Florida waterfront trail to honor wrestling legend Hulk Hogan
A stretch of a waterfront trail in the Florida Gulf Coast community of Clearwater is being renamed to honor wrestling giant Hulk Hogan. Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis made the announcement Friday in Clearwater, the city Hogan called home. Hogan, whose real name was Terry Bollea, died in July after suffering a heart attack. Florida residents and visitors will be able to memorialize “the Hulkster” by soaking up the sun and getting some reps in at workout stations along the causeway that connects Clearwater to Clearwater Beach. On Friday morning, a red and yellow sign had already been erected along the trail to honor the wrestler.
Decoding Taylor Swift’s 'The Life of a Showgirl': A guide to her references
NEW YORK (AP) — Taylor Swift's new album, "The Life of a Showgirl," is packed with Easter eggs for fans to decode. Her 12th studio album offers clever clues and references to her public life and discography. Some are opaque, sparking fan theories, while others are more explicit. Lyrics mention places like Portofino and Paris, and nod to her engagement to Travis Kelce. Songs reference her past, including her teenage years in Tennessee and friendships. The album's physical variants, like "summertime spritz pink shimmer" vinyl, also tie into the lyrics.
From rooftops to honey jars, Athens is abuzz with urban beekeeping
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — High above the traffic of Athens, more residents of the Greek capital are embracing urban beekeeping. Beekeepers say they want to support local ecosystems and reconnect with nature. Urban beekeeping is neither new. Decades ago, Greek families brought hives with them when they moved from the countryside. Despite growing interest, would-be beekeepers can be stopped by objections from fellow residents of their apartment buildings. But Athens’ constant bloom cycles of different pollinator-friendly plants makes it an ideal setting to experiment. Varying tastes come from the proportion of eucalyptus, acacia and bitter orange present in different areas of the city.
Texas megachurch founder Robert Morris pleads guilty to child sex abuse charges
Authorities say a Texas megachurch founder has pleaded guilty to lewd and indecent acts with a child after he was accused of sexually abusing a young girl in the 1980s in Oklahoma while he was a traveling minister. Sixty-four-year-old Robert Preston Morris entered the pleas Thursday before a judge in Oklahoma under a plea agreement. Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond said Morris received a 10-year suspended sentence with the first six months to be served in jail. Drummond said the abuse began in 1982 when the victim was 12 and Morris was staying at her family's home in Hominy, Oklahoma. Morris resigned as senior pastor of Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas, after the accusations were made public.
Parents of two college students killed in a Tesla allege design flaw trapped them in the burning car
Lawsuits filed Thursday by parents of two college students killed in a Tesla crash say they were trapped inside as the car burned and filled with smoke because of a design flaw that makes it difficult to open the doors in fires. The two suits filed in California state court by the parents of Krysta Tsukahara and Jack Nelson allege they burned and suffocated to death even though the company that has helped Elon Musk become the world’s richest man knew about the flaw for years but failed to fix it. Tesla did not reply to a request for comment.
Excavators find $1 million in gold coins from Spanish shipwreck along Florida's 'Treasure Coast'
A team of excavators has found $1 million in treasure from a centuries-old Spanish shipwreck off a stretch of Florida known as the “Treasure Coast.” The shipwreck salvage company 1715 Fleet – Queens Jewels LLC announced the find this week. The treasure includes more than 1,000 silver and gold coins. The company said it was recovered during the summer. The fortune was lost at sea when a hurricane struck a fleet of Spanish ships in July 1715. Treasure hunters have been combing the coast for generations looking for the fortune. The salvage company says dates and mint marks are still visible on some coins.
Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner sue Ray J for defamation over racketeering claims
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner are suing Ray J for defamation. They claim he falsely said they are under federal investigation for racketeering. The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Los Angeles, calls Ray J's allegations baseless. They say he has harassed them for years. The lawsuit highlights recent statements by Ray J, including a livestream on Sept. 30, where he claimed federal charges were imminent. Kardashian and Jenner argue these claims are false and damaging. They say no investigation exists, and the comments have harmed their reputations. Ray J has not responded to requests for comment.
Cockpit recorders of Delta jets that collided on LaGuardia taxiway are being analyzed
Two Delta Air Lines regional jets collided on the ground at LaGuardia Airport in New York, injuring a flight attendant, damaging a cockpit and tearing off part of a wing. The National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday that the collision happened the night before at the intersection of two taxiways. A wing of an aircraft preparing for takeoff to Roanoke, Virginia, hit the nose of an aircraft arriving from Charlotte, North Carolina. Air traffic control audio recorded a pilot as saying the wing also damaged the cockpit window. Authorities say the flight attendant was taken to a hospital with non life-threatening injuries.
Musk reports Tesla sales jump after months of boycotts, but experts suspect more pain is in store
NEW YORK (AP) — Tesla reported a surprise increase in sales in the third quarter as the electric car maker likely benefited from a rush by consumers to take advantage of a $7,500 credit before it expired on Sept. 30. The company reported Thursday that sales in the three months through September rose 7% compared to the same period a year ago. The gain follows two quarters of steep declines as people turned off by CEO Elon Musk’s foray into right-wing politics avoided buying his company’s cars and even protested at some dealerships. Sales rose to 497,099 vehicles, compared with 462,890 in the same period last year.
Jane Goodall, the celebrated primatologist and conservationist, has died
Jane Goodall, the conservationist renowned for her groundbreaking chimpanzee field research and globe-spanning environmental advocacy, has died. She was 91. The Jane Goodall Institute announced her death Wednesday, saying she died of natural causes while in California on a U.S. speaking tour. Goodall is best remembered for living among chimpanzees in Africa decades ago and documenting the animals using tools and doing other activities previously believed to be exclusive to humans. She also noted their distinct personalities. Her observations and subsequent magazine and documentary appearances in the 1960s transformed how the world perceived not only humans’ closest living biological relatives but also the emotional and social complexity of all animals.
