Watercooler Stories

$750 coin dropped in Salvation Army kettle

SANGO, Tenn., Dec. 12 (UPI) -- Salvation Army officials said a coin worth $750 was dropped into a bell ringer's collection kettle outside of a Sango, Tenn., Wal-Mart store.

Laurie Hadley, a Salvation Army board member, said coin counters discovered the 1978 South African Krugerrand among the change dropped into the kettle Tuesday night. Golden Eagle jewelry priced the coin at $750, Gannett Tennessee reported.

Hadley said the charity plans to hold on to the coin for a little while to see if the price of gold inflates its value in the coming weeks.

Hadley said a Krugerrand was dropped into a kettle in the same location last year. She said that coin was eventually sold, bringing $805 to the charity.

The Salvation Army said an 1882 U.S. $5 gold piece dropped in the same collection kettle earlier in the season has been appraised at about $260.

Pit bulls take classes to avoid muzzles

OMAHA, Dec. 12 (UPI) -- The Nebraska Humane Society is offering "good citizen" classes for pit bulls to allow owners to comply with Omaha's new muzzle law.

The Omaha ordinance, which takes effect in January, requires pit bulls in the city to be muzzled in public unless they pass a canine "good citizen" test, KETV in Omaha, reported.

"They have to be able to put up with distractions, loud noise, somebody running and they have to be allowed to walk on a loose leash," trainer Cathy Guinane said of the "good citizen" test.

The Humane Society said 10 pit bulls have already taken the $10 class and passed the test, allowing them to go muzzle-free. The society said about 40 dogs are currently enrolled in the class, which officials said they will continue to offer for several weeks.

Jeweler returns stolen ring to woman, 102

OKLAHOMA CITY, Dec. 12 (UPI) -- An Oklahoma City jeweler said he returned a ring he purchased to a 102-year-old woman after discovering it had been stolen.

Larry Rowell of R&R Estate Jewelers said he returned the ring to Edna Levy after discovering that it had been stolen from her last month, KOCO-TV, Oklahoma City, reported.

Rowell said he had purchased the ring from someone who claimed to have bought it from someone else. He said he suspected it might be stolen after seeing a report on TV, and a phone call to police confirmed that the ring he had purchased was the stolen item.

"There are more important things than money and getting this sweet lady her ring back was my main goal," Rowell said.

Levy said the ring had been a Christmas gift from her husband in 1976 and she was devastated when it was taken.

"My husband bought me a lot of pretty jewelry, but I missed this one so much," Levy said. "I didn't think I'd ever see it again."

Two suspects, Wendall Elix and Veronica Hinton-Elix, were arrested Wednesday in connection with the theft, police said.

Stolen Bentley abandoned in driveway

MODESTO, Calif., Dec. 12 (UPI) -- A Modesto, Calif., woman said what appeared to be an early Christmas present in her driveway, a 2005 Bentley Continental GT, turned out to be stolen.

Rosa Warren, 45, said she called her boyfriend after she and her daughter discovered the car in their driveway Tuesday morning but he confirmed that it was not a gift and told her to call police, The Modesto Bee reported.

Police Sgt. Brian Findlen said investigators don't know how the car, which was reported stolen between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. Tuesday from a house in a gated community in the northern part of the city, ended up in Warren's driveway.

Findlen said police have no suspects in the theft.

Warren said she wasn't too disappointed to say goodbye to the luxury English car.

"To me, it's nice, but not that nice," she told the Bee.