Interesting & funny news from around the world, Интересные и забавные новости со всего мира

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Vinyl record from 1966 wedding found at thrift store, returned to couple

A vinyl record recording from a couple's 1966 wedding was returned to the family after accidentally ending up at a Texas thrift store.

Katie Ornelas bought a record from a thrift store in Austin, but when she opened the slipcover for The Modern Jazz Quartet at Music Inn, she instead found a recording of vows, prayers and cheers from a wedding.

The record was labeled "Phil's and Donna's Wedding."

"We put it on, and we were just instantly, just connected with that record and wanted to make sure it found its way back to its family, because it was in a different sleeve," Ornelas told KXAN-TV. "So we anticipated that it's probably missing its owners."

Ornelas shared her story with the media in the hopes of reaching the record's owners, and the story ended up being spotted online by the daughter of Phil and Donna Schmidt.

Donna Schmidt explained the couple had married in Los Altos Hills, Calif., in 1966 before moving to Austin, where Schmidt taught at the University of Texas at Austin for more than 40 years before his retirement in 2013.

She said they held an estate sale when they relocated from their Austin house to a Denver retirement community in March 2022, and the record must have been sold as a result of being misplaced in the wrong sleeve.

"We had an estate sale that cleared out everything from our home that wouldn't fit in our new apartment," Schmidt said. "We had a large record collection and somehow our wedding vinyl made its way into a jazz cover. Makes me wonder what other treasure we left behind?"

She said the record's return will make an upcoming milestone all the more special.

"We celebrated our 58th anniversary last August," Schmidt said. "What a gift for us to have this recording back in time for our 59th next year!"

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Overturned truck covers Arizona road with thousands of White Claw cans

Rural Metro Fire West County said the 16-wheel dumpster-style truck overturned on the Loop 303 freeway, at the Northern Avenue interchange, about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday.

The truck rolled over onto the driver's side, and its load of empty hard seltzer cans spilled out across lanes of traffic.

Rural Metro Fire shared photos showing thousands of empty cans littering the freeway.

Officials said the truck is believed to have been hauling the empty cans to a recycling center when it overturned.

No one was injured in the incident, and an investigation into what caused the truck to lose control is underway.

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Pittsburgh Zoo's macaroni penguin Mickey, one of North America's oldest, celebrates 40th birthday

A macaroni penguin at the Pittsburgh Zoo named Mickey is one of the oldest in North America after celebrating her 40th birthday.

Mickey turned 40 over the weekend, far outliving penguins in the wild, which have an average lifespan of 10 to 15 years. Under the care of humans, penguins have a median life expectancy of about 26 years, according to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

Mickey hatched in 1984 and came to Pittsburgh from SeaWorld San Diego in 2003. The zoo says her longevity is a "testament to the excellent care she receives" from staff. Her caretakers called the aquarium's Golden Girl "fabulously feisty."

She was surprised with a party on Pittsburgh Today Live, eating a cake decorated with fish, shrimp and scallop icing after she finished her morning swim.

"Mickey is a gem and the sweetest penguin in our colony! She was hand-reared and loves everyone that she meets," said Aquarist Shanna Gay. "She is well-known to trumpet — a sound of happiness — when she meets new people!"

Macaroni penguins got their names because the golden tuft of feathers on top of their heads inspired the 18th-century English explorers who first discovered them in Antarctica. Back then, a man who wore flashy feathers in his hat was called a "macaroni."

While macaroni penguins are the world's most abundant penguin species with up to 100,000 individuals, there have been widespread population declines and their conservation status is classified as vulnerable, the zoo says.

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Maryland Lottery player wins $100,008 Keno prize on her birthday

Nov. 21 (UPI) — A Maryland woman celebrated her birthday with a Keno ticket from the Maryland Lottery and earned a $100,008 gift.

The New Carrollton woman told Maryland Lottery officials she was celebrating her birthday Nov. 14 when she bought her $10 Keno ticket from Zach's Liquor in Hyattsville.

"I've been playing the Maryland Lottery since 1985," the woman said. "I really like Keno."

The player, who previously won $20,000 from a scratch-off ticket several years ago, won a total prize of $100,008.

"When I saw that $100,000 come up, I said, 'Woooo! Now I can get a new car,'" the winner said.

The winner said some of her prize money will also likely go toward home improvement projects, a trip to Las Vegas and bolstering her savings account.

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Wisconsin 10-year-old calls 911 for help with math homework

A Wisconsin sheriff's deputy came to the "rescue" of a 10-year-old who called 911 to ask for help with math homework.

The Shawano County Sheriff's Office said on social media that a dispatcher answered a 911 call "from a 10-year-old who called to say that he needed help with his math homework."

"He stated his family 'wasn't very good at math either' and he needed help," the post said.

Sheriff George Lenzner said dispatcher Kim Krause explained to the young caller that 911 was not the appropriate number to call for homework help, but she also offered her assistance.

"She had some time, so she said, 'Can I help you with the problem?' And well, he gave this long problem with decimals and she was unable to help him, so she informed him, 'Well, let me see if I got a deputy near your residence,'" Lenzner told Good Morning America.

Deputy Sheriff Chase Mason was in the area and agreed to take a look at the math problem.

"Personally, I am also not overly proficient when it comes to math, but nonetheless, I responded to assist," Mason wrote in his report about the incident.

Mason, who has a stepson the same age as the caller, sat down with the child and was able to "solve the decimal related math problems," the Facebook post said. "Our young caller was provided a business card and was told we are always here to help, except next time he should probably use the non-emergency line if it's not a life-threatening situation."

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Hawk swoops toward chicken coop, gets caught in netting

Nov. 22 (UPI) — A hungry hawk swooped toward a Connecticut homeowner's chicken coop and became stuck in the surrounding netting.

The New Canaan Police Department said Animal Control Officer Sean Godejohn responded to a home where a hawk had gotten stuck in the netting around a chicken coop.

"It is common for animals to get tangled in netting," Godejohn said to Patch. "I've pulled birds and other animals out of soccer netting and garden netting."

Godejohn said he was able to carefully lift the hawk by its legs and cut it free from the netting. He said the hawk was not injured and was safely released at the scene.

"If you have any soccer nets, I recommend to take them down when not in use," Godejohn said. "If you have fencing around your chicken coop that is a netting-type material, I would suggest to use metal chicken wire instead."

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Overdue book returned to Tennessee library after 51 years

An overdue library book recently returned to Titusville's Benson Memorial Library isn't being offered for loan again.

It's on display instead in the office of the library at 213 N. Franklin St.

"Lombardi: Winning is the Only Thing" was last checked out in 1973 and was due to be returned on July 26 of that year. Instead it was returned this fall, 51 years later, along with a donation to cover the fine — if there was one — plus interest.

"It was a huge surprise," said library Executive Director Jessica Hilburn, who was not working when the reader brought the book and donation to the library. "The staff texted me to let me know. We were all floored by it."

The long-ago Benson Library patron no longer lives in the area but stopped in during a visit several weeks ago, Hilburn said.

"Out of the goodness of his heart, he brought the book back after he found it while going through some things," she said.

The library is not releasing the man's name or the amount of his donation, to protect his privacy, Hilburn said. In a similar case, a book checked out in May 1973 from the Worcester Public Library in Massachusetts was returned this summer. That book would have cost the borrower almost $2,000 if that library still collected fines, according to CNN.

Benson Memorial Library did share news of the "Lombardi" return on Facebook, describing it as "a wonderful delight we never could have anticipated and a story we'll remember forever."

It "brought us so much joy," Hilburn said.

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Cat rescued after five days stranded in Washington tree

Nov. 22 (UPI) — Animal rescuers in Washington brought a cat back down to earth after the feline spent five days stranded in a tree.

Adams County Pet Rescue said on social media that the short-haired cat had been stranded for five days at the top of a tree in Othello's Lions Park, braving frigid temperatures, rain and snow.

"The trees divide Lions Park in Othello almost in half so she could go from tree to tree making it harder for us to find a tree that we could maneuver up," rescuers wrote on Facebook.

The cat was spotted on a lower branch Thursday. An ACPR rescuer climbed a 10-foot ladder then was able to climb 4 feet higher on the tree to reach the frightened cat.

The cat was wearing a collar but did not have any tags or identification, the rescue said.

"She's eaten, used the litter box and is getting warm. We are glad that she's safe," rescuers wrote.

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Pigeons have been blamed for the failure of an underground carpark exit gate in Germany, which resulted in 200 drivers trapped inside until the wee hours of the morning.

As reported by The Telegraph, a buildup of corrosive pigeon droppings on a control box caused the gate to short-circuit on Wednesday, in turn activating a fire alarm that shut the security gate.

Motorists were trapped in the Stuttgart underground parking facility for hours before firefighters arrived to free them in the early hours of Thursday morning. The gate was reportedly finally opened at 3am.

Abdullah Koteiche, a local car dealer, was among those on the scene throughout the chaos. He shared footage of firefighters finally sawing a hole in a metal roller door, revealing dozens of relieved onlookers stuck inside the carpark.

A fire brigade spokesperson told German media they were unaware of the situation until local police picked up the phone.

“We should have received a smoke alarm. There was nothing there, we were only called by the police two hours later,” the spokesman said.

It has been reported that one of the drivers caught in the carpark debacle has requested free parking for life to make up for the inconvenience, although others will undoubtedly steer clear of the facility after the bizarre incident.

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Wisconsin 10-year-old calls 911 for help with math homework

Nov. 22 (UPI) — A Wisconsin sheriff's deputy came to the "rescue" of a 10-year-old who called 911 to ask for help with math homework.

The Shawano County Sheriff's Office said on social media that a dispatcher answered a 911 call "from a 10-year-old who called to say that he needed help with his math homework."

"He stated his family 'wasn't very good at math either' and he needed help," the post said.

Sheriff George Lenzner said dispatcher Kim Krause explained to the young caller that 911 was not the appropriate number to call for homework help, but she also offered her assistance.

"She had some time, so she said, 'Can I help you with the problem?' And well, he gave this long problem with decimals and she was unable to help him, so she informed him, 'Well, let me see if I got a deputy near your residence,'" Lenzner told Good Morning America.

Deputy Sheriff Chase Mason was in the area and agreed to take a look at the math problem.

"Personally, I am also not overly proficient when it comes to math, but nonetheless, I responded to assist," Mason wrote in his report about the incident.

Mason, who has a stepson the same age as the caller, sat down with the child and was able to "solve the decimal related math problems," the Facebook post said. "Our young caller was provided a business card and was told we are always here to help, except next time he should probably use the non-emergency line if it's not a life-threatening situation."

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