NEW YORK (AP) — Pretty much everyone on stage at the Metropolitan Opera in New York must audition — even the snake who will briefly take center stage in an upcoming adaptation of a Mozart classic. In charge of deciding who gets the s-s-s-s-starring reptilian role is Zoe Ziegfeld, a carnival performer-turned-opera actor cast as […]
MILLINOCKET, Maine (AP) — More than 14 million older adults fall every year in the U.S., perhaps none so often as 91-year-old Dale Sanders. By his count, Sanders fell 71 times while reclaiming his record as the oldest hiker to complete the Appalachian Trail. Seven were what he calls hard falls, including one that led […]
NEW YORK (AP) — Hundreds of people gathered near New York City’s popular Washington Square Park Sunday to judge a Mayor Zohran Mamdani look-alike contest. The winner, Amadeo Fusca, was the crowd favorite, wearing a jersey for the NBA champion New York Knicks underneath a suit. Fusca also had a haircut and facial hair similar […]
FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. (AP) — With screams and giggles, whipping ponytails and white-knuckle grips, Minnesota fairgoers are taking delight in the magic of the Tilt-A-Whirl ride as it turns 100 years old. The iconic ride and its brightly colored cars debuted at the Minnesota State Fair in 1926, and it has been a mainstay at […]
BOSTON (AP) — Harvard Medical School says it agreed to pay $53 million to settle class action lawsuits by relatives of body donors whose remains were sold on the black market by its former morgue manager. Harvard Medical School Deans George Q. Daley and Bernard S. Chang announced the development in a letter to the […]
A tractor-trailer rollover sent a truckload of squid spilling into a Rhode Island roadway, leaving a stench as they sat in the road for hours in the summer heat. Local authorities have dubbed it the “Squidpocalypse of ’26.” It was a warm, sunny day in the coastal town of Narragansett when the spill happened Sunday, […]
SALISBURY, Mass. (AP) — Kimie Smothermon begins each day greeted by the squeals, chirps and purrs of nearly 400 guinea pigs. Depending on who you ask, tending to the daily barrage of guinea pig needs can be either a fairy tale or a horror show. For Smothermon, it’s often a mix of both. “If I […]
WENDOVER, Utah (AP) — The only person to break the sound barrier in a car earned another world record Tuesday in a show of force for hydrogen power. British driver Andy Green reached 406.320 mph (653.908 kph) in a car powered by two hydrogen internal combustion engines with a combined 1,600 horsepower, setting the record […]
WENDOVER, Utah (AP) — The first — and only — person to break the sound barrier in a car hits the track in Utah this week with new wheels and his eye on another record. Twenty years ago, British driver Andy Green set the land speed record for a diesel-powered car, reaching 350.092 mph (563.4 […]
CHICAGO (AP) — A deluge of 90,000 rubber ducks poured out of a truck on the Columbus Drive bridge and plunged into the Chicago River on Thursday, and then raced at a leisurely pace in the annual Chicago Ducky Derby. They floated for around 15 minutes before a winner and runner-up were plucked from the […]
PACIFICA, Calif. (AP) — Top dogs were riding waves Saturday at the annual World Dog Surfing Championships as hundreds of spectators cheered — and barked — from the Northern California beach. From small spaniels to large labs, the canines were judged on factors including how long they could stay on their board, the size of […]
NEW YORK (AP) — A school district in a rural corner of upstate New York is hitting pause on plans to deploy an AI-powered, humanoid robot in the classroom after state education officials, teachers and local residents raised concerns, including the maker’s ties to a company that produces hyper realistic sex bots. The Salamanca City […]
MIDDLETOWN, N.Y. (AP) — A circus performer was accidentally shot in the neck by an arrow during a performance at a county fair in upstate New York, police and organizers said. It happened Friday night at the Orange County Fair in Middletown, northwest of New York City, according to state police. Ana Daza Tavera, 42, […]
The Seattle Police Department is searching for two men who climbed over the glass wall of the city’s iconic Space Needle on Friday, flipped over the edge and parachuted down from the 605-foot structure. The jumpers face trespassing charges, according to a report provided by Public Affairs Officer Brian Pritchard. The BASE jumpers purchased tickets […]
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A man using a wheelchair was struggling to get across six lanes of traffic in an Arkansas city when help came in an unexpected way — from a spidery superhero who jumped into action from a red Jeep waiting at a light. Christopher Hellenthal was still garbed in his Spider-Man […]
LUVERNE, Minn. (AP) — Crossing the open farmland of southwestern Minnesota, you’ll encounter an otherworldly sight: a massive head with a beard, mustache and red-striped top hat looming over the horizon. Pull into the small town of Luverne and the figure — a nearly 66-foot (20-meter) tall nutcracker, decked out like Uncle Sam — comes […]
HAYWARD, Wis. (AP) — Three new women’s world records have been set at the Lumberjack World Championships competition held in a small Wisconsin community, full of high-powered sawing, chopping, log-rolling, speed climbing and cheers of “Yo-Ho!” This year, 66 men and 40 women attended the three-day competition in Hayward that ended Saturday. They represented 16 […]
After 246 years, Pvt. John Pumphrey is unknown no more. Through DNA testing and old-fashioned sleuthing, the Maryland teenager who died in one of the last big battles of the American Revolution can now take his place in history, just in time for the 250th birthday of the nation he fought to create. “There was […]
Crews were quashing a small wildfire in Colorado this week when a surprise guest decided to keep them company. A goat named Goldie — short for Golden Oreo — followed firefighters for hours as they actively engaged the Rock Creek Fire in Colorado Springs and cleared brush. She even took care of some of it […]
HONOLULU (AP) — A Grand Canyon river rafting guide who aimed to become the first American woman to row across the mid-Pacific solo has completed a record-breaking journey from California to Hawaii. Hundreds gathered to cheer on Kelsey Pfendler as she pulled into a Honolulu harbor Friday night on her 21-foot row boat, Lily, after […]
NEW YORK (AP) — The Nathan’s Famous hot dog eating contest marks the United States’ 250th birthday with chomp and circumstance Saturday after an eventful year for the annual wiener showdown and one of its stars. Contest sponsor Nathan’s Famous was sold in January to packaged meat giant Smithfield Foods. A few months later, reigning […]
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — For a few years at the turn of this century, Nashville was home to a remarkable carousel. Described by its artist-creator Red Grooms as a sculpto-pictorama, the “horses” were 36 whimsical figures related to Tennessee. Legendary country musician Chet Atkins rode the neck of a guitar. Davy Crockett wrestled a bear. […]
A giraffe named Gracie is missing in Texas, and the search for her has become a tall order. Gracie, who is about 3 years old, has been missing for nearly two weeks after escaping her enclosure at Cedar Hollow Ranch in the Texas Hill Country, said Vic Jones, who owns the remote property about 100 […]
WASHINGTON (AP) — One was a rotating disc that sent out beams of light. Another was a shining red orb of a hue the observer had never seen before. Then there was the one compared to a potato, and also a bean, but with a coat of shimmering, fish-like scales. Those were some of the […]
