Ohio man retrieves $100,000 lottery ticket from trash
An Ohio man who accidentally threw away a scratch-off lottery ticket retrieved it from a dumpster and discovered it was a $100,000 winner, the Ohio Lottery reported.
3 MIN READTAG · General
human interest
Savannah Guthrie pleads for missing mother as search reaches 127 days
Savannah Guthrie, the anchor of NBC's "Today" show, issued another emotional plea for the safe return of her mother, Nancy Guthrie, on Sunday as the search for the 84-year-old surpassed four months.
3 MIN READFirefighters rescue stranded cow from Kentucky lake
Firefighters in central Kentucky rescued a cow that was spotted stranded in a lake near Danville on Sunday morning, the Boyle County Fire Department said.
3 MIN READ
Baby birds hatch in Puyallup police motorcycle nest
A mother bird has hatched two eggs in an unlikely nest inside the storage compartment of a not-in-service police training motorcycle in Puyallup, Washington, the Puyallup Police Department announced Sunday.
3 MIN READChristmas Day wins Epsom Derby; favorite Benvenuto Cellini declared non-starter
Christmas Day won the Epsom Derby by 3 lengths on June 7 at Epsom Downs as the race favorite, Benvenuto Cellini, was ruled a non-starter after stewards found his hind leg was caught in the starting gate. The victory was trainer Aidan…
3 MIN READTexas death row case of Taylor Parker revived by Netflix documentary
Taylor Parker, the Texas woman sentenced to death for killing her pregnant friend Reagan Simmons-Hancock in 2020 and cutting the unborn baby from her womb, remains on death row after the U.S. Supreme Court in May declined to review her…
4 MIN READManhole mystery grips New York – just what are city's 'mole people' up to?
Groups of people have been filmed entering New York City's sewer system through manholes in Queens and Brooklyn since early May, sparking public intrigue, media comparisons to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and an investigation by the New…
3 MIN READMaine Senate candidate Graham Platner faces scrutiny over past texts, abuse accusation
Graham Platner, the presumed Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate in Maine, is facing mounting scrutiny over sexually explicit text messages, an accusation of past abuse from a former girlfriend, and social media posts that have…
4 MIN READPolice officer who joined Love Island US faces hometown backlash
A Bethlehem, Pennsylvania police officer who resigned less than a year after joining the force to appear as a contestant on the reality dating show Love Island USA has drawn criticism from city officials and divided residents in his…
3 MIN READ
Maryland teen graduates high school after ICE deported his father
A 17-year-old Maryland high school student walked across the stage at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County on May 28 to receive his diploma — a milestone his father, Marco, watched via livestream from Mexico after being arrested by…
3 MIN READIllinois treasurer gives Pope Leo XIV certificate to reclaim $8.65
Illinois State Treasurer Mike Frerichs delivered a certificate to Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on Thursday, authorizing the pontiff to reclaim $8.65 that had been sitting in Illinois' unclaimed property account — a sum once held by the…
3 MIN READMichigan man's road trip ritual leads to $2 million lottery prize
A 27-year-old Mackinac County man won $2 million on a Michigan Lottery scratch-off ticket after buying it as part of his road trip ritual. The winner told Michigan Lottery officials that he purchases a Two Million Dollar Cashword ticket…
3 MIN READ3 climbers who fell on Mount McKinley are dead; 1 rescued
Three members of a Latvian mountaineering expedition died after falling on a treacherous pass on Mount McKinley, and a fourth was rescued by helicopter, the National Park Service said Friday.
3 MIN READLioness Season 3 to premiere on Paramount+ in August
Paramount+ will premiere the third season of its spy thriller Lioness on Aug. 2, the streaming service announced Friday. The series, from Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan, stars Zoe Saldaña and Nicole Kidman.
3 MIN READ
Primavera Sound fans frustrated after weather cancels headline acts
Severe weather in Barcelona forced the last-minute cancellation of headline acts Doja Cat, Massive Attack, and Bad Gyal at the Primavera Sound festival on Thursday night, leaving fans frustrated over poor communication from organizers,…
3 MIN READFamily of Auburn student missing in Japan asks for public's help
The family of a 20-year-old Auburn University student who vanished in Japan nearly a week ago is appealing to the public for help locating him, his mother said Thursday. Japanese police deployed search dogs, helicopters and dozens of…
3 MIN READWashington teen wins Doodle for Google contest with textured hair tribute
Google has named Kameirah, a Washington high school student, the winner of its 17th annual Doodle for Google contest for her illustration celebrating kinky hair and its cultural legacy, the company announced Thursday.
3 MIN READ
S.C. man wins $75,000 lottery prize while helping a relative
A South Carolina man bought a $3 scratch-off ticket while driving a family member to a medical appointment and won a $75,000 prize, lottery officials said.
3 MIN READConsumer frustration callout seeks stories from Americans
The Guardian, a British national daily, launched a callout Thursday asking Americans to share their experiences with difficult consumer situations, from faulty products and refund issues to unresponsive customer service.
3 MIN READJilly, I had no choice: Jill Biden recounts pressure on Joe Biden to exit 2024 race
Jill Biden recalled the intense pressure that led Joe Biden to drop out of the 2024 presidential race, saying he told her "Jilly, I had no choice," during a Tuesday book event in New York City for her new memoir *View from the East Wing*.…
4 MIN READ
Loose chicken takes dip in pool after leading chase through Kentucky neighborhood
A chicken on the loose in a Kentucky neighborhood led an animal control officer and residents on a chase Friday night that ended with the fugitive fowl taking a swim in a neighbor's pool before being captured.
3 MIN READSix sheep loose in North Carolina neighborhood rounded up by deputies
The Durham County Sheriff's Office rounded up six sheep that were wandering through a neighborhood on Duck Pond Court on Monday, using trash cans and cornhole boards as makeshift barriers. Animal Services deputies captured the five ewes…
3 MIN READForgotten $50,000 Powerball ticket survived months in Missouri man’s truck
A Missouri man who bought a Powerball ticket in February said it spent months forgotten in the console of his pickup truck before he discovered it was a $50,000 winner.
3 MIN READNYPD investigates groups emerging from manholes across Brooklyn and Queens
The New York Police Department is investigating multiple incidents in which groups of people have been seen emerging from sewer maintenance holes in Brooklyn and Queens late at night, prompting a sweep of the city's underground…
3 MIN READUber's Lost & Found Index lists dentures, breast milk, ankle monitor among oddest items
Uber released its 10th annual Lost & Found Index on Tuesday, cataloging the most common and most unusual items passengers left behind in ride-hailing vehicles over the past year. This year's list includes dentures with only two teeth,…
3 MIN READMissing Los Alamos lab worker found dead in New Mexico forest
Human remains found in New Mexico's Carson National Forest on May 28 were identified as those of Melissa Casias, an administrative assistant at Los Alamos National Laboratory who was reported missing nearly a year ago. New Mexico State…
3 MIN READJune 1 milestones: Lafayette Square clearing, Eichmann execution marked
June 1 marks significant historical milestones across more than 140 years, including the 2020 clearing of Lafayette Square protesters, the 1962 execution of Adolf Eichmann, and the 1968 death of Helen Keller, United Press International…
3 MIN READConnecticut firefighters free young goat stuck in utility trailer
Thompson Fire Engine Co. firefighters in Connecticut rescued a young goat Sunday night after the animal got its head wedged in the steel framework of a utility trailer, the fire company said.
3 MIN READPig named Edgar rescued after getting tusk caught in fence near Pike's Peak
Animal law enforcement officers near Pike's Peak, Colorado, rescued a pig named Edgar after his tusk became hooked in a fence last week, in what the Humane Society of the Pike's Peak Region said was a first-of-its-kind call for the agency.
3 MIN READ
Georgia woman sets Guinness record with 1,581 Wonder Woman items
Aleshia Wiley of Cedartown, Georgia, has earned the Guinness World Record for the world's largest collection of Wonder Woman memorabilia, with 1,581 items including comic books, Funko Pop figurines, action figures and branded merchandise.
3 MIN READCat food sale leads South Carolina woman to $1 million lottery prize
A Bluffton, South Carolina, woman told lottery officials that a trip to buy cat food on sale led her to purchase a scratch-off ticket worth $1 million.
3 MIN READFirefighters rescue baby deer trapped in Beacon, N.Y., storm drain
Firefighters in Beacon, N.Y., rescued a baby deer from a storm drain at the intersection of Ferry and Beekman Street on Saturday, according to the local firefighters union.
3 MIN READChicago Mayor Brandon Johnson invites Pope Leo XIV to visit his native city in 2027
ROME (AP) — Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, a Cubs fan, met privately Thursday with Pope Leo XIV, a Chicago native and lifelong White Sox fan, at the Vatican and invited the pontiff to visit his native city next year.
3 MIN READStolen as a baby during Pinochet dictatorship, Chilean American reunites with birth mother
Kyle Adler, a 36-year-old Chilean American, learned he was stolen from his biological mother as an infant and was adopted by an American family in 1990, the Associated Press reported. Earlier this year he reunited with his birth mother,…
4 MIN READPope Leo XIV’s maternal ancestors were Louisiana free people of color, genealogist finds
Jari Honora, a New Orleans genealogist, was drawn to the new pope’s French-sounding surname, Prevost, and what he found in the census rolls was a direct line to a free Black community that predated the Civil War: all four of Pope Leo XIV’s…
3 MIN READ
LEGO Foundation, IRC partner for $97M play-based learning push in conflict zones
The LEGO Foundation announced a $97 million commitment to the International Rescue Committee on Wednesday, launching a five-year partnership to bring play-based learning to 5 million children in conflict zones across East Africa and the…
3 MIN READTherapy dog aids Minneapolis children months after ICE crackdown ended
COLUMBIA HEIGHTS, Minn. — A therapy dog named Sage is helping elementary school students in this suburban Minneapolis community process the trauma inflicted by the Trump administration's immigration enforcement surge earlier this year,…
3 MIN READHappy, 'self-aware' Bronx Zoo elephant, euthanized at age 55
Happy, an Asian elephant who demonstrated self-recognition in a landmark cognitive study and whose confinement became the subject of a closely watched animal rights lawsuit, was euthanized Tuesday at the Bronx Zoo at age 55. The zoo…
3 MIN READOldest Pearl Harbor survivor Freeman Johnson keeps memory alive at 106
Centerville, Massachusetts, resident Freeman Johnson, who turned 106 in March, survived the Pearl Harbor attack without seeing it. While the Japanese bombing began on Dec. 7, 1941, Johnson was below deck repairing boilers aboard the USS…
3 MIN READPearl Harbor's oldest survivor, 106, keeps memory of attack alive
Freeman Johnson, a 106-year-old Centerville, Massachusetts resident and the oldest living survivor of the Pearl Harbor attack, was inside a steam drum repairing a boiler on the USS St. Louis on Dec. 7, 1941, unaware of the Japanese bombing…
3 MIN READPearl Harbor's oldest survivor keeps memory of attack alive at 106
Freeman Johnson, 106, of Centerville, Massachusetts, has become the oldest living Pearl Harbor survivor, preserving the account of the December 1941 attack that propelled the United States into World War II while living in a home filled…
4 MIN READAnonymous Afghan cousins use photos to depict Taliban-era dreams and limits
A curator is presenting a series of black-and-white photographs by anonymous Afghan cousins that portray the constricted lives of women under Taliban rule alongside their hopes for change. The cousins, who use pseudonyms and say they fear…
3 MIN READ
Some American Muslims prepare for Hajj as Iran war shadows travel
In interviews, American Muslims described scrambling to secure Hajj permits and then weighing uncertainty around the Iran war as Hajj preparation accelerates. The pilgrimage, a religious obligation for Muslims able to do it, officially…
3 MIN READ15 years after Joplin tornado, survivors say kindness still endures
Seventeen years after a massive, multi-vortex tornado struck Joplin, Missouri, NPR revisits how the town’s recovery became known for cooperation and “kindness carries on” long after the storm. The story, published May 23, 2026, includes…
3 MIN READMeet the hospital dogs that provide full-time care for young sick patients
CINCINNATI — At Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, facility dogs are full-time working animals that visit patients during stressful procedures and help make the hospital feel less frightening. The program, which includes dogs such as Hadley,…
3 MIN READOna Judge escape remembered in Philadelphia and New Hampshire
Advocates marked the 230th anniversary of Ona Judge’s escape from slavery on May 21, 1796, with events in Philadelphia and Portsmouth, New Hampshire. In Philadelphia, a rally at the President’s House site emphasized keeping exhibits and…
3 MIN READPhiladelphia declares Ona Judge Day, New Hampshire unveils memorials on 230th anniversary of escape
PHILADELPHIA (MSI) — Philadelphia marked the 230th anniversary of Ona Judge's escape from slavery by formally declaring May 21 as Ona Judge Day, while a historical marker and a portrait were unveiled in New Hampshire where she settled, the…
3 MIN READFull-Time Spelling Bee Coach Scott Remer Charges $180 per Hour as His Champs Win
When the Scripps National Spelling Bee gets underway in Washington on Tuesday, a 32-year-old former speller in an aloha shirt will be watching closely from offstage. Scott Remer is the only full-time, professional spelling coach in the…
3 MIN READFacility dogs provide full-time care for children in U.S. hospitals
Children’s hospitals across the United States are increasingly employing full-time facility dogs to comfort young patients, motivate them during therapy and provide companionship through long, difficult treatments, according to reporting…
3 MIN READMore children’s hospitals add full-time facility dogs for kids’ care
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital uses four specially trained, full-time facility dogs to help young patients during stressful procedures and make the hospital environment feel less frightening. In a recent visit, 5-year-old Calvin Owens met…
3 MIN READAs America turns 250, many Brits say Trump defines the U.S.
As the United States marks 250 years of independence, a new Associated Press survey of Britons finds that many struggle to discuss the country without quickly bringing up President Donald Trump. In interviews across Britain, those with…
3 MIN READOna Judge escape from slavery marked with rallies and new memorials in Pa. and N.H.
Advocates marked the 230th anniversary of Ona Judge’s escape from slavery by George Washington with events in Philadelphia and Portsmouth, New Hampshire. In Philadelphia, a Thursday rally honored Judge on what the city has declared Ona…
3 MIN READ
Scott Remer makes a good living as a National Spelling Bee coach
Scott Remer, described by his students as the most influential National Spelling Bee coach of the past decade, charges $180 an hour for private lessons and takes a performance-based share of some prize winnings. Remer, who has coached five…
4 MIN READAs America hits 250, many Brits say one man defines it: Trump
Brits marked the United States’ 250th anniversary with a familiar refrain: many say President Donald Trump defines how they view America. In interviews across Britain, people who admire the U.S. still often begin with Trump when asked what…
3 MIN READCommunity mourns 3 men killed defending children at San Diego mosque
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Authorities said Tuesday that three men killed by two teen shooters at the Islamic Center of San Diego died while trying to delay the attackers as about 140 children were inside during the Monday attack. San Diego Police…
3 MIN READWoman dies after falling into uncovered NYC maintenance hole
A 56-year-old woman died after falling into an uncovered maintenance hole on a busy New York City street near Fifth Avenue and East 52nd Street, police and utility officials said. The woman, Donike Gocaj, parked her SUV Monday night…
3 MIN READDiplomacy is the only viable path to peace in Ukraine, UN refugee chief says
Barham Salih, the newly appointed head of the U.N. refugee agency, visited Ukraine's front-line cities in February and called for a diplomatic solution to the war, warning that military options have reached their limit as humanitarian…
3 MIN READHow professional mourners aid the grieving in Kenya
In western Kenya, a distinctive funeral practice blends ancient Luo tradition with the region's widespread Christian faith. Professional mourners — strangers hired by families of the deceased — wail, sing, and beat leafy branches in a…
4 MIN READKenya’s hired mourners help grievers express loss in traditional rites
In western Kenya, hired mourners are taking on a role that mixes Luo cultural practices with Christianity, helping families publicly express grief and receive comfort at funerals. At a recent funeral for 64-year-old Tom Ochieng Mima in…
3 MIN READRescuers seek homes for 450+ pet rats from Long Island condemned house
Animal rescue volunteers in New York are racing to find homes for more than 450 pet rats found in a condemned house in the New York City suburbs. The group of about 10 volunteers with the Strong Island Animal Rescue League has spent the…
4 MIN READ
Hugging a rubber duck is training for a harbor seal at Boston aquarium
In February 2026, Reggae, a 33-year-old Atlantic harbor seal at Boston's New England Aquarium, became a social media sensation after videos emerged of him hugging, carrying, and gently manipulating rubber ducks in his tank. But for the…
3 MIN READJapan's last pandas depart as China ties worsen
Japan's last two giant pandas left Tokyo's Ueno Zoo on Tuesday, ending 50 years of panda presence in the country and marking a symbolic loss amid deteriorating diplomatic relations between Japan and China. The twins, Xiao Xiao and Lei…
3 MIN READSerbian 'ironed sausage' tradition earns international acclaim
In the southeastern Serbian town of Pirot, a traditionally crafted spicy sausage in the shape of a horseshoe has long been said to lift spirits during long winter months. The "ironed sausage"—or peglana kobasica in Serbian—is made from…
3 MIN READSpanish train crash survivor's search for dog Boro captivates nation
Ana García, a 26-year-old survivor of one of Spain's deadliest train crashes, has captured national attention with her plea to find her dog, Boro, who fled the wreckage as rescue crews helped her to safety. The high-speed train from Málaga…
9 MIN READStone from Rome's travertine quarries adorns new temples worldwide
The same travertine quarries near Rome that built the Colosseum 2,000 years ago and St. Peter's Basilica centuries later continue to operate today, supplying distinctive pock-marked stone to churches, temples and mosques around the world.…
4 MIN READOver 80 children missing after militant school attacks in Nigeria
More than 80 children are missing after a wave of militant attacks on schools in Nigeria over the past week, local officials and Amnesty International said Sunday, the latest in a long series of school abductions in the West African…
3 MIN READ
Australian journalist Cheng Lei transforms China prison trauma into memoir, play
CHENG LEI, a 50-year-old Chinese-born Australian television journalist, spent 1,154 days in Chinese custody — much of it in a shared cell under constant surveillance — before being deported in October 2023. Now, in a new memoir and an…
5 MIN READMore than 80 children missing after school attacks in Nigeria
Militant attacks on schools in Nigeria over the past week left more than 80 children missing, according to local officials and Amnesty International. The attackers abducted 42 children from a primary school in Borno state between Wednesday…
3 MIN READ
Gunmen kill 10 people in Mexico’s Puebla state, authorities say
Gunmen killed at least 10 people, including a child, in the town of Tehuitzingo in Mexico’s Puebla state in the early hours of Sunday, according to a statement from the state’s public security agency.
3 MIN READFinnish divers join Maldives search for lost Italian cavers after rescue death
Three Finnish cave-diving experts arrived in the Maldives on Sunday to map a new strategy for recovering the bodies of four Italian divers lost deep inside an underwater cave, a Maldives presidential spokesperson said, after a Maldivian…
3 MIN READMexican authorities say 10 killed by gunmen in Puebla state
Mexican authorities said at least 10 people were killed in an attack by gunmen in Tehuitzingo, a town in Mexico’s Puebla state. The Puebla public security agency said the victims included six men, three women and a child, all shot in the…
3 MIN READFinnish divers join Maldives coastguard to remap search for 4 Italians
Three Finnish divers arrived in the Maldives to help map a new plan to search for the bodies of four Italian divers believed to be inside an underwater cave, after a Maldivian rescue diver died, the Maldives coastguard and officials said.…
3 MIN READColon cancer deaths among young adults linked to education gap
A study published in April in JAMA Oncology found that colorectal cancer deaths among young adults in the U.S. are concentrated among people without college degrees, suggesting socioeconomic factors drive the increase in mortality. The…
3 MIN READPolice investigate 56 bodies dumped at Trinidad cemetery
Police in Trinidad and Tobago said they are investigating after 56 bodies—50 of them infants—were found dumped at a cemetery in Cumuto on Saturday. The discovery comes as authorities extend a state of emergency due to surging gang violence…
3 MIN READOnion bids to take over Infowars as Jones fights liquidation in court
In mid-April, the satirical news outlet The Onion submitted a proposal to a Texas state court seeking an exclusive temporary license to operate the conspiracy-focused platforms of Alex Jones as a parody site. The proposal comes as Jones'…
3 MIN READJury selected in Weinstein rape retrial
In late April, jury selection concluded in Harvey Weinstein's third rape trial in New York. A jury of seven men and five women was chosen to decide whether the 73-year-old former Hollywood producer raped a woman at a Manhattan hotel in…
3 MIN READ
Wife of US Army sergeant released from ICE custody after senator's plea
The wife of a U.S. Army soldier was released from immigration detention Thursday after a U.S. senator personally intervened, the Department of Homeland Security said, ending a monthlong custody that began when she was arrested at a routine…
3 MIN READWorld's biggest aircraft carrier USS Ford returns to Virginia after 11-month deployment
The USS Gerald R. Ford, the U.S. Navy’s largest aircraft carrier, returned to Naval Station Norfolk on Saturday after an 11-month deployment that included operations tied to the U.S. war with Iran and the capture of Venezuela’s President…
4 MIN READSmall farmers in a bind after Hawaii’s worst flooding in 20 years
Hawaii farmers on Oahu’s North Shore are struggling after back-to-back storms in March brought the state’s worst flooding in two decades, leaving some farms wiped out and reducing what they can sell at farmers markets. The damage threatens…
3 MIN READ