Men who stole $6 million golden toilet from English mansion sentenced to prison terms

LONDON (AP) — Two men who stole a $6.4 million golden toilet from an English mansion have been sentenced to more than two years in prison. The 18-carat fully functioning toilet was on display as a piece of contemporary art at Blenheim Palace — the country mansion where British wartime leader Winston Churchill was born — when five burglars smashed a window and yanked it from its plumbing in a brazen early morning raid in September 2019. It was never recovered and was believed to have been chopped up and sold. James Sheen, 40, a roofer who pleaded guilty to burglary, conspiracy and transferring criminal property was sentenced in Oxford Crown Court to four years in prison. Michael Jones, 39, who worked for Sheen and was convicted of burglary at trial, was sentenced to two years and three months.

Not-so-hot pursuit of burglary suspect sees police cars chase tractor excavator at walking pace

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Police in South Carolina engaged in a not-so-hot pursuit as they chased a tractor excavator down a main highway for more than an hour at the speed an average adult walks. Police say the chase reached speeds of 3 mph early Sunday morning. Cruisers followed with blue lights and sirens in North Charleston after the excavator damaged a building. The very slow speed pursuit went on for an hour and 12 minutes as the big piece of construction equipment with treads and a shovel would not stop. Authorities say the excavator finally got stuck, and a drone and police dog chased down the 53-year-old driver. He remains in jail on a $22,000 bond.

Flashlights and glowing golf balls. How a NY man played for 35 hours in quest for world record

A New York man is laying claim to the record for most consecutive hours playing golf — a 35-hour stint on a course on Long Island. Kelechi Ezihie teed off at Huntington Crescent Club at about 6:30 p.m. on Sunday and sank his last putt shortly after 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday. He endured hours of rain and used flashlights and glowing golf balls to play in the dark. He's hoping Guinness declares it a world record. Guinness says the review process takes 12 to 15 weeks. Ezihie originally planned to play 24 hours, but learned on the course that another golfer played 32 hours in Norway in May.

Brad Marchand embraces Panthers' rat-throwing tradition, which goes back 30 years

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — There’s a giant, gold-outlined rat emblazoned on the hat that dangles in Brad Marchand’s locker. The scrappy NHL veteran has been likened to the tiny rodent for much of his career, notoriously known as “The Rat” among hockey fans. So when Marchand was traded from Boston to Florida back in March, it didn’t take long for him to embrace Panthers fans’ tradition of tossing plastic rats onto the ice after wins. After the Panthers routed the Edmonton Oilers 6-1 on Monday in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final, rats rained down in a tradition that has last lasted 30 years.

The world's oldest restaurant faces a challenge from another Madrid tavern that says its even older

MADRID (AP) — In the heart of Spain’s capital, the famous Sobrino de Botín restaurant proudly holds the title of being the world’s oldest restaurant. It opened its doors in 1725, having survived Napoleonic invasions, civil war and the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, it welcomes droves of eager tourists in Madrid every day. But a half-hour away, a small family-run restaurant says that it was founded 23 years before Botín, in 1702. Casa Pedro’s owners are combing through local archives to prove what's asserted on their sugar packets and in their logo, and say they’re getting close.

A runaway pet zebra has been captured in Tennessee

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) — A runaway pet zebra has been captured in Tennessee. The Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office says Ed was captured Sunday in a pasture. He was airlifted to an animal trailer. Video posted by the sheriff’s office shows Ed wrapped in a net with his head sticking out as he is carried by the helicopter to the waiting trailer. The zebra had been on the loose since May 31. It was spotted and filmed running along Interstate 24 before disappearing into the woods. Ed quickly became the subject of internet memes.

Why a Minneapolis neighborhood sharpens a giant pencil every year

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Throngs of people gathered Saturday in a scenic Minneapolis neighborhood for an annual ritual — the sharpening of a gigantic No. 2 pencil. The 20-feet-tall pencil was sculpted out of a mammoth oak at the home of John and Amy Higgins. The beloved tree was damaged in a storm a few years ago. But the Higginses saw it not so much as a loss, but as a chance to give the tree new life. The sharpening ceremony on their front lawn has evolved into a spectacle that draws hundreds of people to the Lake of the Isles neighborhood, complete with music and pageantry.

A quirky vegetable sculpture contest features a squash Donald Trump and a papal 'Cornclave'

LONDON (AP) — Vegetable likenesses of U.S. President Donald Trump and singer Dolly Parton and a papal “Cornclave” are on display at the Lambeth Country Show. The annual event is  an urban take on a country fair held in London’s Brockwell Park. The vegetable sculpture contest has attracted national renown for its quirky creativity. This year, several sculptures referenced the recent papal election or movie on the subject. One featured cardinals made of maize and was titled “Cornclave.” Other entries included Irish rap trio Kneecap in potato form, “Cauli Parton,” a vegetable “Mo Salad” likeness of Liverpool soccer star Mohamed Salah and animated icons Wallace and Gromit made from butternut squash. Trump also got the butternut squash treatment.

Flying boats make for a rare sight as Washington clears an island of derelict vessels by helicopter

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — The Washington Department of Natural Resources has been using one of its firefighting helicopters to haul abandoned boats off an uninhabited island in the southernmost reaches of Puget Sound this week. The vessels are flown to the mainland to be deconstructed later. The state agency opts to airlift boats out when a water removal would disrupt the marine bed or surrounding environment too much. Officials say this week’s operation was the largest the department has undertaken. Since the boat removal program began in 2002, the department has hauled out more than 1,200 derelict vessels.

Dilly Dally the sea turtle returns to the ocean after flipper amputation

JUNO BEACH, Fla. (AP) — An adolescent loggerhead sea turtle named Dilly Dally is back in the Atlantic Ocean, months after having a front flipper amputated at a Florida turtle hospital. The turtle was brought to Loggerhead Marinelife Center in January suffering from predator wounds to the front flipper. The veterinary crew at the Juno Beach facility assisted in Dilly Dally’s rehabilitation and care. A veterinary technician at the center says a satellite tracking device was attached to Dilly Dally’s shell that will allow the center and the public to follow her journey. The center partnered with the Smithsonian to get the satellite tag, which was attached on Tuesday.