Watercooler Stories

Lucky family auctions off 'holy egg'

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill., March 22 (UPI) -- An Illinois family that claims an egg with the symbol of the cross on it brought them incredible luck is auctioning it off on eBay for a minimum $20,000.

"It's time to move it around," said Robert Smith of Elgin, who said he won $200,000 from the Illinois Lottery in July 2000, about a year after finding the egg.

Among the other lucky breaks he and his wife attribute to the egg is that Smith's son's modeling career has taken off. And, although their grandson was diagnosed a year ago with craniosynostosis, which affects the skull and can require multiple surgeries, a week after the diagnosis, tests revealed doctors were wrong.

"You have to believe in something," Smith said.

The "Holy Cross Lucky Egg" has a minimum bid of $20,000, and a an instant purchase option of $50,000, the Arlington Heights Daily Herald reported.

If it doesn't sell on eBay, Smith said the family plans to personally deliver it to the Vatican when members travel to Italy in the summer.

Large black puma attacks London man

LONDON, March 22 (UPI) -- Police, wildlife and zoo officials in London urged residents Tuesday to keep children and pets indoors until a full-grown black puma is captured.

The warning came after a man called police at 2:15 a.m. to say the cat, which he said was about the size of a Labrador retriever, attacked him in his backyard. He sustained only minor scratches, and did not require a trip to the hospital, the Daily Mail reported.

A police spokesman said they were seeking advice from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the London Zoo, but it was unclear where the animal had come from.

Akron manhole covers being stolen

AKRON, Ohio, March 22 (UPI) -- Law enforcement authorities in Akron, Ohio, say they don't understand the motive, but thieves have been stealing dozens of manhole covers from city streets.

Akron police say some 65 manhole covers have been stolen since January, WEWS-TV in Cleveland reported Tuesday.

City officials say the holes caused by the missing manhole covers can pose a threat of injury to citizens, cause a car accident or result in flooding.

Akron-area scrap yards have been notified the manhole covers are being stolen and that police are to be notified if anyone tries to sell them for scrap.