A Taiwanese town embraces a slow pace of life through a snail race
FENGLIN, Taiwan (AP) — The Taiwanese town of Fenglin has embraced its slow pace of life, using snail races to celebrate a focus on sustainability and community. The initiative aims to boost tourism after a 2024 earthquake impacted travel in the area. Fenglin joined the Cittaslow network of small cities in 2014, promoting quality of life and local foods. The town's population has shrunk over the years, with over 20% of residents age 65 or older. The snail races, held during the May Day holiday, attract locals and tourists alike. Besides the races, guided e-bike tours highlight Fenglin's historic sites and leisurely lifestyle.
Spring plans meet snow in Denver as a late storm could be the season's biggest
FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) — People in Colorado and Wyoming are getting out their snow shovels as a late-spring storm could bring Denver’s biggest snowfall of the season. Snow is developing in the northern Colorado mountains and foothills, with rain in Denver expected to change over to snow by Tuesday night. Up to 8 inches are possible. Higher elevations in Colorado could see up to a foot. The snowfall is expected to continue into Wednesday, followed by plunging temperatures and a widespread freeze. Snow in May is unusual for the region but not unheard of. A light dusting on June 2, 1951, was the latest time in the year Denver saw snow.
A bright moon may dim the Eta Aquarid meteor shower made up of Halley's comet debris
NEW YORK (AP) — The Eta Aquarid meteor shower will soon light the sky with debris from Halley’s comet. But a bright moon will spoil the fun this year, making the display harder to glimpse. The shower will peak Tuesday night into Wednesday morning and views will be best in the Southern Hemisphere. In the north, skywatchers will likely see fewer than 10 meteors per hour. Meteor showers happen when the Earth charges through trails of debris left behind from various space rocks. To glimpse the meteors, it’s best to go outside just before dawn and look for fleeting trails of light.
Mexico City is sinking so quickly, it can be seen from space
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico City is sinking nearly 10 inches every year, making it one of the world’s fastest-sinking metropolitan areas. That's according to newly released satellite imagery from NASA. The sprawling megalopolis with a population of some 22 million was built upon an ancient lake bed. Over the decades groundwater pumping and urban development have dramatically shrunk the aquifer. So Mexico City has been sinking for over a century, leaving many monuments and older buildings visibly tilted to the side. In some parts the drop is coming at an average rate of 0.78 inches a month.
A real WKRP radio comes to Cincinnati, decades after the sitcom about a fictional station
CINCINNATI (AP) — The radio station WKRP isn't dead, and it's now live on air in Cincinnati. The call letters from the fictional station featured decades ago in a CBS sitcom were adopted by stations in the Cincinnati market in time for the Monday morning drive. The station's co-owner says delighted listeners have been mobbing the phone lines. The owners obtained the call letters by making a donation to a North Carolina nonprofit whose low-power radio station has had them since 2014. The show “WKRP in Cincinnati” ran from 1978 to 1982 and starred Loni Anderson, Howard Hesseman, Tim Reid and Richard Sanders as bumbling newsman Les Nessman.
Chonkers the sea lion draws crowds to San Francisco's Pier 39
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A massive sea lion nicknamed Chonkers is charming tourists and locals at San Francisco's Pier 39. On Thursday morning, visitors snapped photos of the Steller sea lion as he flopped on the pier among much smaller California sea lions. Chonkers is estimated to weigh between 1,500 and 2,000 pounds. He likely came from waters off Washington or Oregon. Laura Gill from The Marine Mammal Center says the pier offers protection from predators and plenty of food. Sea lions have gathered at the pier since after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, becoming a tourist attraction.
Nipper, stay! The future of a beloved dog statue on a New York warehouse is up in the air
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Albany residents love Nipper, a giant dog statue perched atop a warehouse for nearly seven decades. This 28-foot statue depicting the famous RCA dog listening to a phonograph has become a local icon. Parents point it out to kids, and Nipper merchandise is popular. However, that pride is now tempered with concern for Nipper’s future. After years of litigation, the unused four-story warehouse on which Nipper sits was recently marked by a red placard with white slash — a warning to firefighters and other first responders to use caution when entering.
Wreckage of a US Coast Guard ship lost during WWI has been found off the coast of England
MIAMI (AP) — The wreckage of a U.S. Coast Guard ship lost in a deadly attack more than a century ago, during World War I, was been discovered off the coast of England. The Coast Guard announced Wednesday that the USCGC Tampa was found about 50 miles off Newquay, Cornwall, United Kingdom, at a depth exceeding 300 feet deep in the Atlantic Ocean. The cutter’s wreckage was located and confirmed by the British technical-diving team Gasperados. The Tampa was lost after being torpedoed by a German submarine in the Bristol Channel. The vessel sank in less than three minutes, resulting in the death of all 131 people aboard. It was largest single American naval combat loss of life in World War I.
Mexican man pleads guilty to impersonating Border Patrol agent to 'disrupt deportation missions'
SAN DIEGO (AP) — A Mexican man in the United States has pleaded guilty to impersonating a Border Patrol agent and following federal immigration officers to divert them while they were out on immigration enforcement missions in Southern California. Jamie Ernesto Alvarez-Gonzalez admitted Tuesday to following a Border Patrol agent on Jan. 8 while he was driving in a neighborhood in San Diego, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California. He drove a black Ford F-150 truck, a model also used by undercover federal officers. The agent aborted his mission when he saw Alvarez-Gonzalez following him, falsely believing other agents were responding.
French teen charged in Singapore over a vending machine straw-licking video
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — A French teen faces charges in Singapore after posting a video of himself licking a straw from an orange juice vending machine and putting it back. Singapore media reported that Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien, 18, was charged April 24 for committing mischief and being a public nuisance. He hasn't entered a plea. The incident allegedly occurred March 12 at a shopping mall, the Straits Times said. He obtained a court approval Wednesday to travel to Manila for a school trip and will be back in court May 29. He could face up to two years in prison if convicted on both charges. The vending machine company has lodged a police report and plans upgrades to its machines. Singapore strictly regulates public behavior and cleanliness.
