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.
'Spider-Man' superhero jumps to the aid of a man using wheelchair to cross several lanes of traffic
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A man using a wheelchair was struggling to get across six lanes of traffic on an Arkansas roadway when help came in an unexpected way — from a spidery superhero in a Jeep. Christopher Hellenthal was still wearing a Spider-Man costume from a superhero-themed event at the trampoline park where he works when he saw the person in need Tuesday. Stopped at a light in his red Jeep, Hellenthal jumped out and swiftly rolled the man in the wheelchair across the crosswalk to safety before the light changed in seconds. The moment was captured by a street security camera and shared on social media by police in Jonesboro, who thanked Hellenthal for getting the man safely across.
With swords, axes and shields, fighters go head-to-head in medieval combat world championship
SPØTTRUP, Denmark (AP) — With swords, axes and shields, competitors from 30 countries are going head-to-head in the grounds of a Danish fortress in a modern version of old-fashioned battle. The International Medieval Combat Federation’s annual world championship roared into gear in northern Denmark this week. First staged in Spain in 2014, it features armor-clad competitors fighting with 14th-century medieval weapons. But it’s also a modern combat sport with safety rules and sporting conventions. The sport, an unflinching blend of mixed martial arts, fencing, and historical reenactment, has been growing in popularity.
