Odd news to share at the watercooler

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

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

5 days ago

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

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

10 days ago

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

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

12 days ago

Clarification: Wienermobile story

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

12 days ago

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

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

13 days ago

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

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

13 days ago

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

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

15 days ago

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

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

15 days ago

Enough to make your skin crawl: 20 rattlesnakes found inside a homeowner’s garage in Arizona

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — An Arizona man called a snake removal company after seeing what he thought were three rattlesnakes lurking in the garage of his Mesa home. He was wrong. There actually were 20 snakes — five adult western diamondback rattlers and 15 babies. One of the adult snakes also was pregnant. Snake wrangler […]

19 days ago

This photo provided by the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish shows authorities surrounding a b...

Wandering bull moose is captured in downtown Santa Fe, moved to habitat in northern New Mexico

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A wandering bull moose was captured in downtown Santa Fe and relocated to a suitable habitat in northern New Mexico, authorities said. State Game and Fish officials and Animal Service Officers for the city said the moose was spotted about 8 a.m. Tuesday near Fort Marcy Park. Officers set up […]

21 days ago

A package of Paqui OneChipChallenge spicy tortilla chips is seen on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023, in Bos...

Spicy food challenges have a long history. Have they become too extreme?

NEW YORK (AP) — A tortilla chip maker’s decision to pull its extremely spicy product sold as a “One Chip Challenge” from store shelves following the death of a Massachusetts teen has renewed attention on the popularity — and risks — of similar dares marketed by brands and spread widely online. Spicy food challenges have […]

22 days ago

This undated photo, provided by the Flock Theater, shows a burning effigy during the annual burning...

Benedict Arnold burned a Connecticut city. Centuries later, residents get payback in fiery festival

NEW LONDON, Conn. (AP) — A month before the British surrender at Yorktown ended major fighting during the American Revolution, the traitor Benedict Arnold led a force of Redcoats on a last raid in his home state of Connecticut, burning most of the small coastal city of New London to the ground. It has been […]

25 days ago

Robbery suspect who eluded capture in a vehicle, on a bike and a sailboat arrested, police say

A Vermont armed robbery suspect who police say eluded capture in the past week in a vehicle, on a stolen bike, on foot and in a stolen sailboat was arrested Thursday after he was spotted in a kayak on a river, authorities said. Eric Edson, 52, was wanted on accusations of a robbery of a […]

26 days ago

Police stop Nebraska man for bucking the law with a bull riding shotgun in his car

A 911 call about a car driving with a cow inside it in one of northeast Nebraska’s biggest cities was no bull. Norfolk Police Capt. Chad Reiman said it didn’t take long for officers to track down the modified Ford Crown Victoria sedan with a bull riding shotgun on the main highway entering the city […]