Oddly enough

Oddly enough

Beloved gift shop turtle celebrates 50th birthday

BRISTOL

A turtle given to a bedridden little boy in New Hampshire back in 1968 celebrated her 50th birthday with party hats, a sheet cake with the right number of candles and many well-wishers.

Diane the Turtle was given to Jim Tonner when he was 12 and being treated for hip arthritis at his home in Braintree, Mass. Years later, Jim, and his twin brother, Brad Tonner, opened a gift shop in Bristol, N.H., which became Diane’s home. Her tank is surrounded by photos of store visitors.

On Saturday, the store was crowded with visitors singing “Happy Birthday” to Diane, who wore a tiny party hat.

“Another animal might put their head back in their shell,” Jim Tonner said Monday. “Her head went straight out. It’s one of the funniest things you’ve ever seen.”

The brothers have written and illustrated books about Diane and set up a turtle webcam in their shop.

Amusement park finds wallet lost 4 years ago

HERSHEY, Pa.

A Pennsylvania man has his wallet back nearly four years after it apparently fell out of his pocket while riding a roller coaster.

It was a running family joke to tell the kids to look for dad’s wallet every time they visited Hersheypark. Jon Anson tells WHTM-TV he got a call from the park that maintenance crews had found his wallet.

Inside were his Hersheypark passes, a $25 gift card to a book store, a gift card to a golf center and a Starbucks card with a balance of 87 cents.

Shaun Cooney of Hersheypark says his team tries its best to reunite lost items with their owners.

Uranus Examiner ends publication, blaming judgmental people

URANUS, Mo.

The Uranus Examiner, a small Missouri newspaper whose name inspired chuckles and groans when it launched a few months ago, is closing.

The paper’s editors announced the end of publication Friday, after publishing just five editions since September.

In statements posted on Facebook, Managing Editor Natalie Sanders and Louie Keen, the paper’s owner and publisher, blamed a judgmental “Fuddy Duddy Squad” for the Examiner’s demise.

They said many people supported the paper but banks declined to loan it money and many businesses wouldn’t advertise in it, in part because Keen once owned a strip club.

Associated Press