A rare dime whose whereabouts had remained a mystery since the late 1970s has sold for just over $500,000. The coin was struck by the U.S. Mint in San Francisco in 1975, is one of just two known to exist without its distinctive “S” mint mark. apne.ws/kbI0UwC
Move over, Fat Bear Week. A bat beauty contest is now stepping up to the plate. The Bureau of Land Management has hosted the online competition since 2019 to raise awareness about the animal’s ecological importance. apne.ws/pzqca7i
A makeshift aquarium that popped up this summer in a puddle beneath a leaky New York City fire hydrant is no more. City workers have paved over the Bed-Stuy goldfish aquarium days after fire officials fixed the leak. apne.ws/mktHIQk
Uncaged-nine: Dubbed on social media as the "Houdini” of New Orleans' Mid-City neighborhood, Scrim — a scruffy, mixed-breed dog that was on the lam for more than six months after escaping his yard — has finally been caught. apne.ws/IrkxShw
German police have busted a pizzeria in the western city of Düsseldorf that also delivered a side order of cocaine when customers asked for item number 40 on the menu. Police said it was one of the best-selling pizzas. apne.ws/XSGtKdi
Travelers leaving the New Zealand city of Dunedin will have to keep their farewells brief after a new three-minute time limit was imposed on goodbye hugs in the airport’s drop-off area. The cap was imposed to prevent cuddles from causing traffic jams. apne.ws/ZwC7U6Q
A funeral home in Poland is apologizing after a corpse that it was transporting fell out of a hearse and into traffic. apne.ws/Ld1nyAY
A British chestnut-whacking champion has been cleared of cheating after an investigation into alleged malfeasance at the World Conker Championships. Organizers of the nutty event said that Dave Jakins did not use a steel chestnut to conquer his rival. apne.ws/FzzeFv7
A brand-new fire station in Germany, which was destroyed in a fire, causing millions of euros in damage and destroyed equipment did not have a fire alarm system, local media reported. apne.ws/r8uvTkF
A judge in northern Greece has imposed a suspended one-month prison sentence on a man convicted of disturbing his neighbors by repeatedly sneaking into their properties to smell their shoes. apne.ws/JK3OR3P
Star-ific: Scientists say a celestial object discovered decades ago, a brown dwarf, is actually twins orbiting each other. Brown dwarfs are sometimes called failed stars because they’re lighter than stars, but heavier than gas giant planets. apne.ws/CdSPu4g
Conkers controversy: The World Conker Championships says it's investigating allegations of cheating after this year’s men’s winner was found to have a steel chestnut in his pocket. apne.ws/K3tqBcl
Plumpkin: A Minnesota horticulture teacher has remained the reigning champion of an annual pumpkin-weighing contest in Northern California. His winning gourd came in at 2,471 pounds. He set a world record last year with a gourd weighing 2,749 pounds. apne.ws/H3m1ICj
A woman from China has pleaded guilty to attempting to smuggle 29 eastern box turtles, a protected species, across a Vermont lake into Canada by kayak. apne.ws/8fjzfi9
An annual event in Maine involving mud, beer and cash has once again drawn dozens of eager competitors. More than 30 couples participated Saturday in the North American Wife Carrying Championship. apne.ws/EXpGNOG
Snake in the dugout: A snake slithered through the Los Angeles Dodgers dugout during Game 2 of the National League Championship Series. apne.ws/AXvk6LZ
Witnesses could bear-ly believe the surprise visitor that appeared at the Connecticut governor’s estate. A black bear scaled the fence as human passers-by did a double-take. “It was definitely like: ‘Is this real?’” apne.ws/kplV4ki
A Washington state woman had to flee her property after 50 to 100 raccoons descended on it and were acting aggressively. apne.ws/q263ciG
All the buzz: Scientists now know what the head of the biggest bug to ever crawl the Earth looks like. The giant bug’s topper was a round bulb with two short bell-shaped antennae, two protruding eyes like a crab, and a rather small mouth. apne.ws/JpeqmNQ
A court in Switzerland — where time is money for its famed watchmaking industry — has ruled that a dial manufacturer was justified in telling workers: If you need a bathroom break, clock out and take it on your own time. apne.ws/9ieMWZA
