MORGAN, Utah (AP) — An abandoned litter of raccoons discovered at a construction site in northern Utah found new homes earlier this week after a construction crew uncovered the animals below the remnants of a demolished home.
 
"A big-hearted foreman for the demolition crew working on Morgan Valley Drive came to the fire station asking for help," the Morgan County Fire Department said in a statement on Wednesday. "After his crew knocked down an abandoned home, they heard chirping in the rubble."
 
The eight baby raccoons appeared to have no mother. Firefighters cared for them until someone with permits to raise raccoons offered to adopt them.
 
Utah requires permits to home non-native species like raccoons or coyotes, which frequently roam wild.
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SEOUL, June 16 (UPI) -- The popularity of gold bars is surging at convenience stores around South Korea as the value appreciates amid strong inflationary pressure across the globe.
 
GS Retail confirmed Friday that sales of gold bars at its convenience stores totaled $19 million in the past nine months ending in May.
 
The gold bars, dispensed through vending machines, were introduced last September at five of its stores. The machines offer five sizes, weighing 0.13 ounces to 1.3 ounces.
 
Prices fluctuate daily in keeping with the international valuation for gold, according to GS Retail, which operates more than 10,000 convenience stores all over South Korea.
 
The popularity of gold bars at its stores has prompted the company to increase the number of outlets carrying them 29 with plans to hit 50 by year end.
 
"The most popular gold bar is the smallest, the 0.13-ounce one, which is currently priced at around $225," a GS Retail representative told UPI News Korea.
 
"People in their 20s and 30s appear to be the main buyers, purchasing physical gold as an investment vehicle, especially in times such as these, when its value is continuing to rise," he said.
 
The gold price started to jump in March amid Silicon Valley Bank's collapse and with people moving to gold as a safe haven.
 
"Niggling inflation and the SVB crisis seem to have caused more people to be interested in anti-inflationary assets such as gold," Inha University Professor Lee Eun-hee said in a phone interview.
 
"But a gold bar purchased at a convenience store seems more like something done in fun rather than as a means for serious investment. I believe the popularity of these gold bars is mainly due to its easy accessibility, at convenience stores no less," she said.
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WASHINGTON (TND) — Looks like the shoe is on the other foot after thieves broke into a shop in Peru and stole 200 sneakers – but they were only for the right foot.
 
The heist was worth 50,000 Peruvian Soles or $13,400, according to Peruvian Newspaper El Comercio. Security footage shows the thieves breaking the padlock on the third attempt and making off with the merchandise on a tricycle.
 
A tweet from the El Comercio shows a photo of the shoe shop after the robbery.
 
Law enforcement in Huancayo are investigating the crime.
 
"With the footage and the fingerprints, we will be able to locate those individuals," police chief Eduan Diaz told Peruvian media.
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PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A recent graduate from The Philadelphia High School for Girls is calling for change after she was denied her high school diploma on stage.
 
"She (the principal) stole that moment from me," said Hafsah Abdur-Rahman. "I will never get that again."
 
Abdur-Rahman cried tears of humiliation instead of joy at her high school graduation on June 9.
 
The 17-year-old from Philadelphia's Olney section said the principal warned students their families could not cheer or clap when they walked on stage.
 
"I understood the rules because I was saying 'shh' in the video. Do not say nothing because I want my diploma," said Abdur-Rahman. "I knew and understood what we were supposed to do."
 
In the video, Abdur-Rahman can be seen dancing across the stage, and then the crowd laughed.
 
She said because they laughed, the principal told her she could not receive her diploma.
 
"If they thought that I shouldn't do 'The Griddy' across the stage and do the Girls' High traditions, nobody should have been able to wave or blow kisses or do period signs because I feel like that's the same thing. I feel like that's unfair," said Abdur-Rahman.
 
Abdur-Rahman said this moment wasn't just for her, but it was in honor of her sister who was killed at 14 years old.
 
"I was so embarrassed. I couldn't even enjoy the rest of the graduation," said Abdur-Rahman.
 
She's not alone.
 
Abdur-Rahman said three other girls did not get their diplomas on stage, but all of them did after the ceremony.
 
The School District of Philadelphia said in a statement quote: "The District does not condone the withholding of earned diplomas based on family members cheering for their graduates. We apologize to all the families and graduates who were impacted and are further looking into this matter to avoid it happening in the future."
 
Abdur-Rahman said the assistant superintendent of the school also reached out to her and her mother apologizing for their experience and to talk further.
 
Although Abdur-Rahman wished she had a better experience, she and her mother hope school leaders learned a valuable lesson.
 
"It's 2023, a lot has happened," said her mother, Jaszmine Reid. "These girls went through COVID together. Our kids are not even living up to see high school. I understand traditions and rules are set in place for a reason, and we're not saying they should be broken, but it might need to be revised also."
 
The principal was unavailable to speak about the incident.
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New York
CNN
 —
College interns typically find cheap places to live for the summer. One woman is going to great lengths to do that.
 
South Carolina resident Sophia Celentano commutes to her New Jersey summer internship by plane, weekly, revealing on her TikTok account that it's actually cheaper than renting near her advertising gig's New Jersey office.
 
The 21-year-old's TikTok, headlined, "Why I take a plane to work," recently went viral after she posted her routine of waking up at 3 am to catch a flight from Charleston to Newark every Wednesday. She acknowledges it's a "really untraditional thing to do, but it works for me" because of cost savings and the "flexibility" of living with her family, who she doesn't see often since she attends the University of Virginia.
 
Rather than spending "$3,400+ a month for rent, I book a $100 round-trip flight on the one day a week I work in-person" as a corporate marketing intern, she explained on her LinkedIn account. "Plus, my untraditional commute provides me with more lifestyle freedom, and I genuinely look forward to my weekly adventures."
 
The median cost of renting an apartment in Manhattan was a record $4,241 in April, according to a report from Douglas Elliman, a brokerage, and Miller Samuel, an appraisal and consultant firm.
 
Her employer, Oglivy Health, requires interns to be in its New Jersey office usually one day a week. A job listing said a similar internship pays around $15 to $20 per hour. The firm didn't respond for comment.
 
Celentano wrote that her employer knows her situation and that it "was never an issue." (Another factor for doing all this might be the office's suburban location in Parsippany, New Jersey, which she said she didn't want to do – it can be a little dull for a young intern.)
 
The way she saves money is by flying Spirit, an airline known for its dirt-cheap flights. She said that costs her about $100 every week, plus another $100 on Uber rides to and from the airport and another $25 on food. In total, she's spending $2,250 in commuting costs for a 10-week internship.
 
Celentano claims to be saving be saving at least $2,000 this summer by doing this rather than living, working and playing in New Jersey or New York. She's staying at her family's home in Charleston at a time rents in Manhattan have reached record highs, with Brooklyn, Queens and Jersey City also nearing record highs.
 
In response to the reaction her videos received, Celentano told CNN that "wasn't expecting so many people to be surprised by my commute" because her parents both have similar setups with their employers.
 
"I've grown up seeing the flexibility and benefits that provides their lifestyle, so I didn't really think twice about super commuting this summer. I understand though why people were so shocked by my decision," she said. "The financial peace would definitely be shocking from an outside perspective; the fact that commuting is cheaper for me, says a lot about the current cost of living and pressures young adults face as they enter the working world."
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WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (WETM) – While the warm weather is here and many people want to spend time outside with their families, officials in Watkins Glen are asking the village to respect the fact that one park's jungle gym is off-limits for the time being.
 
Watkins Glen posted a reminder that the caution tape around the small jungle gym within LaFayette Park is there for a reason. According to the Village, people have been removing the caution tape and snow fence regularly.
 
"Please, for the safety of your children, respect the fact that it is unsafe and the Village is working on a repair," the reminder said.
 
The announcement also said tearing down the snow fence is a violation and the Village won't be responsible if someone gets hurt because of "ignoring the obvious warning signs".
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BUFFALO, N.Y. — After months of investigating stolen parking meters across Buffalo, an arrest has been made.
 
Peter Christopher faces 91 felony counts of grand larceny and another 91 felony counts of criminal possession of stolen property, according to the City of Buffalo, which released a statement Saturday night.
 
"Parking meters were first reported as being stolen in mid-April, prompting immediate investigation," the city said.
 
Police said they zeroed in on the 51-year-old Christopher, who was recently detained. Officers then found six stolen parking meters in his vehicle, prompting his arrest.
 
Overall, the city said it suspects 90 meters have been stolen, resulting in more than $100,000 in property damage. So far, detectives have recovered 43 parking meters, two pay-and-go stations, and multiple coin canisters.
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