workers find diamond that fell from traveler's ring

Workers from the Pittsburgh International Airport's maintenance department spent hours searching for — and eventually finding — a diamond that fell from a traveler's ring on the baggage carousel.

April Schmitt returned to Pittsburgh from a business trip to Los Angeles on Friday, and discovered the fabled bad luck of Friday the 13th was with her when she reached to get her suitcase from the baggage carousel.

"As I went to retrieve my bag from the carousel, my hand got stuck between the suitcase and the edge of the carousel. It pinched my hand, so I pulled my hand back really quickly," she told KDKA-TV.

Schmitt realized on her drive home that the diamond was missing from the engagement ring her husband had given her in 1992.

She rushed back to the airport and started searching for the gem, and she was soon joined by stationary engineer Tom Riordan, electrician Steve Turkaly and two other members of the airport's maintenance staff.

Schmitt ended up leaving empty-handed after about 90 minutes, but the employees continued to search, and even removed panels from the carousel to search inside.

She received a call about four hours later with good news: the diamond had been found.

"Two paint sticks taped together, scraping dirt from underneath the carousel, that's how they actually found it," Riordan said.

Schmitt rushed back to the airport to retrieve the diamond.

"It restored my faith in humanity, honestly," she said. "These men didn't know me at all. They knew nothing about how long I've been married. They knew nothing about my husband or the stone or the sentimental value or the economic value, but that didn't matter; they were just committed to doing the right thing."

The incident was not the first time Pittsburgh International Airport workers found a traveler's lost diamond. Kristen Tunno was preparing to leave the airport in 2023 when she realized the diamond was missing from a ring recently given to her by her 99-year-old grandmother.

April Laukaitis, a customer service worker at the airport, located the diamond on the floor of a bathroom.

Trinidad and Tobago musician plays steelpan for 31 hours straight

A musician from Trinidad and Tobago broke a Guinness World Record by playing steelpan for 31 consecutive hours.

Joshua Regrello, 28, started playing steelpan, also known as a steel drum, at a young age.

"I have been playing steelpan since I was five years old. My father founded a well-known Trinbagonian steelband, so I grew up surrounded by music," he told Guinness World Records. "Their rehearsals often went late into the night, and I was always there, soaking it in. Steelpan was not just something I picked up, it was something I was born into. In many ways, it chose me."

Regrello, who is now a full-time musician and online content creator, broke the Guinness World Record for the longest marathon playing steelpan/steel drums by playing for 31 hours straight.

He said the original plan was to end the attempt at 30 hours.

"As we were approaching the 30th hour, my stage manager, Gabrielle Le Gendre-Chandler, pointed out that the stage timer was actually set to 31 hours," Regrello said. "That detail changed everything. The adrenaline was already pumping, the crowd was alive, and with so much support around me, I decided to push through for that final hour. Ending on 31 felt right, not because I had to, but because at that moment I knew I could."

World's largest cheese tasting held in Colombia

A Colombian dairy company celebrated its 80th anniversary by gathering 1,185 people to participate in the world's largest cheese tasting event.

Guinness World Records confirmed Alpina Productos Alimenticios S.A.S BIC earned the record for the world's largest cheese tasting event when 1,185 people sampled dairy delicacies in Sopó, Cundinamarca.

The company took the record from Australia's Kangaroo Valley Agricultural & Horticultural Association, which gathered 1,000 people for a cheese tasting in 2019.

Guinness World Records rules required all participants to sample three varieties of cheese. The cheeses chosen for the event were Gruyere, Sopó and Argovia.

"This event not only celebrates the art of cheese tasting, but it also highlights Alpina's dedication to excellence in the dairy industry," Guinness World Records Adjudicator Natalia Ramirez said. "Congratulations to all participants for making this historic milestone possible!"

Items left on British buses include bales of hay, a frozen turkey

British transport company Megabus is sharing some of the most unusual pieces of lost property left behind on its buses, including hay bales, a frozen turkey, a cooking wok and false teeth.

The bus operator said items found left behind on buses in May included a Winnie the Pooh stuffed toy, a jar of honey, a guitar, a Radiohead vinyl record, insulin, an electric razor, a Neil Diamond CD, a single shoe and a collection of historic coins and stamps.

The company said some of the more unusual items left on buses in years past included three bales of hay, family tree documents, a frozen turkey, false teeth, a cooking wok and multiple lone shoes and socks.

Megabus said about 95% of lost and found items are eventually returned to their owners, and those that go unclaimed after 28 days are usually donated to charity.

Anyone who loses an item on a Megabus vehicle is encouraged to report their lost property on the company's website.

Severe weather drops mysterious dome on Indianapolis road

Severe weather that swept through Indianapolis left something unusual in its wake: a mysterious dome-shaped object.

Residents in the area of 19th Street and North Pasadena Street said the dome was spotted in the road after a storm swept through the area.

The strange structure drew crowds of onlookers Wednesday.

"Our sidewalk out here has become a tourist attraction," resident Sandy Jones told WRTV.

Some neighbors suggested the object could be a "radome," a structure designed to protect satellite antennae and other delicate equipment from weather.

An employee at V2X Technology, located near Pasadena Street at the site formerly occupied by Raytheon, said the object appeared to be a radome from the business, but officials were at a loss to explain how the weather managed to carry it all the way to the neighboring road.

Neighbors said the dome was removed Wednesday night.

New York graduating class features 15 sets of twins

Attendees at a high school graduation on New York's Long Island were left seeing double when 15 sets of twins walked across the stage to accept their diplomas.

The Class of 2025 at Plainview-Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School walked across the graduation stage Saturday, and among them were 15 sets of twins.

Some of the students said they didn't even notice the unusually high number of twins until some mothers started noticing.

"We are friends with a lot of them, but we never counted until our mom and a few of the other twin moms took a count," twin Chloe Manzo told Greater Long Island. "We were like, 'What?'"

Principal Heather Dvorak said the school previously saw nine sets of twins and one set of triplets graduate together in 2014.

"Each class has their own unique culture and vibe," Dvorak told Newsday. "This year, I knew coming in that they we're gonna be very unified."

All 15 sets of twins in the Class of 2025 are fraternal, not identical, so teachers have been spared the possibility of mistaken identity.

"Most, if not all, have been in the district since kindergarten," Timothy Lamb, the school's assistant principal, told Today.com. "Many met as infants because the parents joined a 'parents of twins' group. They're all very friendly with each other. They're all close. It's like they have a little clique."

Diver recovers lost diamond ring from Texas lake

A professional diver plunged into a Texas lake and was able to recover a diamond ring lost by a woman who went out on the water.

JackO'Lynn Page said she and her son's baseball team were visiting the Sandy Beach area of Possum Kingdom when she realized her diamond wedding ring, which dates back to 1910, had fallen into Possum Kingdom Lake.

The baseball team searched the area with their parents and grandparents, but couldn't find the missing jewelry.

Page enlisted the help of Ryan Prigmore of Blue Diver Search and Recovery.

Prigmore said high winds caused rough waters, making the search difficult.

He called off the hunt after a few hours, but returned the next day to search under calmer conditions.

By the time evening arrived, Prigmore had sent Page a photo of her recovered ring.

"I had been preparing myself for the last few days that it was lost, and I wouldn't see it again. My ring is so special to me and I had no idea how I'd get over this. I'm over the moon knowing it's coming home to me," Page wrote on social media.

Chinese hotel ordered to cease red panda wake-up call encounters

A hotel in China was ordered to halt its offered red panda wake-up call service, which brought red pandas into guests' rooms and allowed them to climb onto the beds.

The Chongqing Forestry Bureau ordered the Lehe Ledu Liangjiang Holiday Hotel to cease all activities that bring visitors into close contact with wild animals.

The hotel had gone viral for its red panda wake-up calls, which gave guests, including young children, hands-on encounters with red pandas in their rooms.

Hotel officials said there are four red pandas at the facility, and they would take turns making the visits to guest rooms. How long they spent with guests depended on the animal's mood and temperament on the day.

Red pandas are second-class protected animals in China and they are listed as an endangered species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species.

Sun Quanhui, a scientist from the World Animal Protection organization, said the red panda wake-up call service could be considered animal abuse, as red pandas are sensitive animals with stress responses that could endanger themselves or the humans in their presence.

Domino tower measuring over 33 feet tall breaks world record

A YouTuber who specializes in domino feats broke a Guinness World Record when she and her team assembled the world's tallest domino structure, measuring 33 feet and 2.74 inches tall.

Lily Hevesh, aka Hevesh5 on YouTube, assembled a team of domino-building experts at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.

Hevesh's team included Stephan Burton, Alex Huang, Brady Dolan, Michael Fantauzzo, Paul Nelson, Wim van Otterdijk, William Ford, Pim Vriens, Ivan Kramskoy and Marco Vorbusch.

The team spent five days assembling a domino tower measuring 33 feet and 2.74 inches tall, breaking the previous record of 32 feet, 10.8 inches.

The team celebrated by throwing a stuffed squirrel toy at the top of the tower and watching it collapse.

Massachusetts woman records mystery object in the sky

A Massachusetts woman relaxing in her outdoor hot tub captured video when she spotted a mystery object floating in the sky.

Colleen McCormack said she was in the hot tub outside her Pembroke home about 9 p.m. Wednesday when she spotted the object.

"I was chilling in my hot tub, I look up in the sky to see something tiny, floating. I'm like, 'What is that?'" she told WHDH-TV.

McCormack got her phone out and recorded video of the unusual scene.

"It looked like it was on fire or something and it was just coming down really fast," McCormack told WFXT-TV. "I have no idea what it could have been."

The Federal Aviation Administration said there were no reports of debris in the area. Officials declined to comment on the video.

"My heart was pounding because I just looked up," McCormack said. "I'm like oh god what is about to happen right now?"

The witness said she expected to her a loud sound when the object hit the earth, but there was no noise after it disappeared from view.

"It was really quiet. You couldn't like really hear anything. That's why I was just like more confused. When stuff flies over all the time, you hear it," she said.

Massachusetts police use crackers to capture loose pig

Police in Massachusetts used some crackers to catch a pet pig found running loose through the town of Orleans.

The Orleans Police Department said on social media that the pig, named Poo-ah, "had ham-bushed its pen and taken itself on a self-guided tour of Orleans."

Officers responded to the scene and engaged in the porcine perpetrator in a brief hoof pursuit.

"The pig showed some serious chops on the run, but Sgt. Cronin managed to persuade it to return home peacefully with some crackers," police wrote.

The department said it made for "another pigture-perfect day in Orleans!"

Meteor lights up the sky in Georgia, hits roof of home

A fireball that streaked across the sky over Georgia was identified as a large meteor, and a piece of the space debris crashed through the roof of a home.

The meteor was spotted shortly after noon on Thursday in the sky over Georgia and sightings were reported from as far away as Tennessee and the Carolinas.

The American Meteor Society described the meteor as a bolide, a particularly large and bright meteor that creates a sonic boom as it falls.

Henry County Emergency Management reported a piece of the meteorite struck a home in McDonough, punching a hole through the roof. No injuries were reported.

Stacking skills with cards and Jenga blocks earn man 4 world records

A Chinese man known as the Card Architect for his stacking skills broke four Guinness World Records in a matter of days, including one for stacking 3,149 Jenga blocks on a single block placed vertically.

Tian Rui broke his first Guinness World Record about three years ago, when he made a 27-layer tower to claim the title for tallest house of cards built in one hour.

His record was since broken, so he reclaimed the title in April with 32 layers.

Just a few days earlier, he had claimed the title for the tallest house of cards built in 8 hours, managing to construct a 62-layer tower.

Once his card titles were claimed, he turned his attention to Jenga blocks, and broke the record for the most Jenga blocks stacked on one vertical Jenga block, 3,149.

He capped off his record-breaking streak by attempting the same feat with Giant Jenga blocks and earned the title with 918 blocks stacked.

Rui said his years of practice have made him an expert stacker.

"It's like second nature now," he told Guinness World Records, "I just flow through it."

21-year-old rows across Atlantic Ocean, earning three world records

A 21-year-old British woman rowed 4,366 miles across the Atlantic Ocean, becoming the youngest person to ever do so — and earning three world records in the process.

Zara Lachlan set out from Lagos, Portugal, in her 24-foot boat and rowed 4,366 miles — 3,794 nautical miles — to Cayenne, French Guinea, a trip lasting 97 days, 10 hours and 20 minutes.

Lachlan earned three Guinness World Records in the process: first female to row across the Atlantic from Europe to South America (mainland to mainland), youngest person to row solo across the Atlantic from Europe to South America and the youngest person to row any ocean solo (female).

"I just really enjoyed the whole experience. I thought I would be a lot more scared than I was," she told Guinness World Records.

Lachlan said she rowed for at least 17 hours on every day of her journey, never sleeping for more than 90 minutes at a time.

"That doesn't work for everyone, but I'm young and I know that I can work off of that amount of sleep," she said.

AI-powered robots face off in China soccer tournament

The first ROBO League robot soccer tournament took place in China, pitting AI-powered teams of robot players against one another in 3 vs. 3 matches.

The tournament, held Saturday in Beijing, drew a crowd of thousands of curious spectators to watch the robots attempt to score goals using strategies determined by AI.

"This is the first fully autonomous AI robot football match in China," Dou Jing, executive director of the tournament organizing committee and deputy general manager of Shangyicheng Technology and Culture Group, told the Global Times. "It represents a combination of technological innovation and industrial application, as well as an important window for bringing robots into public life and real-world scenarios."

The tournament ended with the THU Robotics team from Tsinghua University defeating the Mountain Sea team from China Agricultural University team 5-3.

The event was held in the lead-up to the 2025 World Humanoid Robot Sports Games, which will be held in Beijing in August.

Dinosaurs dash for the finish line in T-Rex World Championship Races

More than 300 people donned inflatable dinosaur costumes and took to the track at Emerald Downs in Washington for the annual T-Rex World Championship Races.

The yearly event at the Auburn racetrack began when TriGuard Pest Control held it as a team-building exercise in 2017, and the race quickly gained popularity online and opened to the public the next year.

The race was suspended in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but made a return in 2022.

Houston man Andrew Stuber was crowned the top Tyrannosaurus in this year's race.

This year's T-Rex World Championship Races also featured an aerial event — three people in T-Rex costumes jumped out of a Skydive Snohomish plane and parachuted down to the field before racing to the finish line.

Crash covers interstate in boxes of mozzarella cheese

Firefighters were called to a stretch of interstate in Pennsylvania after a crash involving three tractor-trailers resulted in mozzarella cheese being spilled across a 200-yard area.

The Snow Shoe Fire Company said on social media that the Pennsylvania State Police notified Clearfield County that a crash had occurred at mile marker 145 on eastbound Interstate 80, leaving a debris field covering an area of about 200 yards.

Firefighters arrived on scene and determined that one of the trucks had been "hauling boxes of shredded mozzarella cheese" and "was split wide open with debris all over the roadway."

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation had the area of the road shut down for clean-up operations.

Fire officials said they determined no hazmat response was needed, but "all cheese will be headed to the landfill as the load was deemed unsalvageable due to being unrefrigerated for hours."

Thousands of Norwegians incorrectly informed of big lottery wins

The national lottery operator in Norway apologized after at least 47,000 people who won small amounts were mistakenly told they had won much more.

Norsk Tipping sent a text message to 47,000 lottery players in the country informing them that their reported prize amounts for the Eurojackpot drawing had been mistakenly inflated due to an error in currency conversion.

The operator explained the prize amounts it receives from Germany are given in euros, which are then converted to Norwegian kroner. The error occurred during conversion for the recent Eurojackpot drawing, when the number of euros was multiplied by 100, instead of being divided.

Ole Fredrik Sveen, 53, one of the players who received the correction, said he was initially told he had won 1.2 million kroner — about $119,010 — but later learned his prize was only 125 kroner, or $12.40.

"You could have been really unlucky and spent a large amount of money then found out it wasn't true," Sveen told The Guardian. "But thankfully we kept our heads cool and realized it wasn't meant to be this time either."

Norsk Tipping apologized for the error, saying none of the incorrect prize amounts had been paid out.

"Norsk Tipping sincerely apologizes to everyone who was notified of an incorrect prize amount," the company said in a statement.

Norsk Tipping CEO Tonje Sagstuen apologized in a separate statement issued Saturday.

"I am terribly sorry that we have disappointed so many, and I understand that people are angry with us," Sagstuen said. "I have received many messages from people who had managed to make plans for holidays, buying an apartment or renovating before they realized that the amount was wrong."

Sagstuen has since stepped down as CEO, and was replaced by acting CEO Vegar Strand.

"We deeply regret what has happened, and on behalf of us at Norsk Tipping I would like to apologize to everyone who was affected by this," Strand said in a statement after taking up the position.

Bear gets trapped in Colorado car, 'redecorates' interior

A bear managed to close itself inside a parked car in Colorado and demolished the interior of the vehicle before being freed by a sheriff's deputy.

The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office shared body camera footage recorded by a deputy summoned to a location in the foothills.

"Oh, there's a bear in there," the deputy can be heard saying after peering through a window.

The deputy used a rope to open the car's door from a safe distance, freeing the bear.

The animal managed to completely destroy the interior of the vehicle before being set free.

"Caution: Local bears may redecorate your ride," the department said on Facebook.

"Bears are good at breaking into vehicles, but not so good at getting out. This is a good reminder to keep your vehicles locked, even when at home. Also, bears can smell any snacks you may leave in your car, so don't tempt them to turn your car into a bear buffet!"

Spanish woman earns world record for collection of 15,485 egg cups

A Spanish woman who has been collecting egg cups for over 50 years earned a Guinness World Record when her collection was tallied at 15,485 items.

María José Fuster recruited two witnesses to help her tally her collection at a community center in her hometown of Campo, Spain.

Fuster's collection includes multiple patterns, colors, designs and even novelty cups bearing the images of characters including Superman, Betty Boop and Garfield.

Fuster maintains two blogs related to her hobby — one to catalog each piece, and one to list the names of the people who have donated egg cups to her collection.

Some of her most prized egg cups, about 1,143 of them, are currently on display at a local museum.

World's most expensive cheese sells for $42,232

A Cabrales cheese aged in a cave for 10 months received top marks in a competition in Spain and earned a Guinness World Record when it was auctioned for $42,232.

The cheese, created by Ángel Díaz Herrero cheese factory, was sold by the Regulatory Council DOP Cabrales in Asturias, Spain, and purchased by restaurant El Llagar de Colloto.

Guinness World Records declared the dairy delicacy to be the most expensive cheese sold at auction.

The cheese hit the auction block after the Regulatory Council DOP Cabrales named it "Mejor Queso del Certamen," or "Best Cheese of the Competition."

The pricey cheese, weighing in at 5 pounds, was made with cow's milk and aged for 10 months in the Los Mazos cave, which is nearly 5,000 feet above sea level.

Man rides motorcycle 1,450 feet while on fire

A French daredevil lit himself on fire and rode his motorcycle for 1,450 feet to break a Guinness World Record.

Jonathan Vero, 41, a professional firefighter and amateur stuntman, broke the record for the farthest distance full body burn while riding a motorcycle.

Vero previously earned the records for the fastest full body burn 100 meter sprint without oxygen, 17 seconds, and the longest distance full body burn run without oxygen, 893 feet and 2.5 inches.

"During the other two records, I was burned in several places on my body and felt unwell. It took me over a week to recover physically from these performances, but I was proud to enter into the record book that I read as a child," Vero told Guinness World Records.

He accomplished his latest feat riding his Yamaha DragStar 1100 in Côte d'Or, France.

"To achieve this performance, I had to modify the bike to make it fireproof, then I practiced riding on fire over several distances and in different types of weather," he said. "Luckily, the weather was great on the day of the performance and the track was perfect, so I reproduced what I did in training, trying to cover as much distance as possible whilst staying on fire."

Blueberry spill causes literal 'traffic jam' in British Columbia

Police in British Columbia said there was a literal "traffic jam" on a highway when a pickup truck lost its load of freshly-picked blueberries.

The Mission RCMP said on social media that a white Ford pickup truck stopped at the intersection of Lougheed Highway and Wren Street, and when the vehicle started moving again moments later, several crates of freshly-picked blueberries fell into the roadway.

"Some crates went crashing down onto the roadway, and thousands of blueberries spilled out onto Lougheed Highway, creating a sticky mess for vehicles that drove over the fruit.," the post said.

RCMP officers "were called to the juicy incident" and used a shovel to push the sticky remains out of the roadway.

"Perhaps Mission RCMP could team up with the Mission Farmer's Market in the future, to feature some new offerings such as: Jack-Knife Jelly, Pothole Preserves and the ever-popular Traffic Jam," the post joked.

California woman's home flooded with unwanted Amazon packages

A California woman said her house is being flooded with unwanted Amazon packages that have been arriving for about a year.

The San Jose resident, who wanted to remain anonymous, said each box contains a faux-leather car seat cover from the brand Etkin and sold by Chinese Amazon seller Liusandedian.

The woman's address was apparently listed as the company's address for returns.

The online seller's reviews are filled with complaints about seat covers not fitting, the high cost of returns and failure to receive refunds.

"Oftentimes, what it costs to return it is about more than 50% of what they paid for it," the woman told KGO-TV. "Plus, these consumers aren't getting their money back!"

She said the packages continued to pour in despite Amazon's repeated assurances to fix the issue.

"We've apologized to the customer and are working directly with her to pick up any packages while taking steps to permanently resolve this issue," Amazon said in a statement.

Company representatives visited the woman's home on Tuesday to remove the packages.

John DeFiore of Woodside, Calif., faced a similar issue last year, when dozens of unwanted Amazon packages started arriving at his home.

DeFiore's series of deliveries resembled a brushing scam, which involves Amazon sellers sending packages to random addresses so they can artificially inflate their number of positive reviews.

Joelle Angleheart of Chapleau, Ontario, was targeted by an apparent brushing scam in 2023 when she received a box containing 1,020 condoms she never ordered and was charged $500.

Cindy Smith, of Prince William County, Va., was the target of a similar scheme when she received more than 100 Amazon packages she had never ordered at her home earlier in 2023.

Amazon investigated Smith's case and discovered the vendor was having packages shipped to random addresses to remove unsold merchandise from Amazon fulfillment centers.

Pittsburgh group brings back 'Balls Out Bowling' nude event

A Pennsylvania naturism group announced the return of "Balls Out Bowling," an annual bowling event where clothing is not allowed.

The Pittsburgh Area Naturalists announced this year's Balls Out Bowling event will take place on Saturday at Pittsburgh's Crafton Ingram Lanes.

Admission to the annual event is $30, which includes four hours of unlimited bowling and shoe rental.

The group said the only clothing allowed for attendees are shoes, which are required, and optional bottoms for women.

"Please bring a towel and a bag for your belongings," the event page states.

The group said all participants must be at least 18 years old and all genders, sexualities and bodies are welcomed."

No photos or videos are allowed during the event.

"Sexual activity is not permitted. Nudism does not equal consent and harassment will not be taken lightly. Violators will be asked to leave," the page states.

Bears join humans waiting outside Colorado concert venue

A pair of bears with an apparent taste for live music joined the crowds of people waiting to get into a concert at Colorado's iconic Red Rocks Amphitheater.

Fans waiting to get into the Russ show featuring Big Sean and Sabrina Claudio — appropriately part of the Into the W!ld Tour 2025 — spotted the two playful bruins lingering outside the venue in Morrison.

Red Rocks employee Jon Amundson snapped a photo of the one of the bears walking around a corner toward a line of people waiting to get inside.

Amundson said the bears did not act aggressive or threatening.

"They were very relaxed, not skittish. Very playful with each other," he told McClatchy News. "They walked across the road, didn't run. As you can see all the people in the background didn't seem to bother the bears too much. It was an awesome sight that's for sure."

Tourists flock to see bright green pigeon in England

Residents of Northampton, England, have captured video of an unusual new neighbor causing a stir in the area: a bright green pigeon.

The pigeon's unusual hue, first noticed in June, has led to numerous videos of the bird going viral on TikTok.

Locals said people have been flocking to the area to catch a glimpse of the pigeon.

"One guy said he'd come up from London and I've heard many travel long distances to see it, which is a bit bonkers, as Northampton isn't really known for loads of tourists. So to have a pigeon as a tourist attraction is quite funny really," resident Alex Zambon told the Northampton Chronicle & Echo.

Mike Alibone, optics editor for Birdwatch Magazine, said the pigeon's color is unlikely to have any natural causes.

"There is no wild pigeon in the world that looks like this," he told the BBC. "It certainly looks as if it has been dyed and the green coloring is too artificial."

Alibone said he also believes it to be unlikely that the bird's diet had any factor in the coloration.

The RSPCA previously warned against the trend of dying pigeons blue and pink for gender reveal parties.

A spokesperson for the organization said the dye could lead to serious risks for the pigeon.

"Dye and paints can be toxic to birds and other animals, and they would be likely to try to clean any such substance from their feathers which could result in them swallowing it," the representative said. "Until its next molt, this pigeon will likely be more at risk in the wild."

Washington woman breaks record with 4,060 jigsaw puzzles

A Washington woman earned a Guinness World Record for her collection of 4,060 different jigsaw puzzles.

Liza Fireman, 46, of Bellevue, told Guinness World Records she started collecting puzzles in 2019, and she has since accumulated thousands of designs, mostly from her favorite manufacturer, Ravensburger.

"I didn't set out to break the world record, I just fell in love with puzzling," Fireman said. "But not just any puzzles — Ravensburger puzzles. I love their quality, their design, the history of puzzles. It just became a passion."

Fireman's 4,060-strong collection was enough to take the Guinness World Record for the largest collection of jigsaw puzzles from John Walczak, whose collection was tallied at 2,022 in 2023.

Her collection includes numerous Disney puzzles, as well as puzzles based the TV series Friends, the James Bond film franchise, Hello Kitty and the movie Wicked.

"If I kept all of the puzzles I did in a year, I could easily carpet my house with puzzles," she said.

British chefs cook up world's largest scotch egg

Two British social media chefs teamed up to cook the world's largest scotch egg, which weighed in at a whopping 17 pounds and 3.48 ounces.

Phoenix Ross and Oli Paterson came together in Enfield, England, to attempt to break the Guinness World Record of 13 pounds and 10 ounces, which had stood for nearly 20 years.

The duo used an ostrich egg as the core of their scotch egg, a traditional food comprised of a hard-boiled egg wrapped in sausage meat, coated in bread crumbs and fried.

The chefs said their first attempt ended in disaster when the savory snack fell apart while being lifted from the fryer.

The successful second attempt had a circumference of 31.3 inches and tipped the scales at 17 pounds and 3.48 ounces.

The chefs sampled bits of the finished product before cutting it into small portions and using it to create frozen breakfast burritos.

Rosebud sled from 'Citizen Kane' auctioned for $14.75 million

The iconic Rosebud sled from Orson Welles' 1941 film Citizen Kane was auctioned for $14.75 million, becoming the second-most expensive piece of movie memorabilia ever sold.

The sled, one of only three known to still survive, has belonged to Gremlins director Joe Dante since he discovered the long-lost prop while working at the old RKO Pictures studio lot in 1984.

Dante put the sled up for sale via Heritage Auctions, and it fetched a price of $14.75 million. The sum is the second-highest ever paid for a piece of movie memorabilia, after the ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz were auctioned by Heritage in 2024 for $32.5 million.

"I've had the honor of protecting this piece of cinematic history for decades," Dante said in a news release. "To see Rosebud find a new home — and make history in the process — is both surreal and deeply gratifying. It's a testament to the enduring power of storytelling."

Woman flooded with calls about nonexistent cat due to a T-shirt

A British Columbia woman's phone has been flooded with calls about a missing cat that doesn't exist, and it's all because of a T-shirt.

Natasha Lavoie and Jonathan McCurrach said dozens of calls have come in from people claiming to have found their cat, Torbo — but their cat is named Mauser, and isn't missing.

"Sometimes, like six times a day, I'm getting these really random phone calls and people leaving me voicemails saying that they found my cat and they want money for my cat," Lavoie told CBC News. "I'm like, 'My cat's at home in the air conditioning.'"

The couple discovered Lavoie's phone number had been printed on a T-shirt sold by company Wisdumb NY. The shirt features a missing cat poster and Lavoie's phone number.

A Wisdumb NY representative said the shirt has been pulled from the online store.

"The use of a real number within the art created was not intentional," the representative said in an email to CBC News.

Lavoie said she does not want to change her phone number as it bears a 604 area code, which is difficult to get.

"I've had my number for 20 years," she said. "I don't want to change it. I'll just keep not answering."

Lavoie said she would like a "real apology" from the company.

"I feel like I deserve a T-shirt after this," Lavoie said. "I think we both do."

Golf tournament cancels opening day due to bear on the course

The opening day of a golf tournament in Japan was called off when a bear was spotted on the course — the second such incident within two months.

The bear was spotted near the first tee at the Sendai Classic Golf Club on Wednesday, causing the pro-am competition scheduled for that day to be canceled.

The Meiji Yasuda Ladies tournament, a JLPGA Tour event, had been scheduled to begin on Thursday but was canceled a result of the bear's presence. The tournament had originally been scheduled to last for four days.

"On Wednesday, a bear sighting on the course was reported and the pro-am tournament was canceled to protect the safety of the participants, players and staff," organizers wrote on the tournament website. "To ensure safety and to consider future measures, we have decided to cancel Thursday's opening day. We will announce details of the tournament from Friday onward as soon as they have been decided."

Organizers later decided the Meiji Yasuda Ladies tournament would go ahead as planned Friday, but without spectators.

The incident follows a bear sighting at the Golf Club Twin Fields in Komatsu, Ishikawa Prefecture, in May that led to the final round of the Twinfield Ladies on the women's second-tier Step Up tour being canceled.

Reported person stuck in California canal turns out to be blow-up doll

A 911 call about a person trapped in the rushing water of a canal led emergency responders in California to the discovery of a discarded blow-up doll.

Fresno police and firefighters were summoned to the canal near McKinley and Peach Avenues on a report of a person, possibly deceased, trapped against a grate by the rushing water.

They arrived to find that what initially appeared to be a body was, in fact, a life-sized blow-up doll.

Authorities alerted the irrigation district to have the doll removed.

Police in New Zealand responded to a similar situation last year when a woman walking with her dog on Tapuae Beach spotted what appeared to be the headless body of a woman washed up in the sand.

Police arrived on the scene and discovered the apparent corpse was actually a realistic adult toy.

Pokémon superfan collects 1,200 Gengar items

A Hong Kong man's 22-year devotion to his favorite Pokémon earned him a Guinness World Records title for the largest collection of Gengar memorabilia.

Tsang Cheuk Tip, 32, said his love for Gengar started when he was only 8 years old and was introduced to Pokémon.

"Among a batch of Pokémon figures my mom bought, there was this translucent, deep purple one that just grabbed me," Tip told Guinness World Records. "Later, playing Pokémon games, I found Gengar wasn't just strong — it was versatile, with that sly, adorable grin. Right then, I knew this little guy was my destined buddy."

Tip started collecting officially licensed Gengar memorabilia, including cards, clothing items, plush toys, tableware and stationary.

Tip said cataloging his items for his application to hold the record for the largest collection of Gengar memorabilia was an exhaustive process.

"Some Gengars look nearly identical, so I had to write descriptions clear enough for someone to pick out the exact piece just by reading," he said.

Tip said he is proud to be able to say he now holds the record.

"I didn't go for the record to be famous. I just want people to think of me when they see Gengar," he said. "Where I am, Gengar's there too."

Philippines arcade installs world's largest claw machine

An arcade in the Philippines earned a Guinness World Record by installing the world's largest claw machine, which encompasses an area of 1,761 cubic feet.

The PlayFair arcade at the TOPS landmark in Cebu City unveiled Claw King, a massive claw machine that was officially measured by a construction firm for Guinness World Records consideration.

Claw King was measured at 17.16 feet long, 8.12 feet wide and 12.73 feet tall.

The measurements were enough to take the record from Santa Claw, a defunct claw machine installed in Florida that measured 16.7 feet long, 7.87 feet wide and 11.81 feet tall.

"We're beyond thrilled to announce that PlayFair has officially earned a Guinness World Record for the World's Largest Claw Machine," the arcade said on social media. "What an epic achievement we happily share with Cebu and we're beyond proud to bring this record home!"

Canadian woman breaks two speed records on penny farthing bike

A Canadian woman with a talent for riding big-wheeled bikes broke two speed records at an Australian track while pedaling a penny farthing.

Lizanne Wilmot climbed her Victorian-style bicycle in Burnie, Tasmania, and broke the Guinness World Records for the fastest speed on a penny farthing (female) and fastest 1 kilometer on a penny farthing (female).

Wilmot rode the 1 kilometer (.62 mile) distance in a time of 52.75 seconds. Her top speed was clocked at 25.92 mph.

Wilmot previously held the record for the farthest distance on a penny farthing in one hour (female), but she lost the title to British woman Melissa Eisdell.

Cat dubbed 'Leonardo da Pinchy' is stealing neighbors' underwear

A New Zealand cat named Leo earned the nickname "Leonardo da Pinchy" after he was shown to be a literal cat burglar with a penchant for stealing underwear.

Owner Helen North said Leo, a 14-month-old Tonkinese, has brought home about 150 pilfered items in the past nine months.

"He brings home a lot of things. He doesn't do much with them once they are inside, he just dumps them on the floors and just goes about his business," she told Radio New Zealand.

North said Leo's favorite items to steal include underwear and socks, but he isn't too picky.

"A really expensive jersey with the tags still on, stuffed toys, loads of underpants and socks, gardening gloves, activewear, hats, sports bras, shorts, East Coast Bays rugby socks, an All Blacks jersey ... everything, really," she told Stuff.co.nz.

She said Sundays are Leo's top days for crime, as that's when the neighborhood clothes lines are the most populated with easily-reachable clothing items.

"Other than that, well, he's a kitten — so he attacks everything, bites you, and wakes you up in the middle of the night," North said.

North said she uses a local Whatsapp group and Facebook groups to help her neighbors reclaim Leo's ill-gotten gains.

She said the largest thing Leo has brought home was a 5-foot-long stuffed snake.

"He brought that home twice so he obviously really really liked it," she said.

Men attempt record by popping balloons between their bodies

Serial Guinness World Record-breaker David Rush unofficially broke a record when he and a friend popped 10 balloons between their bodies in 7.5 seconds.

Rush, who has more than 181 Guinness World Records titles to his name, originally teamed up with friend Jonathan "Hollywood" Hannon and popped 10 balloons between their bodies in 15 seconds, enough to overtake the previous record of 17 seconds.

The duo soon found their time had been beaten by Colton Sheperd and Cameron Severson, who popped their balloons in only 11 seconds.

Rush and Hannon made another attempt at the title, managing to get their time down to 7.5 seconds.

Evidence from their attempt must now be reviewed by Guinness World Records before it becomes official.

Toothpaste spill shuts down North Carolina road

A North Carolina road was temporarily closed so crews could clean up the minty-fresh mess of spilled toothpaste mixed with sawdust.

The Asheboro Police Department said on social media that the incident occurred Wednesday morning on Gold Hill Road, between Old Liberty Road and Giles Chapel Road.

"Spilled toothpaste mixed with sawdust may smell good, but it sure is slippery," the department said.

The roadway was reopened Wednesday afternoon.

Forgetful husband leads S.C. woman to $500,000 lottery prize

A South Carolina woman whose husband forgot to buy her lottery tickets made her own trip to the store and ended up winning $500,000.

The Upstate woman told South Carolina Education Lottery officials she made a trip to the 357 Redi Mart in Lyman because her husband had forgotten to buy the lottery tickets she requested.

"I was standing in line and these bright, shiny and glittery tickets caught my eye," she said. "I bought three of them."

The first two Money Madness Extra Play tickets weren't winners, but the third earned her a $500,000 prize.

"I felt like Jed Clampett when he discovered his bubblin' crude," she said.

The winner said she is making plans for her newfound wealth.

"I'll have a little fun, take some trips and retirement will come sooner rather than later," she said.

California woman fills her hair with 711 golf tees

A California woman who loves golfing broke an unusual Guinness World Record by putting 711 tees into her hair.

Anya Bannasch, 45, earned the title for most golf tees in the hair when her friends spent 47 minutes helping her fill her locks with the small wooden pegs.

"I've always dreamed of being in the Guinness World Records book, that's totally been a dream of mine. I wanted to create something around the golf world and thought this would be a great idea," Bannasch told Guinness World Records.

She said her record was inspired by Joel Strasser, a serial record-breaker with multiple titles for putting objects into his beard.

"Joel is definitely the G.O.A.T. of beard records. I followed his journey and I'm just honestly inspired by how unique, creative and funny he is," Bannasch said. "His creativity gave me the push to be like, 'OK, let's do something crazy too, I can be the golf girl version of Joel Strasser.' So thank you, Joel for inspiring me to do something goofy with my hair."

Scuba team rescues lost wedding ring from British river

A British scuba diving team came to the rescue of a paddleboarder whose wedding ring fell into the River Great Ouse in Bedford, England.

Ant Crocker said he was on the river near Cardington Lock on Friday when he realized his wedding ring was missing from his finger.

"I tried swimming down but visibility was poor at the bottom and being 2 to 3 meters down, I needed to come up [for air] by the time I got down," Crocker told the Bedford Independent.

Crocker sought help from the Bedford Scuba Divers, and the team assembled Saturday morning to search the river.

Diver Becks Martin surfaced with the ring after only about 10 minutes in the water.

"I didn't think they would find it, so when they did, I gave them all a hug even though they were soaking wet," Crocker said.

He thanked the team on social media.

"A huge thank you to Becks, Tony and Tracy of Bedford Scuba Divers for their efforts and recovering my wedding ring," he wrote.

Three capybara pups born at New Orleans zoo

A Louisiana zoo offered a first glimpse at its newest — and youngest — residents: a trio of newborn capybara pups.

The Audubon Nature Institute in New Orleans announced the three pups were born July 20 to parents Turkey and Sequoia.

"Oh capy day! We're very capy to share some exciting news," the zoo quipped on social media.

Turkey and Sequoia are part of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums' Species Survival Plan for capybaras, which are the world's largest rodents and native to South America.

Officials wrote the parents are "both are doing great caring for their new arrivals."

"Don't let those little legs fool you, capybara pups are born ready to explore," the post said. "They start roaming almost immediately and can even begin nibbling on vegetation as early as four days old."

The zoo said the family is currently being kept in a behind-the-scenes are while they bond, but can sometimes be spotted from the Swamp Train ride.

27-year-old alpaca officially named the oldest in the world

An alpaca living on a farm in New Zealand was officially named the oldest in the world at the age of 27 years and 185 days old.

Guinness World Records said the animal, named Hawthornden Wainui, was officially named the oldest living alpaca in captivity when his age was verified on July 6.

Wainui was born in 1998 and has lived with his owners, Vicki and Alex Cordier, since 2002.

"The personality of my lovely Wainui is now a bit of a grumpy old man," Vicki Cordier told Guinness World Records. "In his younger days, he would be the herd lookout — sitting on a high vantage point watching the world go by."

She said Wainui has always gotten along with the rest of the alpaca herd, but he now spends most of his time with a goat named Barney and a sheep named Squeak.

"I believe the secret to his longevity is the comfort in which he lives," Cordier said. "He has access to the shelter all day and the first little bit of rain, he'll be inside siting it out until it's dry again."

Paddleboarding pooches break three world records

The 2025 U.K. Dog Surfing Championships in Dorset, England, saw three different Guinness World Records being broken by paddleboarding pooches.

Mark Reeves, the organizer of the annual event at Branksome Dene Chine, decided this year's Dog Surfing Championships would include world record attempts for the most dog/human pairs paddleboarding simultaneously, the fastest 50-meter paddleboarding by a human/dog pair and the most dogs on a single paddleboard.

The first record was broken by 10 human-canine pairings competing in a 50-meter (164-foot) paddleboard race.

The race ended in a tie between two teams: Matthew Jenkins and his 2-year-old shih-tzu, Gigi; and Ben Gray with his "boarder" collie, Boo. The two men and their dogs now co-hold the record for the fastest 50-meter paddleboarding by a human/dog pair.

The third record proved to be the most complicated, but organizers were able to wrangle 12 dogs onto a single paddleboard, and they remained in place long enough to successfully earn the title.

Giant baseball with 6,750 signatures breaks world record

A giant baseball taken on a tour of Minor League Baseball stadiums broke a Guinness World Record by accumulating 6,750 signatures.

The 8-foot diameter replica baseball started its journey June 24 at Victory Field, home of the Indianapolis Indians, and visited 15 ballparks before arriving at its final stop at the MLB Flagship Store in New York on Tuesday.

A Guinness World Records adjudicator examined the ball and determined there were 6,750 verified signatures on its surface, earning the title for the most signatures on a single item of sports memorabilia.

The previous record of 2,146 signatures was set by the Cambridge United Football Club last year, when it gathered fans to sign a giant inflatable jersey.

Firefighters dig a hole, cut through pipe to reach stranded calf

Firefighters in Hampshire, England, had to dig a hole to rescue a calf found stranded about 50 feet into a 200-foot-long culvert pipe.

The Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire & Rescue Service said in a news release that a crew from Redbridge and a team of animal rescue specialists from Winchester responded to a farm last week in Lockersley.

The rescuers were called to assist a 6-month-old calf that had wandered into a culvert and was stranded about 50 feet into the pipe.

"The team were able to work out where the animal was, dig up the ground to reach the pipe and use a specialist disc cutter to access inside," the release said.

The calf was then sedated by a veterinarian and lifted out of the pipe using animal rescue equipment.

The animal was safely returned to the farmers.

1,276 marimba players come together to break world record

Young musicians from across South Africa and Zimbabwe came together in Cape Town to break the Guinness World Record for the largest marimba ensemble, with 1,276 players.

Marimba Jam, the group that organized the world record attempt to help promote music education, said 1,276 students played the percussion instruments together at Cape Town's Grand West Arena on Saturday.

The event took the Guinness World Record from the Marimbas por Guate group in Guatemala, which assembled 505 people to play marimbas together in 2021.

Marimba Jam previously attempted to break the record in 2018, but failed to meet Guinness World Records' evidence requirements.

"We thought a Guinness World Record would be a way for us to take that same energy to a national level and bring together the whole of South Africa in unity to achieve a marimba world record, celebrating our motto, finding harmony in community," Marimba Jam CEO Kiara Ramklass told EWN Eyewitness News.

Texas dog removes 11 caps from plastic bottles in one minute

A Texas woman's pet dachshund celebrated his birthday by removing 11 caps from plastic bottles in one minute, earning a Guinness World Records title in the process.

Jerry, a canine belonging to Sathya Priya Easwaran, put his skills to the test on his fourth birthday and officially earned the record for the most plastic bottle caps removed by a dog in one minute.

"There were no practice sessions at all," Easwaran told Guinness World Records. "This is an in-built quality that Jerry enjoys doing every time that we give him bottles. He just did it without any special practice. He is so focused. He challenges himself and he can just nail it when a task is given to him."

Easwaran said her family quickly noticed Jerry's talent the first time they gave him a bottle to play with, and now plastic bottles are his favorite toys.

"He just wants a lot of challenges, a lot of tasks to accomplish, it's motivation for him and he keeps doing it non-stop," she said.

Hambone Award finalists include dog who fought a bull

Nationwide Pet Insurance has announced the finalists for its 17th annual Hambone Award, which highlights the most unusual events leading to surprise veterinary visits for pets.

The Hambone Award, given annually for " the unexpected, the unusual and downright outrageous" ways pets find themselves in need of medical attention, was named in honor of a dog who ended up trapped in a refrigerator and ate an entire holiday ham.

This year's finalists include:

Ziya, a Belgian malinois from California, who was kicked in the face by an angry bull while protecting his family from the bovine.

Wash, a Tennessee mixed-breed dog, who lost his appetite after eating too many cicadas from his family's yard.

A New York cat named Salem, who was suspected of swallowing an AirPod, although after multiple vet visits, the ear bud was never found.

California Yorkie Ozi, who managed to disassemble his family's TV remote with his mouth and was suspected of swallowing a battery, which was later found safely underneath the couch.

Maddie, a bulldog in Virginia, whose mysterious illness turned out to be the result of eating a taxidermied alligator.

Hazel, a Great Dane-St. Bernard mix, who was bitten on the paw by a groundhog in her family's New Jersey Yard.

Foxtrot, a Texas Great Dane, who grabbed a turkey leg out of the tongs in her owner's hand and swallowed it whole.

An Ohio lab mix named Duke who swallowed an entire spatula head while licking peanut butter.

A New Jersey golden retriever named Boone who grabbed a piece of too-hot grilled chicken that ended up burning his mouth — and choked on the bone.

Bella, a Havanese pup from Illinois, who feasted on a floral arrangement, causing a major tummy ache.

Nationwide said all of the nominees have since made full recoveries.

"Pets always find new ways to surprise us! The Hambone Award shines a light on those unpredictable moments and the amazing teams who help pets recover," said Dr. Emily M. Tincher, chief veterinary officer at Nationwide. "We're proud to support the pet families and veterinary teams who turn these unexpected adventures into stories of recovery and relief."

Animal fans can vote for their favorite nominees on the Hambone Award website until Aug. 12.

The winning pet will receive the Hambone Award trophy and a Petco gift card. The second and third place finishers will also receive Petco gift cards.

Indiana man's giant sunflower plant approaching world record

An Indiana gardener said his sunflower plant is within a foot of breaking a Guinness World Record — and it's still growing.

Fort Wayne man Alex Babich's sunflower surpassed the U.S. record last week when it reached 26 feet and 8 inches tall.

Babich said his flower has continued to grow, and is now within one foot of the current Guinness World Record: a 30-foot, 1-inch sunflower grown in Germany in 2014.

The City of Fort Wayne is aiding in Babich's world record attempt by providing a cherry picker to help protect the flower, which Babich named Clover, from mischievous squirrels.

"I'm really proud. I'm from Ukraine originally, you know, we immigrated back in 1991, we escaped Chernobyl, and we came here and we started living in Fort Wayne," Babich told WANE-TV. "It's been fantastic here, and we just have so much support right now. It's really, truly, you know, they support us and we're like thank you and we would like to give something back. So, let's bring this record back to the U.S."

Panamanian Geisha coffee sets new price record

Panamanian Geisha coffee made history again at the recent 2025 Best of Panama international online auction, selling for a record $30,204 per kilogram or $13,705 per pound.

The winning lot, a washed Geisha grown by Hacienda La Esmeralda in Boquete, Chiriquí, was purchased by a buyer from Dubai, marking a new high in the global coffee industry, the Panamanian newspaper La Prensa reported.

In the natural Geisha category, also from Hacienda La Esmeralda, a buyer from China paid $23,608 per kg., or $10,709 per pound, while in the varietal category, a lot of the Laurina variety sold for $8,040 per kg., or $3,647 per pound, to a buyer in Beijing.

In total, 30 of the 50 lots offered exceeded $1,000 per kg., of $454 per pound, generating record sales of more than $2.8 million and an average price of $2,861.20 per kg., or $1, 298 per pound — more than double the figure recorded in 2024.

Connecticut men reel in estimated 700-pound thresher shark

A pair of Connecticut anglers may have broken a state record when they reeled in a 16-foot thresher shark they estimated to weigh about 700 pounds.

Ed Lovely and Moe Giovanni said they were out on the Long Island Sound in Lovely's 16.5-foot boat last week when they hooked something big.

"I was hand feeding the line out, I got down to 45 or 50 feet and boom, I tell Moe boom something just hit and — bang, zoom — it started spooling us," Lovely told WTIC-TV.

The men ended up struggling with the thresher shark for six hours. The men said they took turns wearing the fishing belt and holding the rod.

"You need to have teamwork getting a fish like that because one guy has to drive the boat while the other guy's got to reel and tell him which way it's going and starboard side, port side, and so for those hours we were just going back and forth," Giovanni said.

The men said they were shocked when they finally saw the size of the fish.

"A few hours later, I finally saw the shark way out, and it was ginormous. It was huge," Lovely told WTNH-TV. "I was like, 'This is crazy.' Even Moe was like, 'This is the biggest fish I've ever seen.'"

They were finally about to harpoon the shark after six hours of struggling. They towed their catch back to shore, where they loaded it into Lovely's truck.

The shark's estimated 700-pound weight was so heavy that it snapped a bolt on Lovely's winch while unloading it from the truck.

"I was smiling like a little kid," Lovely said. "This stuff doesn't happen, especially on a boat that size and a rod that size."

The anglers are now attempting to determine whether their catch is indeed a new state record.

State records currently list the largest shark caught in Connecticut waters as a 650-pound mako shark caught in 1987.

A Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection representative said a marine trophy fish award application for the shark is being reviewed by officials.

Four men eat beans with toothpicks to break world record

Serial Guinness World Record-breaker David Rush teamed up with fellow YouTuber Josh Horton and his crew to eat baked beans with toothpicks.

Rush, Horton and two members of Horton's crew took on the record for the most baked beans eaten with a toothpick in 3 minutes by a team of 4.

The number to beat was 429, and the team managed to devour 559 beans in the allotted time, handily taking the record.

Rush's contribution was 211 beans, breaking his own record for the most baked beans eaten with a toothpick in 3 minutes by an individual, which he previously set at 178.

Texas chicken named world's oldest at the age of 14

A Texas woman's pet chicken was officially named the oldest in the world by Guinness World Records at the age of 14 years and 69 days old.

Little Elm resident Sonya Hull said she hatched the chicken, Pearl, in her personal incubator on March 13, 2011.

Guinness World Records confirmed Pearl's age on May 22, officially earning her the title of world's oldest living chicken.

"She's defied all odds because most Easter-Egger Hens live an average of five to eight years," Hull told Guinness World Records.

She said Pearl's mobility is limited now, so she spends most of her time in the family's laundry room.

"She is welcome to come out into the living room, because she likes to watch TV when she hears it on," Hull said.

Pearl is also fond of the family's elderly cat and new kitten.

"She doesn't seem to mind the other animals, and the kitten will sometimes sit with her," Hull said.

Hull said Pearl's egg production has slowed, but she laid one right after the family found out she was an official Guinness World Record-holder.

The previous oldest chicken living, an Illinois pet named Peanut, died Dec. 25, 2023, at the age of 21 years and 238 days old.

Manatee visits Massachusetts waters for first time since 2016

Marine rescuers in Massachusetts said they are keeping tabs on the first manatee to be spotted in the state's waters in nearly a decade.

The International Fund for Animal Welfare, which is working together with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and local groups in Massachusetts, is asking the public to report any sightings of the marine mammal.

The manatee was first spotted July 26, when paddleboarder Jennifer Sullivan recorded video of the animal off Mashpee.

Sullivan told NBC Boston the manatee was "just lazing around there in the grass going as slowly as possible."

The manatee was again spotted July 29, when it was temporarily stranded on tidal flats in the Mattapoisett area. It was able to return to deeper waters when the tide came in.

"Manatee sightings in Massachusetts are uncommon; only four have been documented in the past 17 years," Stacey Hedman, senior director of communications for IFAW, told the Cape Cod Times. "We are grateful to members of the public who promptly reported the stranding. Early information is key to ensuring the best possible outcome for any marine mammal."

The most recent confirmed manatee sighting in Massachusetts waters was in 2016.

"Because Massachusetts water temperatures are barely within the manatees allowable temperature limits and only for short periods of time in certain areas, these animals can often become stressed if they stay too long into the season and water temperatures drop," Hedman said.

Officials are asking the public to report any further manatee sightings. They said a rescue plan will be put into effect if the animal becomes stranded again or the water temperature dips below comfortable temperatures for the warm-water creature.

New York woman finds 2.3-carat gem at Arkansas' Crater of Diamonds

A New York woman visited Arkansas' Crater of Diamonds State Park to find a stone for her engagement ring and wound up discovering a 2.3-carat white diamond.

Manhattan resident Micherre Fox, 31, said she decided about two years ago that she would find her own engagement ring diamond.

"There's something symbolic about being able to solve problems with money, but sometimes money runs out in a marriage," Fox said in an Arkansas State Parks news release. "You need to be willing and able to solve those problems with hard work."

Fox said her partner supported her decision and agreed to wait until she found the right stone.

"I was willing to go anywhere in the world to make that happen," she said. "I researched, and it turned out that the only place in the world to do it was right in our backyard, in Arkansas!"

Fox planned a three-week trip to the park that began July 8. She spent hours searching for the perfect diamond every day, but it wasn't until July 29, the last day of her visit, that she spotted something along the West Drain of the park's 37.5-acre diamond search area.

The searcher said she initially thought the object was merely the sun glistening off the dew on a spider web, but when she nudged it with her boot she realized it was something solid.

"Having never seen an actual diamond in my hands, I didn't know for sure, but it was the most 'diamond-y diamond' I had seen," she recalled.

Fox took her find to the Diamond Discovery Center, where staff confirmed she had found a 2.3-carat white diamond, also known as a colorless diamond.

"I got on my knees and cried, then started laughing," she said.

Fox, who is now planning to have the stone set in her engagement ring, named her gem the Fox-Ballou Diamond, combining her partner's last name with her own.

"Ms. Fox's story highlights the fact that, even when putting forth your best effort, being in the right place at the right time plays a part in finding diamonds," Crater of Diamonds State Park Assistant Superintendent Waymon Cox said. "After weeks of hard work, Ms. Fox found her diamond sitting right on top of the ground."

Auto worker's lost wallet found under hood 11 years later

A mechanic working on a 2015 Ford Edge brought into his Minnesota shop made a startling discovery under the hood: a wallet that had been lost by a Michigan Ford plant worker 11 years earlier.

Richard Guilford, who is now retired, said he remembers the day he lost his wallet while working on vehicles that had been shipped to the Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne after coming off the assembly line in Chicago with electrical issues.

"I never wore sweatpants to work, but I did that day," he told KARE-TV. "And I had my wallet in my shirt pocket."

Guilford and his team searched for the missing wallet, but there were 2,000 vehicles on the floor and they eventually had to give up. He said the wallet contained his driver's license, his Ford Motor Co. ID, $15 in cash and $250 worth of Cabela's sporting goods gift cards he had intended to use to buy Christmas presents for his kids.

The wallet's final fate remained a mystery for 11 years, until Chad Volk, owner of LC Car Care in Crystal Lake, Minn., was working on a 2015 Ford Edge brought in to have its cooling fans replaced.

Volk said he was attempting to put the air box back into place under the hood, but it wouldn't fit right. He removed it again and found Guilford's leather wallet sitting on top of the transmission.

"I was surprised. You find stuff all the time, usually tools," Volk told the Detroit Free Press. "I looked through it and I see a Ford Motor Co. badge. I thought, 'I'm going to try finding this guy to see if I can get it back to him.'"

Volk was quickly able to find and contact Guilford on Facebook, and the wallet was in the mail the next day.

Volk said the Edge had about 150,000 miles on it when it came to his shop.

"It's well-traveled currency," Guilford joked of the $15 cash, which was still safe inside the wallet, along with the rest of its contents.

Guilford said Cabela's has agreed to issue him new gift cards, so he can keep his preserved wallet intact as a keepsake.

"Some things in it were hot and crisp, think of how hot that car got," Guilford said. "It doesn't look like it ever got wet, just hot. That little corner kept [the wallet] completely dry and completely preserved. I want the wallet to stay as it is. It is a memento."

World Humanoid Robot Games kick off in Beijing

The World Humanoid Robot Games kicked off in Beijing, with AI-powered robots built by teams from around the globe competing in sports including kickboxing, track, soccer and dance.

The event held its opening ceremony on Thursday, which featured some of the first mishaps of the games, including a robot falling over while attempting to light the torch for the games.

The games feature more than 500 robots from 16 countries, including Japan, the United States and Germany, competing in 26 events.

One robot was disqualified from Friday's 1,500-meter race when its head fell off in mid-stride.

"Keeping [the head] balanced while in movement is the biggest challenge for us," Wang Ziyi, 19, a member of the Beijing Union University team, told The Guardian.

A soccer game on Friday also featured a mishap when a robot tripped and several other mechanical players to fall, requiring human intervention to clear the hazard.

The World Humanoid Robot Games run through Sunday.

Overdue book returned to Texas library after nearly 82 years

A book was returned to the San Antonio Public Library in Texas nearly 82 years past its due date, along with a note explaining it had likely been checked out by the writer's grandmother.

The City of San Antonio said the book was checked out in July 1943 and was due back 28 days later, but it didn't find its way back to the library until a package arrived at the facility in June of this year.

The package, mailed from Oregon, contained the library's copy of Your Child, His Family, and Friends, by Frances Bruce Strain.

The accompanying note explained the book had been found among the writer's father's possessions, and had apparently been checked out by the person's grandmother when their father was about 11 years old, just before the family relocated so she could work at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City.

"She must have taken the book with her, and some 82 years later, it ended up in my possession," the letter's author wrote.

The letter also expressed the writer's hope that there wouldn't be any late fees for the book, as "grandma won't be able to pay for it anymore."

The person who returned the overdue book won't face any fines, as the library eliminated late fees in 2021.

The book is currently on display in the lobby of San Antonio's Central Library. It will be donated to the Friends of San Antonio Public Library for sale in the Book Cellar used book store at the end of August, the city said.

College ring dropped into the Long Island Sound found 56 years later

A Fordham University Class of 1969 ring dropped into the Long Island Sound in New York was returned to its owner after a 56-year absence.

Port Jefferson resident Dave Orlowski, who regularly takes his metal detector to Cedar Beach in Mount Sinai, said he was recently engaging in his treasure hunting hobby when he unearthed a ring buried under more than a foot of sand.

"It said Alfred DiStefano, class of 1969, Fordham University," Orlowski told WCBS-TV.

He said the question of what to do with the ring was answered by his wife.

"She says, 'Well, if you lost your ring, wouldn't you want it returned?' And so, right. The question, answered," Orlowski told WABC-TV.

Orlowski contacted Karen Manning, who runs the Fordham Class of '69 Facebook page, and she was able to put him in contact with DiStefano, who now lives in Texas.

"He could have just sold it, and made some money on it, but, it restored my faith in humanity," Manning said.

DiStefano said he clearly remembers losing the ring while watching a sunset on a Cedar Beach pier in 1969.

"I remember it like it was yesterday. I remember watching it slip off my finger into the water, and it was deep," he said. "I said, 'It's gone.'"

Orlowski said the nearest pier to the spot where he found the ring is about half a mile away, but there may have been a closer one decades ago.

"When you think of continents moving over hundreds of millions of years, you know, a little ring could move over 50 years, half a mile," DiStefano said.

DiStefano has his postman record the moment he received the ring in the mail and returned it to his finger.

"I think a lot of people would not go out of their way, the extra mile. He did, and I really appreciate it," DiStefano said.

Orlowski said he was just happy to have been able to do something nice for someone else.

"I don't do it for money. I do it for the thrill," Orlowski said. "You never know what you're going to pull out."

Colombian parents name baby 'Chat Yipiti' after AI program

A Colombian family named their newborn daughter "Chat Yipiti" after the AI program ChatGPT. Despite the unusual name, the child was registered without objection at the National Registry office in the town of Cereté.

According to local media, the parents of Chat Yipiti Bastidas Guerra said they chose the name as a "tribute" to the era of artificial intelligence.

This has sparked all kinds of reactions among social media users, as many disagree with the parents' decision, not knowing what consequences it might have in the future.

The case is not unique. Colombia has a history of officially registering unconventional names, from those inspired by sports, movie and music stars such as "Maicol Yordan" and "Brayan Spears" that have stirred controversy.

The National Registry has intervened in the past to prohibit names such as "Miperro" (My Dog) or "Satanás" (Satan), which it said clearly violated a person's dignity.

In Colombia, while the law does not specify a list of prohibited names, it gives officials at the National Civil Registry the authority to deny registration if they believe a name could harm a child's dignity or reputation.

"Legal precedent has established that a registrar may refuse to record names that result from phonetic or grammatical combinations suggesting obscene words, that clearly show an intent to mock the child, or that are so extravagant they could expose the child to discriminatory or degrading treatment," Bogotá attorney José Francisco Guerra said.

Across Latin America, it is common to find variations on the names of Hollywood stars or cult film characters. Names such as "Yeison" (Jason) and even "Stallone," in honor of Sylvester Stallone, have been registered.

Spanish phonetics often alter the spelling of foreign names, creating unique combinations. In Brazil, names from soap opera characters are common, often as inventive as the dramas that inspire them.

In the past, children have been registered with names such as "Mozart" and "Facebook" and even those of singers, products, musical groups or historical figures.

However, experts in child psychology and sociology have voiced concern. An unusual name, or one that invites jokes, can expose a child to ridicule and affect self-esteem and emotional well-being.

Sweet-toothed bear breaks into California ice cream shop

A California sheriff's office shared photos of a bear that broke into an ice cream parlor and helped itself to some strawberry ice cream behind the counter.

The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office said on social media that deputies were summoned early Sunday morning to the Ice Cream Shop at Camp Richardson in South Lake Tahoe.

"The deputies could barely believe their eyes as they saw a large bear behind the counter of the shop," the post said.

The sheriff's office said the bear, which only showed interest in the strawberry ice cream, left the shop "with some encouragement" from deputies.

"Thankfully, Fuzzy the bear caused barely any property damage and there was barely any cleanup," the post said.

Canadian politician puts on 360 neck ties to break world record

A Canadian politician preparing to retire celebrated her time in office by donning 360 neck ties at the same time, breaking a Guinness World Record in the process.

Marwah Rizqy, a member of the National Assembly of Quebec who announced this year that she will not seek re-election in 2026, celebrated her tenure in office by attempting a Guinness World Record on the Canadian TV series Infoman.

Rizqy had to beat the record of 330 set by Brazilian David Aparecido Dos Santos Araujo in 2023.

"I accepted the challenge of breaking the record for the most neck ties worn at once to show that women are equal to men, and that women can also wear many ties," Rizqy told Guinness World Records.

It took 48 minutes for Rizqy to reach the previous record, with her face just barely showing through. She captured the title by putting on 30 more ties.

Dunkelheit - Message From Beyond Stellar Spheres

Floating Nowhere - Brand New Day

Mexican festival's taco serving breaks three world records

A festival in a Mexican city served 13,215 tacos in one hour, and in the process also broke the Guinness World Records for the largest stir-fry and the largest frying pan.

The La Discada 2025 festival in Guadalupe, Nuevo León, involved a team of 100 culinary students using a 23-foot diameter frying pan to prepare a stir-fry dish called la discada, which contains sausage, beef, pork, bacon, tomatoes, peppers, onions and beer.

The stir-fry cooked for three hours and 40 minutes over a wood fire and the 5,331 pounds of cooked food were then turned into tacos served to the festival's 10,000 attendees.

The event earned three Guinness World Record titles: the most tacos served in one hour, the largest stir-fry and the largest frying pan.

The leftover tacos from the event were donated to local food banks.

Dog who fought bull wins 2025 Hambone Award

Nationwide Pet Insurance announced a California dog who faced off with a bull to protect his family is the winner of this year's Hambone Award.

The Hambone Award, given annually for "the unexpected, the unusual and downright outrageous" ways pets find themselves in need of medical attention, was named in honor of a dog who ate an entire holiday ham while trapped in a refrigerator.

This year's winner is Ziya, a Belgian malinois who stepped between his owner, Tim, and a rampaging bull during a walk in northern California.

"While his owners escaped to safety, the bull struck Ziya in the jaw, dislodging a tooth and sending him to the emergency vet," Nationwide said in a news release. "Thanks to expert veterinary care, Ziya made a full recovery and now hopes that future walks will not involve horned adversaries."

Ziya was chosen as the winner in an online vote, besting a field of nine other finalists.

"Tim's bond with Ziya enabled them to take turns caring for each other when a bull unexpectedly joined their morning walk," said Emily Tincher, chief veterinary officer at Nationwide. "Thanks to the care provided by Ziya's veterinary team and the protection provided by Nationwide pet insurance, this story of unexpected trauma has a happy ending!"

The runners-up were Duke, an Ohio lab mix who swallowed an entire spatula head while licking peanut butter, and Foxtrot, a Texas Great Dane who stole a turkey leg and swallowed it whole.

Man buys 162 tickets for one lottery drawing, wins $811,000

A South Carolina man took a big gamble by buying 162 identical tickets for a single Pick 4 lottery drawing, and ended up winning a record-breaking $811,000 prize.

The Lowcountry man told South Carolina Education Lottery officials he had a good feeling about the numbers 1-7-3-1, so he spent $339 to buy 162 tickets bearing those numbers for the Aug. 7 Pick 4 drawing at Towne Centre Market on North Highway 17 in Mount Pleasant.

The man ended up winning $811,000, the largest amount ever paid out to a single player in a Pick 4 drawing.

"I was excited, of course," the man said.

Another player who was at the store at the same store overheard the man talking about his lucky feeling and decided to play the same numbers — winning $25,400, lottery officials said.

Turtle with unique peanut-shaped shell turns 41 in Missouri

The Missouri Department of Conservation celebrated the 41st birthday of Peanut, a red-eared slider turtle with a unique figure eight-shaped shell.

The department celebrated Peanut's 41st birthday at the Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center with a public event Saturday from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

The celebration featured card making, litter awareness lessons, coloring sheets and an Eat Like a Turtle activity. The nature center also honored Peanut by serving turtle-style birthday food: worms and crickets.

Officials said Peanut's shell, which bears a shape reflected in her name, made her an anti-littering icon.

"Her figure-eight shell was the result of crawling into that six-pack ring when she was very young," MDC officials explained in a news release. "As Peanut's shell grew around it, her one-of-a-kind shape became her superpower. She's not a teenager anymore, but her mighty message continues to remind people to put litter in its place."

Japanese city weighs limiting smartphone use to 2 hours per day

A Japanese city is considering a proposed ordinance that would limit residents to two hours of screen time outside of work or school.

Masafumi Koki, mayor of Toyoake in Aichi Prefecture, announced the city's assembly will soon vote on a draft ordinance that would limit residents to two hours of time on smartphones, tablets and computers outside of work and school obligations.

The non-binding ordinance would also urge elementary school-age children to cut off screen time at 9 p.m., with a 10 p.m. suggestion for middle school and older children.

Koki said the ordinance would not impose any monetary or criminal penalties for violations.

"Limiting daily smartphone use at two hours is just a guide," Masafumi Koki said at a plenary meeting of the city assembly Friday. "The bill is aimed at promoting measures to prevent residents from suffering adverse effects on their bodies and daily lives from excessive smartphone use."

A survey published in March by Japan's Children and Families Agency found young people in the country spend an average five hours on their phones, tablets and computers per day during the week.

Long-lost postcard returned to sender 72 years after being mailed

A postcard lost in the mail for 72 years arrived at an Illinois post office, where officials were able to track down and contact the now-88-year-old sender.

The postcard, which was sent by Alan Ball to his parents, Frederic and Elizabeth Ball, in 1953, arrived recently at the Ottawa Post Office, where Postmaster Mark Thompson took an interest in the mystery.

Thompson said the card, which depicts the U.N. building in New York, was likely mishandled at the post office inside the United Nations and ended up lost in a crevice or other unseen location for decades before finding itself back in circulation.

The postmaster enlisted the help of local genealogists to locate Alan Ball, who now lives in Sandpoint, Idaho.

Ball, who was shown a digital image of the card, said he recognized his own handwriting, but he doesn't remember mailing the card. He does, however, remember spending a short time in New York on his way to a summer trip to Puerto Rico in 1953.

The postcard's 72-year journey pales in comparison to a similar incident that occurred last year when a postcard arrived at its intended address in Swansea, Wales, 121 years after the date on its postmark. A Royal Mail spokeswoman speculated the postcard had somehow re-entered the system, as opposed to being lost in transit for over a century.

Pig found loose in Pennsylvania park for a second time

A pot-bellied pig was found running loose in a Pennsylvania state park for the second time this summer, prompting an investigation from animal authorities.

The Bucks County SPCA said a 2-year-old pig estimated to weigh about 88 pounds was found wandering loose near the fishing pier at Nockamixon State Park last week.

The pig, dubbed Lewis by the SPCA, was lured with food and taken to the organization's shelter in Quakertown.

The SPCA said Lewis was the second pot-bellied pig found in the park this summer.

"They called us. We had caught a pig there in July. So they were able to catch this one," Cindy Kelly of the Bucks County SPCA told WPVI-TV.

The SPCA is now trying to determine how both pigs ended up loose in the park. She said a wire dog crate was found abandoned in the park, indicating the animals may have been intentionally abandoned.

"We're asking if anyone recognizes these particular pigs or has any knowledge of how they got to the park, we would love to know about it," Kelly said.

The SPCA said pot-bellied pigs are not suited to life in the wild.

Connecticut man collects more than 3,800 pairs of Crocs

A Connecticut man known as the "Croc King" earned a Guinness World Record when his collection of Crocs was tallied at 3,569 pairs — but he said that number is already out of date.

Doogie Sandtiger said his fondness for the footwear began at the age of 16, due to his childhood in foster care leaving him without the knowledge of how to tie his shoes.

"Part of the foster care system that people don't realize is, there's a lot of things that kids don't get taught or miss along the way," Sandtiger told WTNH-TV.

Sandtiger said he made a list of goals in his journal when he was a teenager, and that's how he started collecting.

"I called it my goals list, and for whatever reason, I put 366 pairs of Crocs — that was the original goal," Sandtiger said.

He started to seek a Guinness World Record for his collection in 2023, when his collection surpassed 2,000 pairs.

He was finally awarded the title for the largest collection of Crocs when his collection was tallied at 3,569 pairs — but the number has continued to grow since that count was performed in November 2024.

Sandtiger said his collection surpassed 3,800 this month.

The footwear aficionado said he hopes to eventually show off his collection by opening a "Crocseum."

Angler reels in first documented orange shark off Costa Rica

A man fishing in waters off the coast of Costa Rica reeled in an unusual catch — the first documented orange shark.

Garvin Watson reeled in the 6-foot, 6-inch nurse shark while casting his line near Tortuguero National Park in August 2024.

"[It was] incredible," Watson told USA Today. "We couldn't believe what we had in front of us, an orange shark that looked like an alien."

Watson, owner of the Parismina Domus Dei Hotel, shared photos of his catch on the business' Facebook page.

Researchers said the shark's bright orange coloring is caused by a condition called xanthism, which causes yellow or gold pigmentation in an animal's skin, scales or fur.

Scientists Marioxis Macías-Cuyare, Gilberto Rafael Borges Guzmán and Daniel Arauz-Naranjo wrote in a report published this month in the journal Marine Biodiversity that Watson's nurse shark represents "the first scientifically documented case of total xanthism in the species and the first record from the Caribbean Sea."

The researchers said the shark's white eyes indicate it also has a form of albinism, which involves a complete lack of pigment.

Colorado county offering free corn after highway crash

A Colorado county is distributing free ears of corn to local residents after a semi truck loaded up with the vegetables overturned on the highway and spilled its load.

The Custer County Sheriff's Office said emergency crews were summoned to Highway 69's Mile Marker 69, just south of Hillside and north of Reed Road, just after 2 a.m. Thursday on a report of an overturned truck.

The truck had spilled its load of sweet corn, and many of the ears ended up littering the side of the roadway.

Any undamaged corn from the crash was transported to the Wet Mountain Fire Protection District, where members of the public were invited to drop by and take some corn for free. Corn-seeking residents were asked to make sure not to block the fire station's driveway.

The sheriff's office said the roadway was completely cleared by 7 p.m. Thursday, but drivers were still urged to use caution in the area, as corn remnants were likely to attract a higher-than-usual number of hungry deer to the highway.