Austrian yodelers take their voices underground, turning a parking garage into the Alps
GRAZ, Austria (AP) — Yodeling fans in Austria have found an unusual practicing location for their sessions: an underground parking garage in the city of Graz. The garage offers acoustic conditions similar to the Alps. Yodeling teacher Anna Maria Gutschi led a group of 30 through the garage earlier this week. Gutschi works for a cultural organization promoting traditional folk music in Graz. The group has been holding courses in unusual places to keep the tradition alive. Participants practice in locations like car parks, canals or gas stations. Yodeling emerged centuries ago as a way of communicating in the Alps.
'Catman' to the rescue, as man pulls stuck Long Island pet to safety after long ordeal
He doesn’t wear a mask or cape, but John DeBacker is a hero to one Long Island family. Wearing his “Catman” T-shirt, DeBacker pulled off the intricate rescue of a frightened and exhausted cat named Lola last Friday. She had spent about five days trapped, likely upside down for most of that time, behind a wall in her family’s old home in the New York City suburbs. The ordeal started with the cat disappearing about two weeks before the rescue. After trying to get Lola to come out of her own accord, she fell and got stuck behind a first-floor wall. DeBacker, who has been rescuing cats professionally for years, says freeing her was the best feeling in the world.
Fire up the grills! Thousands of South Africans try to set a record for the biggest cookout
PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) — Thousands of determined and hungry South Africans descended on a sports stadium in an attempt to break the world record for the biggest cookout. Thursday's record attempt was aiming to better the 2,220 people who gathered to grill simultaneously in Ishigaki City, Japan in 2023. South Africa failed in an attempt last year, but organizers said they hoped 3,000 people would join the mass cookout this year around 500 grilling stations. A Guinness World Records adjudicator attended and laid out the rules: Everyone needs to be barbecuing simultaneously for a minimum of five minutes to be counted.
Fat Bear Week opens for Alaska’s heavyweight crown. Can Chunk, the 1,200-pound champ, win again?
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — After a summer spent packing away sockeye salmon, Alaska’s heftiest brown bears are ready to throw their weight around. Online voting began Tuesday for Fat Bear Week, the annual contest that pits the rotund residents of Katmai National Park and Preserve against each other for the title of most oversized ursine. Last year’s winner, Chunk — known officially as Bear 32 — is hungry for a repeat. The event this year features 16 bears facing off in a single-elimination, bracket-style tournament. All voting is done online at www.fatbearweek.org, with the winner declared Sept. 29.
A raccoon boot camp in Mississippi teaches abandoned kits survival skills
PASS CHRISTIAN, Miss. (AP) — A Mississippi wildlife rescue gives abandoned and injured baby raccoons their best chance of survival through a program they call “raccoon boot camp.” Woodside Wildlife Rescue staff teach the kits by example. They mimic raccoon calls, hide worms in dirt to teach the youngsters to dig for food and break open pine cones and acorns to reveal the seeds inside to their charges. Rescuers take raccoons to a pond to learn to swim and provide live prey for hunting practice. When a group of kits is ready for release, the staff hosts a graduation ceremony, complete with Edward Elgar’s “Pomp and Circumstance Marches,” a roll call and a reverend's blessing.
Oxford English Dictionary adds several words long used in the Caribbean and Bermuda
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The Oxford English Dictionary has officially added over a dozen Caribbean words. "Bimpert," a Bermudian term for a foolish person, is included. "Hornerman," from Trinidad and Tobago, describes an unfaithful man. In the Caribbean, someone might "get on" to make a scene or "cut someone’s tail" to beat them. "Vex money" is emergency cash for women. Supernatural terms like "jablesse" and "douen" also made the list. Food words include "shadeesh" for chorizo and "sugar cake." "Trinbagonian" and "canboulay" reflect Trinidad and Tobago's culture. The dictionary has around 500,000 words and phrases.
Amateur archaeologist finds Germany’s biggest hoard of ancient Roman silver coins
BERLIN (AP) — An amateur archaeologist has discovered a significant hoard of Roman silver coins in western Germany. Oliver Riedl found 934 Roman silver denarii in a field near Wesseling, south of Cologne. The local archaeological office confirmed Tuesday that it's the largest coin treasure from the time of Roman Emperor Hadrian found in Germany. The coins, weighing 3.1 kilograms, are now on display at the LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn. Experts believe the coins were buried deliberately in the second century A.D. The pay of Roman legionaries provides a reference for the hoard's value, though its exact worth remains unclear.
A truck driver built a model of NYC with over 800,000 structures for fun. Now it's a museum exhibit
NEW YORK (AP) — A truck driver who spent two decades building a massive scale model of his native New York City was delighted when it went viral on TikTok. Now, Joe Macken’s sprawling balsa wood and foam board creation is on display at the Museum of the City of New York. The immense model is 50 feet long and nearly 30 feet wide, covering all five boroughs, parts of New Jersey and suburban Long Island. More than 800,000 balsa wood structures are laid out in street-level detail across more than 300 large foam boards like interconnecting puzzle pieces. The exhibit runs through Oct. 12.
A tip about a swerving van leads police to 66,000 US silver coins in a fraud case
Police investigating a money laundering case in Norway have recovered thousands of U.S. silver coins. The discovery came after a tip about a swerving van outside Oslo in April 2025. Officers found nearly 67,000 American Eagle silver coins worth about $2.65 million. On Thursday, the economic crime unit announced that three Norwegians have been sentenced to prison for aggravated money laundering. They were involved in a scheme converting U.S. investment proceeds into coins. Two Britons were acquitted. The verdict is not final, and both sides can appeal. An earlier hoard of coins was found in 2019.
Romania sets Guinness record with miles-long table, raises funds for pediatric psychiatry hospital
BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Thousands of people have gathered in Romania’s capital to set a Guinness World Record with a miles-long table made of recycled materials. The event, held on Saturday, raises money for what organizers call the country's first purpose-built pediatric psychiatry hospital. The 3.3-mile “Uniting Table” stretched along Unirii Boulevard in Bucharest. Bloom The World, the Romania-based organizers, received a certificate for the “longest table made from recycled materials.” The new children’s psychiatry facility will be located within the Obregia Hospital complex. The project addresses a growing need for mental health services for children in Romania. Construction is scheduled to finish by 2027.
