Evansville

Minnesota deputies rescue women stranded on unicorn raft

STARK, Minn. (AP) — It was not a fairy tale, but a rescue on a Minnesota lake did involve a rainbow unicorn.

Man rescued from mud with parrot perched on his shoulders

BELLEVILLE, Ill. (AP) — Firefighters had to rescue a southwestern Illinois man from deep mud after he became stuck while trying to reach his pet parrot.

Paris residents peeved at very public eco-friendly urinals

A new set of eco-friendly but completely exposed urinals deployed on the streets of Paris are provoking uproar from locals. One of the bright red "urinoirs" installed on the Ile Saint-Louis, not far from Notre Dame cathedral and overlooking tourist boats passing on the Seine, has caused particular indignation. "There's no need to put something so immodest and ugly in such an historic spot," said Paola Pellizzari, 68, owner of a Venetian art store.

Dog running on interstate can't resist lure of stuffed teddy

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) — A dog could not resist being lured away from a busy Massachusetts highway by a teddy bear.

Mountain lion breaks into Colorado home, kills house cat

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — A mountain lion that became trapped inside a Colorado home killed a house cat before police and wildlife officers were able to scare it out.

India lawmaker dresses as Hitler to criticize prime minister

NEW DELHI (AP) — An Indian lawmaker has appeared in Parliament dressed like Adolf Hitler with a toothbrush moustache and wearing a khaki coat with swastika symbols on his pocket and arm. His demand: More funds for the development of his state in southern India.

Billionaire drops quest to split California into 3 parts

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The billionaire behind a measure to split California in three said he's giving up on the effort to reimagine the nation's most populous state after the state Supreme Court knocked it off the November ballot.

Evangelist seeks prayer for yoga-practicing Oregon governor

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — The evangelist Franklin Graham recently asked thousands of people at an Oregon rally to pray for the state's Democratic governor, saying she should be a Christian.

Missy Elliott praises woman's karaoke version of 'Work It'

WEST WARWICK, R.I. (AP) — A Rhode Island woman's karaoke version of Missy Elliott's hit song "Work It" has become an internet sensation, even drawing praise from Elliott.

Vermont city employs goats to get rid of poison ivy

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — Vermont's capital city is trying a natural way to get rid of poison ivy — grazing goats.

Iran's Ahmadinejad opines on Trump, James spat

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran's former hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's quest to return to the spotlight now includes weighing in on a spat between President Donald Trump and basketball star LeBron James.

Amazin' frets: Free therapy for New York Mets fans

NEW YORK (AP) — New York Mets fans struggling with their team's lousy season now have somewhere to cope besides sports talk radio.

Man who harassed Yellowstone bison arrested at Glacier park

MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, Wyo. (AP) — An Oregon man who was caught on video harassing a bison in Yellowstone National Park was arrested in Glacier National Park in the third disturbance in less than a week at a national park, officials said Friday.

Michigan man befriends wild turkey who moved into his yard

GARDEN CITY, Mich. (AP) — A suburban Detroit man who found himself facing fines after a wild turkey moved into his overgrown backyard has made friends with the large bird.

Feline and hen become fast fire friends

REDDING, Calif. (AP) — A cat seeking refuge from a raging Northern California wildfire found a fine-feathered friend as it awaited rescue from the heat and flames.

Patriots fan turns Tom Brady's autograph into a tattoo

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — A young Connecticut woman didn't want to ever lose the autograph she got from Tom Brady.

Christmas comes early for London department store

By Hanna Rantala LONDON (Reuters) - On a hot summery Thursday in London, Santa Claus turned up 144 days early wearing a studded leather jacket to open the new Christmas shop at department store Selfridges. Holding a guitar and sporting black sunglasses, Santa was dressed to fit the store's theme of "Selfridges Rocks Christmas". With London basking in the midst of a heatwave, t-shirts rather than Christmas jumpers seemed more appropriate but Selfridges defended the move to start the Christmas countdown almost five months before Dec. 25.

New Delhi robbers escape with valuable commodity: Hair

NEW DELHI (AP) — Posing as customers, the three men entered a little New Delhi workshop early one morning. Then one pulled out a gun, and the trio demanded the most valuable thing there: Hair.

Grieving orca highlights plight of endangered whales

SEATTLE (AP) — Whale researchers are keeping close watch on an endangered orca that has spent the past week keeping her dead calf afloat in Pacific Northwest waters, a display that has struck an emotional chord around the world and highlighted the plight of the declining population that has not seen a successful birth since 2015.

National Comedy Center opens in 'I Love Lucy' star's town

JAMESTOWN, N.Y. (AP) — The National Comedy Center is open for laughs in "I Love Lucy" comedian Lucille Ball's hometown.

Python that went missing during California fire is found

REDDING, Calif. (AP) — Residents of a Northern California neighborhood can breathe a sigh of relief now that a 14-foot python that went missing after a pet store was evacuated during a wildfire has been found safe.

Two love: Identical twin brothers to wed identical sisters

GRASS LAKE, Mich. (AP) — Two sets of 24-year-old identical twins had their first date together, became engaged at the same time and are now preparing to tie the knot in Michigan this weekend.

Scientists: 1st sighting of dolphin hybrid is no 'wholphin'

HONOLULU (AP) — Scientists are touting the first sighting of a hybrid between a melon-headed whale and a rough-toothed dolphin in the ocean off Hawaii. But don't call it a "wholphin," they say.

San Antonio Aquarium recovers shark stolen in baby stroller

LEON VALLEY, Texas (AP) — Two men have confessed to snatching a small shark from a Texas aquarium's interactive touch tank, then whisking it away, wrapping it in a blanket and concealing it in a baby stroller, police say.

Split concerns force Durex to recall some condoms in UK and Ireland

Durex, owned by Reckitt Benckiser, has recalled some batches of its "Real Feel" and "Latex Free" condoms in the United Kingdom and Ireland due to concerns they may burst. "Our tests have shown that some batches which are currently on the market in UK & Ireland do not pass the requirements for burst pressure towards the end of the shelf life for the product," Durex said in a statement. Durex said only a limited number of batches were affected and that customers would be offered a full refund.