Hiker mired in quicksand in Utah's Arches National Park is rescued unharmed
Quicksand is a corny peril in old movies, but getting stuck in it really did happen to one hiker in Utah. Rescuers responded Sunday to an emergency satellite beacon activated by a backpacker caught in quicksand in Arches National Park. The man first tried to dig himself out with a shovel supplied by a park ranger. Rescuers ended up placing a ladder and boards on the quicksand so they could get to him and work his leg loose. After warming up, he was able to walk out on his own with his backpack. Another quicksand rescue happened in the same general area in 2014.
San Francisco woman gives birth in a Waymo self-driving taxi
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Waymo's self-driving taxis have been in the spotlight for both negative and positive reasons. This week, the automated ride-hailing taxis went viral after a San Francisco woman gave birth inside a Waymo taxi while on her way to the hospital. A Waymo spokesperson on Wednesday confirmed the unusual delivery. It said the company's rider support team detected unusual activity inside the vehicle and alerted 911. The taxi arrived safely at the hospital before emergency services. Waymo's popularity is growing despite heightened scrutiny following an illegal U-turn and the death of a San Francisco cat. The company, owned by Alphabet, says it is proud to serve riders of all ages.
Holiday ornaments decorate life all year long in this Belgian shop
ANTWERP, Belgium (AP) — Christel Dauwe has been living in a holiday wonderland year-round with her Christmas ornament shop in Antwerp, Belgium. Her passion began in her teenage years, and now she boasts over 64,000 ornaments in her personal collection. Her shop displays another 18,000. The store started 35 years ago as an antiques shop. It evolved after a trip to Poland, where she and her husband found a factory to produce custom designs. Dauwe dreams of opening a Christmas museum. For now, her shop offers a wide range of ornaments, aiming to bring smiles and hope to visitors.
Drone drops steak and crab legs for prisoner feast but South Carolina guards find it first
BISHOPVILLE, S.C. (AP) — A drone dropped a package of contraband into the Lee Correctional Institution prison yard three weeks before Christmas. The South Carolina Department of Corrections shared the news on social media. The package contained steak, crab legs, marijuana, and cigarettes. Authorities seized the drone on Sunday morning. No arrests have been made, and the investigation is ongoing. Smuggling contraband into prisons is a persistent issue. People have used drones to bypass security measures like raised fences and netting. Flying a drone near a prison in South Carolina is a misdemeanor, while dropping contraband is a felony with severe penalties.
Caroline Garcia turned down $270,000 betting company offer for her tennis podcast
PARIS (AP) — Retired French tennis player Caroline Garcia has turned down a $270,000 sponsorship deal for her podcast from a betting company. The 32-year-old Garcia remains connected to the sport through the Tennis Insider Club podcast she created with her husband Borja Duran. She explained her decision on social media, emphasizing the need for a platform where players can speak openly without pressure. The former world No. 4 has highlighted the negative impact of betting on athletes. She believes accepting the offer would contradict her mission to inspire and support the tennis community. Garcia won 11 WTA titles and the 2022 WTA Finals.
16,000 fossil footprints in central Bolivia reveal dinosaur behavior
TORO TORO, Bolivia (AP) — Legend once had it that the huge, three-toed footprints scattered across the central highlands of Bolivia came from supernaturally strong monsters — capable of sinking their claws even into solid rock. Then scientists came here in the 1960s, determining that this wind-swept plateau was actually the stomping ground of gigantic, two-legged dinosaurs. Now, a team of researchers has discovered 16,600 footprints belonging to theropods — the dinosaur group that includes the Tyrannosaurus rex — in ancient waterways. Paleontologists mostly from California’s Loma Linda University, along with Bolivian researchers, published a study in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS One last Wednesday, claiming this finding represents the highest number of theropod footprints recorded anywhere in the world.
Police recover a swallowed Fabergé pendant after a 6-day wait for it to reappear
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Police have recovered a James Bond-inspired Fabergé pendant after six days of waiting for it to exit a suspect's gastrointestinal tract. New Zealand Police said the pendant was retrieved without medical intervention Thursday night. They released a photo showing the pendant and chain and the jewelry's 33,000 New Zealand dollar price tag intact. Police arrested the suspect inside an Auckland jewelry store Nov. 28 shortly after the alleged theft and had been watching him ever since waiting for the jewelry to reemerge. The pendant made of green enamel and gold and encrusted with diamonds and sapphires was inspired by the plot of the 1983 film “Octopussy.”
A seal galumphs into a bar. The bartender says 'Grab the salmon!'
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A baby seal has caused chaos by wandering into a bar in Richmond, New Zealand. The furry visitor, below the legal drinking age, sampled salmon from the dinner menu on Sunday before being bundled out of the pub by rangers. Publican Bella Evans, who co-owns the Sprig + Fern The Meadows craft beer bar, said the seal was eventually removed with the help of a dog crate and some salmon. The seal was safely released later.
Lifeguards rescue dog swept out to sea by rip current off San Diego coast
SAN DIEGO (AP) — A pup that was swept out to sea by a rip current must be feeling doggone lucky after her unlikely rescue off the San Diego coast. The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department says in a social media post that Sadie stole away from a home where her owners were staying last month. Officials say that while her owners tracked the black Labrador retriever-mix down the coast using an Airtag on her collar, surfers in Ocean Beach alerted lifeguards that a dog had been swept into the rip current near the jetty. After being told the search would only last 10 more minutes, a lifeguard spotted Sadie and she was rescued. Her owners say they're forever grateful.
Detroit's own crime-fighter RoboCop finally stands guard in Motor City
DETROIT (AP) — RoboCop has found a permanent home in Detroit — all 11 feet and 3,500 pounds of him. A statue of the crime-fighting movie character has been welcomed by fans since it began standing guard over Detroit Wednesday afternoon in the Motor City's Eastern Market area. Jim Toscano says streams of people have driven by his FREE AGE film production company where the bronze mold-cast statue is bolted into concrete. “RoboCop” developed a cult following after it hit theaters in 1987. It was set in a crime-ridden near-future Detroit. The city's homicide numbers have now dropped below mid-1960s levels, and the statue was erected without objection from city officials.
