Olympic torch journey starts

Lit by the sun, carried by a hockey player, and a trip to space are all in store for the Olympic flame.  It was lit from the sun's rays reflected in a mirror--no artificial fire is allowed.  torch

8-year-old boy is a hero

A fast moving fire broke out in an apartment complex about 2am.  Jonathan Bent, 8, woke up and realized that he needed to do something.  He went from door to door to warn residents.  Because of his efforts, everyone got out alive.  hero

from half marathon to full marathon

Meredith Fitzmaurice planned to compete in the half marathon at Amherstburg, Ontario.  The Run for Heroes marathon was marked so the half marathoners would turn to complete their race with the full marathoners going past the turn.  Meredith accidently missed the turn but didn't realize it until she was way past her 13 mile half marathon.  While still running, she asked marathon staff if she could switch and register for the full race.  They ok'ed it and she ended up winning the full marathon with a time that qualifies her for the Boston Marathon which was her eventual goal.  She just shortened her path a bit.  accidental winner

google earth has picture of grandma a year after she died

It's like seeing a ghost.  Dustin Moore's grandma lives on in the virtual world of Google Earth.  The picture shows her sitting on the front steps of her home reading a newspaper.  Dustin believes that it is one of the last pictures taken of his grandma and has decided to share the image.  grandma

Gorilla gets new home.

Patrick is 23 years old and as a baby was abandoned by his mother.  Since then, he's been very anti-social when it comes to other gorillas.  With humans, however, he feels completely comfortable.  He's being moved from the Dallas Zoo to the Riverbanks Zoo and Garden in Columbia, SC.  This will give him a fresh start.  Patrick will be introduced to changes only as he can handle them.  Patrick's new home

want to be a wookiee?

There's a casting call out for someone who is 7' to 7'3" to play a character in an upcoming film.  The person also has to be thin and have good posture.  This comes from a British casting service called Spotlight.  It lists Lucasfilm co-chair Kathleen Kennedy and Episode VII writer and director J.J. Abrams as the producers.  Sounds like Chewbacca!  Star Wars episode VII

sunken plane found

Firefighters training in a North Carolina lake have discovered a sunken plane.  The new equipment they're using makes it easier to spot things at the bottom of the lake.  Their divers were unable to open the doors but were able to see that no victims were inside.  Now comes the job of finding out who owns the plane.  mysterious plane

another talented Cuoco

Kaley Cuoco of the Big Bang Theory has a talented sister.  Briana Cuoco auditioned for The Voice.  She tweeted that she never said she would be on the show, just auditioning for it.  We will have to tune in to see if she goes through.  Cuoco audition

canceled wedding

After a canceled wedding, the parents of the bride decided to hold the party anyway.  The money was already spent so why waste it?  They turned the event into a dinner for the homeless.  Charities were charged with the job of finding those that could use a good meal.  The parents wanted to focus on women and children and used the dinner as a learning experience.  wedding that wasn't

Loser's party

Amy Poehler and Jon Hamm held a party after the Emmy's for all those who didn't win.  They turned it into a fundraiser for the Worldwide Orphans Foundation.  Anyone who won an Emmy could attend the party but only if they donated $1000 to the cause.  All "losers" were able to party for free.  great idea

Minnesota Nice

"Minnesota Nice"  I've heard that phrase used a lot.  I believe it to be so true!  A Dairy Queen employee in Hopkins, MN is a prime example.  A regular customer, who is visually impaired, accidentally dropped a $20 bill when he pulled his credit card out to pay for his food.  A woman behind him picked it up and put it in her purse.  Joey Prusak saw what happened and confronted the woman; she denied doing it and left the store.  Joey took $20 out of his own pocket and gave it to the customer to replace what he lost.  Another customer who witnessed the incident wrote an email to the store manager praising the teen's actions.  great kid

surprise found under bed

A man in Zimbabwe found an 8-foot crocodile under his hotel bed.

 He was shocked that his bare feet had been just inches from the creature. He slept the whole night not knowing that it was there. With some help from co-workers, the croc was removed.  night guest

Letter to Santa

An 8-year-old boy asks for nothing for Christmas for himself.  He just wants the bullying of his twin sister to stop.  He asks if it's against the rules to get his wish early.  His letter has opened the door for his mother to discuss the problem with the school.  boy's wish

Owl was wrong choice

A couple thought it would be very majestic for an owl to bring them their rings during the wedding ceremony.  The owl, however, had other plans which included sleeping for about an hour near the ceiling of the church.  Luckily the couple had a back-up plan.  uncooperative owl

Free plane tickets

I am never in the right place at the right time.  Tickets on United were being sold for almost nothing on 9-11.  It was a mistake in the system that caused flights to be priced at $2.50 a leg which led to flights costing $5-$10 on average.  United has decided to honor those tickets.  ticket mistake

Beyonce

An over zealous fan pulled Beyonce off stage when she bent down to get closer to fans.  Security quickly came to her aid.  Beyonce shook the man's hand and asked him his name after the incident.  She wanted to make sure that he was not mistreated by security.  stage mishap

The Center is gone

The Islamic Center in Winona burned to the ground on Friday the 13th.  The debris has been moved and the only thing standing in the place of the Center is an empty space.  

There is nothing left; but those that used the Center still have their faith and they have found new friends.  Central Lutheran Church has opened their doors and given space for them to worship.  fire

NASCAR changes

A lot more happened over the past week than just the Michael Waltrip penalties.  Jeff Gordon has been added to the Chase as the 13th driver.  NASCAR felt that there were extenuating circumstances that made this the "right thing to do."  Penske Racing and Front Row Motorsports have been placed on probation because of some dealings that weren't exactly legal in NASCAR.  However, it was determined that they didn't follow through with their plans; thus just the probation.  changes

Cameo appearances

R2D2 has made appearances in several movies.  It's not easy to find the droid sometimes but he's there.  The most recent was "Star Trek Into Darkness."  J.J. Abrams loves putting the little guy in movies to link them together.  R2D2

new tires

Hankook has a new tire.  It's an airless tire that's called i-flex.  It's puncture proof, helps with fuel efficiency, and is safer.  Bridgestone and Polaris also have designed similar tires.  Full production for all size tires can't come soon enough.    new tires

Penalties from NASCAR

NASCAR has decided to penalize Clint Bowyer's team after the intentional spin at Saturday nights race in Richmond.  The whole Michael Waltrip Racing group has been punished with losing 50 owner and driver points.  This was assessed before the points were calculated for the Chase.  NASCAR is calling it a manipulation incident which will take Truex out of the Chase.  It doesn't affect Bowyer; he's still in.  Newman captures that last wild card spot.  penalty

cheating in NASCAR?

Say it ain't so!!  It was apparently a blatant attempt to get a teammate into the Chase.  Clint Bowyer spun and caused a caution which kept Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman out but put his teammate Martin Truex Jr. and Joey Logano into the Chase instead.  NASCAR seems to be doing nothing about it.  cheating

tailgate picture is offensive

A truck detailer in Waco, TX is getting some flack about a decal they made.  It's a picture of a woman tied up and crumpled in a heap.  They put it on the back of a company truck and it was seen all over town.  It was also placed on their facebook page and has gotten a lot of messages both good and bad.  The company says that it was done as a joke.  Seriously? This is not something to joke about.  tasteless decal

New York Fashion Week history

Plus-sized models have hit the runway for the first time in history.  It's about time!!  We are all different shapes and sizes; why not represent the differences?  models

military reunion

Sheba and her 7 puppies have been reunited with the Army National Guard Unit that befriended them in Afghanistan.  Sheba was there for the unit to chase away other dangerous dogs.  After Sheba gave birth, she was very weak and the soldiers nursed her and the puppies back to health.  Now they've been reunited thanks to a group called, "Paws of War--No Buddy Left Behind."  It costs about $4000 to bring one dog back so it was quite the undertaking to bring Sheba and her 7 pups home.  happy reunion

swimming with the dolphins

Not many people get to swim with Winter the dolphin.  Actually it's been two.  A British boy with no legs is the second to do so.  He lost both legs when he was just a baby because of meningitis.  His father never wanted that to keep him from doing the things that he loved.  Winter was the star in "Dolphin Tale" and from the moment that Cieran Kelso saw the movie, he was excited about a dolphin who was disabled just like him.  Cieran's father got together enough money for a flippers for his son to wear in the water.  They made the trip to Florida to meet Winter but didn't tell Cieran that he was going to swim with the dolphin.  So many things could make that impossible and they didn't want to get his hopes up.  But swim they did!  For over an hour they enjoyed the water together even being joined by Winter's sister and Cieran's 5 year old sister for a while.  The boy no longer wants to be a train diver when he grows up, he wants to go back and take care of Winter. 

swimming with Winter

turtles released into sea

More than 500 baby sea turtles will have a greater chance of surviving after being released.  Volunteers slowly place them on beds of seaweed and in the water.  From there nature will have to take over.  They are taken from nests in the sand and transfered to the water because sea turtles have become endangered.  baby sea turtles

Idol has all three judges

Keith Urban was the only returning member of the judges panel.  It was accidentally announced that J. Lo would be filling the second seat and now the person in the third seat will be Harry Connick Jr.  Nigel Lythgoe had suggested this group last year but that didn't happen.  Now that Nigel has been fired, he feels like he's been kicked in the teeth but he wishes well for the show.  AI

suspension from NASCAR

This suspension from NASCAR is not for a driver.  The girlfriend of Mike Skeen has been banned from NASCAR events indefinitely and been fined $2500. In front of the cameras, Kelly Heaphy slapped Max Papis because she didn't like what happened on the track.  I still think Max should file assault charges...some anger management classes should be in her future.

 suspension

Actor's home becomes pet sanctuary

Thirty-five years ago Leo Grillo decided he wanted to help all of the abandoned animals that he could.  So he gave up his home for them.  Today DELTA is going strong.  He doesn't take in animals from anyone else...only the ones he finds.  It's a no kill shelter and he doesn't look for homes for any of them.  He now has a veterinarian on staff and his own fire department.  animal sanctuary

stolen bike returned

A bike thief will be surprised when he comes back for a bike he stole.  But he won't be empty handed at least.  The owner of the bike left a cardboard cutout and a note for the thief. stolen bike

Woman and pet kangaroo find new home.

Christie Carr nursed a male red kangaroo back to health after he was injured from running into a fence.  Battling with the city council in the town where she lived got to be too much for her and she has now moved into a zoo.  

The Garold Wayne Interactive Zoological Park is her new home along with Irwin the kangaroo. Both Carr and the animal are doing well while helping each other with their individual recoveries.  Carr suffers from depression.  therapy kangaroo

Max Papis gets slapped

After battling Mike Skeen for third place in the Truck race, they both wrecked.  Max Papis gave an interview to a Fox Sports News crew and then got slapped.  During the NASCAR race today, the announcers claimed it was Skeen's girlfriend.  How crazy is that?  I hope he files assault charges.  slap