Move over grizzlies and wolves: Yellowstone visitors hope to catch a glimpse of rare white buffalo
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (AP) — The recent appearance of a rare white bison calf has excited wildlife watchers in Yellowstone National Park. Many from far and wide are keeping a close watch for the elusive animal since Montana wildlife photographer Erin Braaten got several photos of the calf with its mother on June 4, soon after its birth. Few others saw the white bison calf and it has not been spotted since, leading to speculation it may have died. Even so, the creature’s birth is auspicious for Native Americans, who say it fulfills a Lakota prophesy that portends better times. They are planning an upcoming ceremony to commemorate the event.
Virginia city repeals ban on psychic readings as industry grows and gains more acceptance
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — The city of Norfolk, Virginia, has repealed a 45-year-old ban on palm reading and clairvoyance for money. Until this week, soothsaying had been a first-degree misdemeanor in the coastal city. A conviction could lead to a sentence of up to a year in jail. City officials haven’t said exactly why they revoked the ordinance, which was no longer being enforced. The repeal comes as the psychic services industry is growing nationwide. Market research firm IBIS World estimates that it generated $2.3 billion in revenue last year and employs nearly 100,000 people in the U.S.
Tejano singer and TV host Johnny Canales, who helped launch Selena’s career, dies
Tejano singer and longtime television music show host Johnny Canales has died, according to a statement from his family. Canales was 77. The family statement posted Thursday on the Johnny and Nora Canales Show calls Canales “a beacon of hope and joy for countless people.” The statement did not provide a cause of death. Canales hosted a televised music show in Corpus Christi, Texas, in the 1980s and 1990s where he is credited with helping launch the career of Tejano superstar Selena. A cause of death was not provided.
NASA’s Voyager 1, the most distant spacecraft from Earth, is doing science again after problem
DALLAS (AP) — NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft is sending science data again. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory says the spacecraft’s four instruments are back in business after a computer problem in November. The team first received meaningful information from Voyager 1 in April and recently commanded it to start sending science data. Launched in 1977, Voyager 1 is the most distant spacecraft from Earth. It’s exploring interstellar space, or the space between star systems. Its twin, Voyager 2, is working fine.
Microsoft delays controversial AI Recall feature on new Windows computers
REDMOND, Wash. (AP) — New laptops equipped with Microsoft Windows start shipping to customers next week but without a flagship feature called Recall that drew concerns about privacy and cybersecurity. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella touted the new Recall feature at a showcase event last month. Recall works by periodically taking snapshots of a computer screen to give Microsoft’s AI assistant Copilot a “photographic memory” of a person’s virtual activity, ostensibly to help a person remember what they did earlier. But this week, the company said it was delaying a “broadly available” preview of Recall that was supposed to be included with new PCs starting Tuesday.
Her dying husband worried she’d have money troubles. Then she won the lottery
FREEPORT, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania man with a brain tumor was able to die knowing his wife would be taken care of by lottery winnings. Karen Coffman’s husband expressed concern she might have financial difficulties after he died. Two weeks before he did in April, she netted $1 million with a scratch-off lottery ticket. The 61-year-old Coffman says her husband thought she was lying when she told him about the big prize. She believes there was spiritual intervention that brought about her win. She says she plans to use some winnings to treat relatives to a Disney trip and eventually hopes to move to Florida.
How do cicadas make their signature sound, so eerie and amazingly loud?
WHEATON, Ill. (AP) — What stands out during a cicada invasion is the sound. It’s a constant, eerie, amazingly loud song that gets in a person’s ears and won’t let much else in. And it’s coming from the tiniest bugs. The song comes only from males, and it’s a mating call. The way they do it is a lot like how a drum works. They have a white membrane on their midsection that is made to vibrate. Then with some air behind it to make a good echo chamber, it creates a loud sound. If you listen carefully, there are two types of basic cicada calls. One is a buzzy wave that goes up and down, and the other is a constant whirring hum that is punctuated by a sound like fffaaaro, fffaaaro.
Chinese soccer fans are pouring money into a food stall run by Singapore’s goalkeeper. Here’s why
Chinese soccer fans have poured their love — and money — into a Singaporean goalkeeper’s food stall after his performance in a game this week indirectly helped China advance to the third qualifying round for the World Cup in 2026. Hassan Sunny became an overnight celebrity on Chinese social media after Singapore’s 3-1 loss to Thailand on Tuesday. China would have been eliminated if Thailand had won by three goals. Sunny made enough saves to prevent that from happening. Chinese fans have been lining up at the stand run by him and his wife in Singapore and sending money using the stall’s QR payment code.
R.E.M. reunite at Songwriters Hall of Fame ceremony also honoring Timbaland and Steely Dan
NEW YORK (AP) — A reunion of R.E.M. was one of the unexpected highlights at the 2024 Songwriters Hall of Fame induction ceremony that also honored legendary band Steely Dan, R&B and rap producer Timbaland, Nashville hitmaker Hillary Lindsey and Dean Pitchford, who helped Kenny Loggins with the megahit “Footloose.” SZA, Jason Isbell, Carrie Underwood, Trey Anastasio and Kevin Bacon were among the performers who brought the work of the songwriters to life during the gala at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City Thursday night.
U.S. regulators are investigating an unusual ‘Dutch roll’ of a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 Max
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal officials are investigating an unusual rolling motion during the flight of a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 Max. The Federal Aviation Administration said Thursday that it was working with Boeing and the National Transportation Safety Board on the investigation. The incident happened May 25 on a Southwest flight from Phoenix to Oakland, California. The crew regained control of the plane and landed safely in Oakland. No injuries were reported. The FAA says that an inspection of the Boeing Max showed damage to a unit that controls backup power to the plane’s rudder. The FAA says other airlines have not reported anything similar.
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