Masters gnomes a hot commodity at Augusta National amid speculation this is final year of production
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Patrons are lining up at Augusta National to secure a limited edition Masters gnome. This year marks the 10th and possibly final year of the gnome's release, making it highly sought after. Each year's gnome is unique, and this year's edition features the gnome in golf attire and with a Masters-themed cup. With only about 1,000 available daily, they have been selling out quickly and have become valuable on resale markets. Prices on eBay and Facebook Marketplace have soared, with some gnomes listed for up to $800. Speculation about this being the last edition has fueled demand. Many buyers have considered reselling them for the potential profit.
Citizen 'Frog Patrol' helps amphibians survive a dangerous road journey in Poland
OTREBUSY, Poland (AP) — Hundreds of volunteers have joined a "Frog Patrol" initiative in a forest near the Polish capital of Warsaw to help amphibians survive road crossings during their spring mating rituals. As temperatures rise, thousands of toads and frogs migrate to marshes, but a road built across their route has made the journey perilous. Volunteers, including families and children, gather on rainy spring evenings to carry the amphibians safely across. Since the initiative began, locals have saved about 18,000 amphibians. Similar efforts occur worldwide, including in the U.S., Germany, France, and Estonia, where volunteers and authorities work to protect these creatures from the perils of traffic.
A Buffalo-area man ends his fight to reclaim Albert, his 12-foot alligator seized in 2024
A Buffalo-area man has given up his legal battle to reclaim his seized alligator, Albert. Tony Cavallaro sued the state Department of Environmental Conservation after officers seized the 12-foot alligator from his home in March 2024. Albert was taken to a Texas sanctuary. Cavallaro said Thursday that he decided to throw in the towel after almost two years of litigation with no quick end in sight. He said it was too exhausting The state has said Cavallaro’s license to keep Albert had expired in 2021.
An Omaha sinkhole went viral. Hundreds of others fall under the radar.
Video of a sinkhole that swallowed two vehicles in Omaha, Nebraska captured attention around the world, but hundreds of others happen with little notice. Over the last five years, city work crews reported more than 2,100 “cave-ins,” ranging from small dips in the pavement to gaping chasms. Though most are minor, a Flatwater Free Press analysis found that Omaha sees more cave-ins than several other Midwestern cities. Geologists say the city’s susceptibility to sinkholes comes from its soil. Much of Omaha sits atop a fine-grained sediment called loess that can be easily carried away by water, leaving behind gaps underground. The city has begun exploring new ways to diagnose underground problems.
The world's oldest octopus fossil isn't an octopus after all, scientists say
LONDON (AP) — Scientists have found evidence that a 300-million-year-old sea creature previously thought to be the world's oldest octopus is actually a nautilus relative. University of Reading zoology lecturer Thomas Clements led the research, which found that the fossil, originally identified in 2000, had too many teeth to be an octopus. The creature was found in Illinois and had puzzled scientists for years, because it is much older than the next-earliest known octopus The findings, published this week, mean Guinness World Records will no longer list the specimen it as the earliest known octopus.
New Yorkers flock to Manhattan park for lovable woodcocks' bobbing strut
NEW YORK (AP) — American woodcocks continue to attract onlookers in a New York City park. The curious birds are known for their bobbing walks and kazoo-like calls. They have drawn a crowd to Bryant Park in Midtown Manhattan since arriving in late March. Dozens of spectators gather at the park every day to try to catch a glimpse of the grapefruit-sized birds as they poke their long bills in the ground for earthworms.
Car shell suspended on rock face above British Columbia highway in apparent prank
SQUAMISH, British Columbia (AP) — Authorities in British Columbia have urged people to stay away from a rock face above a highway in the Canadian province where a Volkswagen Beetle shell was suspended in an apparent prank by engineering students. The province's Environment Ministry said Monday the Beetle was expected to be removed within the week. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police and park rangers have been asked to investigate. The car shell appeared on the rock face above Highway 99 in Squamish, British Columbia, last week with a large “E” on its roof, an indication it was tied to a University of British Columbia student tradition. A spokesperson for the university did not return a message seeking comment.
Children race to gather marshmallows dropped from a helicopter at pair of Michigan parks
WESTLAND, Mich. (AP) — It rained marshmallows at two Detroit-area parks as kids raced to collect thousands of the gooey treats dropped from a helicopter. The annual Marshmallow Drop is hosted by Wayne County Parks. This year’s event took place two hours apart Friday in Trenton, Michigan, and Westland, Michigan. Hundreds of children cheered as the helicopter passed by on its way to the drop zone. Once there, a passenger unloaded the treats out of a sack and onto the grass below. At each location, the helicopter made three passes, dropping marshmallows for kids in different age categories. Participants exchanged the marshmallows for a prize.
New Jersey state troopers rescue bear cub from highway ditch
UNION TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) — State police troopers came to the rescue of a bear cub found in a ditch along the side of a major interstate highway in northern New Jersey. Troopers from the Perryville station responded shortly before 1:40 p.m. Wednesday to milepost 12.2 on I-78 eastbound in Union Township. Officials say the animal was by itself in the ditch and was in need of assistance. The bear was soon safely secured and taken back to the state police barracks, where it was later turned over to staffers with the state’s Environmental Protection Department, who were caring for the animal. It’s not clear how the cub ended up in the ditch or how long it had been there before it was spotted.
Stay tuned Cincinnati: WKRP is coming to town for real, North Carolina station's director says
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — WKRP is coming to Cincinnati — for real this time, according to the current owner of that call sign. It was made famous by “WKRP in Cincinnati,” the TV sitcom centered on a fictional radio station that ran from 1978 to 1982. A North Carolina-based nonprofit acquired the call sign from the Federal Communications Commission more than a decade ago. It's used for a low-power station based at the executive director's Raleigh home, but the nonprofit decided to sell it. Director D.P. McIntire tells The Associated Press that WKRP is going to Cincinnati but he isn't yet allowed to disclose more details.
