A book found bricked in a fireplace is returned to an Australian library, 150 years overdue
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — A book on Greek antiquities has been returned to an Australian public library about 150 years late, with water damage from years bricked into a fireplace. “Antiquities of Athens" was part of the original collection at the Kiama Library when it opened in 1872. Resident Ross Simmons returned the book last week. He found it during home renovations inside a tea crate bricked into a sealed fireplace. He suspects his ancestor borrowed the book. The book included a list of rules about borrowing books in the 1870s, including that households whose members had a known ability to read could borrow more books. The returned book will be displayed in the library’s local history collection.
TSA finds stolen Civil War-era cannonballs in a passenger's suitcase at an Alabama airport
GULF SHORES, Ala. (AP) — Law enforcement officials say a set of stolen Civil War-era cannonballs was discovered in a passenger’s suitcase during a routine security screening at an Alabama airport. The federal Transportation Security Administration said the relics were discovered at Gulf Shores International Airport on July 18. A TSA agent opened the luggage and found five small cannonballs wrapped in paper towels. TSA said the cannonballs were inactive. Police determined they were stolen from Fort Morgan in Gulf Shores and dated to the American Civil War. The Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday that a juvenile stole the cannonballs from a storage area. They were returned and the institution declined to press charges.
Rotten fish sauce that has long stunk up a small Canadian town is finally being removed
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — The townspeople of St. Mary’s can now breathe a sigh of relief. They are finally getting rid of the foul smell of rotten fish that has for years wafted over their tiny community in Canada’s easternmost province. The source of the foulness were some 110 tanks left behind — each holding 3,000 gallons of fermented fish sauce — when the Atlantic Seafood Sauce Company was abandoned more than 20 years ago. As years passed, the sauce kept on fermenting and the townspeople could smell. St. Mary’s volunteer mayor, Steve Ryan, says after a lengthy “crusade” the town finally got the provincial government to fund the cleanup that started this week.
Montana man hikes out of the mountains to get help after he was impaled by a trekking pole
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — David Cifaldi was approaching the top of Montana’s highest peak with two friends when their hiking adventure took a dangerous turn: Cifaldi slipped and impaled himself on his trekking pole. The steel-tipped pole protruded awkwardly from his side but missed any major organs. Worried about the high cost of a helicopter rescue, Cifaldi and his companions notified authorities of their situation and hiked out the 10 miles to a trailhead with the pole still impaled. They later drove to Billings where Cifaldi was treated at the same hospital where he's employed as a wound care nurse.
French student pleads guilty and is fined for a straw-licking stunt in Singapore
SINGAPORE (AP) — A French student has been fined in Singapore for licking a straw from a juice vending machine and putting it back in what lawyers described as a social media stunt. Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien admitted to licking the straw and returning it to the vending machine while recording the act for his online followers. He was charged after his video spread rapidly. A court imposed the $465 fine after he pleaded guilty to a public nuisance charge Thursday. Prosecutors said the stunt risked undermining confidence in the hygiene of the vending machine. His lawyer said he removed the straw for his own use and is truly sorry.
Prague zoo keeps polar bears cool with ice cubes as European summer heatwave hits
PRAGUE (AP) — Prague Zoo has provided tons of ice to help animals beat the heat as Europe swelters in a summer heat wave. Polar bears Aleut and Gregor enjoyed rolling in ice cubes in their enclosure as temperatures were forecast to soar to 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 degrees Fahrenheit) on Thursday. The zoo started using its cooling method two years ago due to increasing extreme temperatures linked to climate change. The provision of ice this year had been planned for up to 10 days in July and August, but the first heat wave hit early, with record temperatures in June.
New York school pauses plan to deploy humanlike AI robot teacher after backlash
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. Salamanca City Central School District had purchased the female-looking robot to enhance the education of high school students studying robotics and technology fields starting this fall. But state education officials and local residents raised concerns about how students' personal information would be used and what data privacy and security protections would be in place. Unionized teachers also criticized the robot maker’s ties to a company that produces hyper realistic sex robots.
Circus performer accidentally shot in neck with arrow at New York county fair
MIDDLETOWN, N.Y. (AP) — A circus performer was accidentally shot in the neck by an arrow during a performance in upstate New York. It happened Friday night at the Orange County Fair in Middletown. State police say Ana Daza Tavera and Edwin Cuervo Rangel had been performing their crossbow sharpshooting demonstration when she accidentally struck him in the neck as he held up a foam target. The ringmaster says the arrow luckily hit soft tissue and missed major blood vessels. He compared it to getting your ear pierced. Cuervo Rangel was airlifted to a hospital where the arrow was removed and his wound was stitched up.
Seattle police are searching for two men who parachuted from the Space Needle
Police say two men climbed over the glass wall of Seattle’s iconic Space Needle on Friday, flipped over the edge and parachuted down from the 605-foot structure. A report provided Saturday says the Seattle Police Department is searching for the jumpers, who face trespassing charges. Police say the men purchased tickets and entered the Space Needle at about 8:50 p.m. Friday. The popular attraction has a round observation deck surrounded by high glass windows that are open to the sky above. Police say the men put helmets on in a restroom then ran to the glass window, climbed over to the other side, and jumped off.
Japan's monkey sensation Punch gets thousands of birthday messages as he turns 1 on Sunday
ICHIKAWA, Japan (AP) — Punch, the orphaned monkey at a Japanese zoo that stole many people’s hearts by clinging to an orangutan plushie, is marking his first birthday Sunday. The zoo has been flooded by well-wishing messages from his fans around the world — even though he now has friends and is no longer holding on to the toy. Punch still attracts big crowds, and has received some 2,500 birthday cards from around the world, said Takashi Yasunaga, head of the Ichikawa City Zoological and Botanical Garden.
